How to set a leave policy as a tutor: 5 scenario questions and 3 templates

Why do tutors need a written leave policy?

A verbal agreement usually breaks down the first time someone asks for leave late: the parent remembers "we can make it up", the tutor remembers "you have to tell me the day before". Writing it down and having parents confirm it means a deduction is simply the rule being applied, not the tutor's personal call.

The policy protects parents too: when they know when leave costs nothing, they're less likely to leave it to the last minute.

5 steps to setting a leave policy

1. 1

   Choose the cut-off

   How far ahead does a leave request count as on time? 24 hours before class is common; if many families only know their plans on the day, you can relax it to 12 hours.

2. 2

   Decide how to handle late leave

   Four common options: deduct 1 lesson, deduct half a lesson, no deduction but no make-up, or no deduction plus a make-up voucher. Late leave leaves you with an empty slot, so most tutors deduct 1 lesson or half a lesson.

3. 3

   Set the voucher cap and validity

   How many vouchers a month, and how many days to use them. A cap stops "leave every week and make it up later"; an expiry stops vouchers piling up until the end of term.

4. 4

   Decide how to handle no-shows

   For a student who neither requests leave nor attends, the rule is usually stricter than for late leave; most tutors deduct 1 lesson.

5. 5

   Write it in plain language and get parents to confirm

   Use concrete examples, such as "For a Thursday 18:00 lesson, leave requested before Wednesday 18:00 is not deducted", and send it to parents before the first lesson.

3 templates you can use as-is

Tutors just starting out and still building a reputation can start with Relaxed; tutors with a full timetable where make-ups are hard to fit in suit Standard or Strict.

• Relaxed: leave 12 hours before class is not deducted and earns a make-up voucher; late leave is not deducted but has no make-up; up to 3 vouchers a month, valid for 60 days; no-shows deduct half a lesson.
• Standard: leave 24 hours before class is not deducted and earns a make-up voucher; late leave deducts 1 lesson; up to 2 vouchers a month, valid for 30 days; no-shows deduct 1 lesson.
• Strict: leave 48 hours before class is not deducted and earns a make-up voucher; late leave deducts 1 lesson; up to 1 voucher a month, valid for 14 days; no-shows deduct 1 lesson.

What if the tutor takes leave or cancels a lesson?

Lessons you cancel should not be deducted, should be made up on your initiative, and shouldn't count towards the parent's monthly make-up cap. Put that in the policy too, and parents will accept the other limits more readily.

What about illness, typhoons and other special cases?

Keep room outside the rules for the tutor to waive a decision, but record why, for example "Ill with a doctor's note, 1 lesson returned". Typhoon closures and national holidays are usually not deducted and are rescheduled.

Apply your leave policy automatically with Kebao

Answer 5 scenario questions in Kebao and it produces the rules above, written in plain language for parents. Parents see whether a lesson will be deducted before they request leave on LINE; once submitted, the system deducts the lesson or issues a make-up voucher, and the ledger records the rule version and the reason. Changing the rules later doesn't affect past records.