While most private tutors would love to teach kids whose parents are willing to spend exorbitantly on tutoring fees to ensure their offsprings receive very personal and exclusive tutoring services, it isn't always the "bed of roses" situation that happens. Well, yeah, pros and cons. So here's what I encountered and will very likely continue to face until I call it quit.
I have this student who is studying in a primary international school. He comes from an affluent family and due to his declining academic results, his father sought a personal tutor with hopes that he or she would assist him in his daily homework and help him improve his results. It's either destiny or by chance, I stumbled upon this student and I agreed to be his home tutor.
My student is a playful boy with intermittent daydreams. He is weak in Mathematics, lazy, and easily distracted. But all in all, he is a good and obedient kid who always respects me. I don't have any major problems teaching him.
BUT I have problems dealing with his parents. Probably his dad thinks he is paying me higher than what the market has to offer (but I charge higher because his house is quite a distance from mine), he tends to be rather harsh on me.
There was once when I went to his house but my student wasn't in. His maid told me his mother brought him out to the doctor so I thought alright, I'll just wait for him. After half an hour, I called his mother several times but there was no answer. And I ended up waiting for ONE hour and he was nowhere to be seen. Another 30 minutes passed before his mother brought him back. My student complained that he was too tired to attend class and I too had an appointment later so I left without teaching. I was somewhat angered and I texted his father that I would have to charge him an hour for me travelling there and not teaching. Let me get this right - I have made prior confirmation with his mother before going and it was certainly her fault for not informing me earlier about her bringing his son out.
I don't know if he didn't check his texts or he chose to ignore what I said because he was abroad at that time.
And that happened again a few days later so it became TWICE that I wasted my time there stupidly.
So... when I passed him the bill at the end of the month, he got all outraged that I am charging him. I AM DOING IT TO PROTECT MYSELF. I cannot afford going there and waiting for an hour and ended up not teaching. MY TIME IS AS PRECIOUS AS YOURS. He even reprimanded me for not confirming the time with his wife WTF. Your wife forgotten the time and it's my fault?? He got onto his temper and yeah I did get frightened. Even after his wife explained to him, he still felt he didn't deserve to pay me.
The second incident happened today when I was waiting for my student's parents to confirm the time that I should go with me. I actually requested for the class to be earlier but his mother told me it would be rushing for them to fetch my student back from his granny's. So I went out and thought it would definitely be late before they tell me. When I thought that I might not be able to make it and told them to cancel, his mother said they would be arriving home soon. But I told her I was still outside and preferred to have it deferred. She agreed and we arranged for another time. I thought everything was fine until .... moments later, my student's father called and yelled at me by saying they purposely rushed home earlier so that I could go. Do I even deserve such harsh manners? Like seriously.
I didn't even get angry when they informed me last minute about cancelling the class or yelled at them for wasting my time! I guess I should develop greater skills to counter him the next time he uses sharp verbal words on me again.
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