By: vish ks
Submitted: 2009-10-20 05:38:11 | Word Count: 568
At some point in time, all those people who belong to the parent community would have gone through the process of searching for a good tuition centre or a tutor. For instance, your son or daughter needs some assistance with the class work and you've spotted a tutor for them. You agree on a particular rate that needs to be paid for the hour, and all you need to do now is to pay the tutor at the required time. It ought to be simple, but it is not always simple as it sounds. All the same, it would be wise on your part to draw out a tuition contract that will cover the whole gamut of this arrangement.
While making a legal contract, there are some simple things you need to give some thought to. Keep the English plain and simple. If things ever got a little bit nasty, a clearer and simpler text would make sense, instead of some long wounded or ambiguous statements. Judges generally are unimpressed by ambiguous wordings and might want to cut to the original intent.
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As an initial step, identify the parties involved and list down the details. Put down on paper the name, address and contact details of both the student and the tutor, the place where tuition takes place, and the frequency of the sessions. Mention the subjects taught and the level that is being tutored.
Now, give the tuition rates and details regarding the fees to be paid per hour. Does this include to and fro travel expenses? Make sure that you clearly mention in the statement that the duration of tuition starts the time the tutor arrives at your home till they finish the tuition class; and not from when he leaves his home for tuition or when he gets back at his place. You have to check whether problem solving phase, the tutor's preparation time and homework assistance phases are included in the tuition session’ duration? Will the tutor allow one to get in touch with him between different sessions as and when some need arises? Can a student send the tutor an odd question by email so as to get some timely assistance?
There would be times when the student or the tutor, or both of you cannot make it to the class session. How much notice period would you require? How much would be paid if the tutor arrives and the student absents himself from the session? So, regarding matters like these, you need to chalk out the sickness and cancellation terms in a very sensible manner.
And now coming to terminating the contract; how many days’ notice should be given in advance to the tutor, and how many days’ notice should they give to you? Sign the deal and date it. All this would seem like a lot of work, but sticking to the process is worth it. Your son or daughter could be with this tutor for a long period of time, and a lot of cash would change hands during this time. A properly drawn out agreement covering the basic intent in simple and easy wordings can go a long way in sorting out unforeseen difficulties. And, it really isn't that difficult to write a legally binding tuition contract.
