How 'Make-up Lessons' in Private Tutoring Schools Erode Business
Exploring a Sustainable Path for Schools and Parents
For tutoring schools that offer private instruction, handling make-up lessons is an unavoidable challenge. Many managers and instructors struggle with this, and various opinions are voiced by parents. If this issue is left unaddressed, it can often lead directly to a business crisis. On the other hand, strict enforcement that ignores the circumstances of parents can damage the relationship of trust.
In this article, we will delve into the reality of make-up lessons while carefully listening to the perspectives of both the school and the parents. Let us consider a balanced solution based on facts rather than emotional conflict. This content is highly recommended for those involved in the management of private tutoring schools and for parents who are considering the learning environment for their children.
The Fundamental Dilemma Surrounding Make-up Lessons
In private tutoring schools, instructors and students share time one-on-one or in small groups. While the strength of this format is detailed instruction, its weakness is that adjustments are extremely difficult when absences occur.
From the school's perspective, the reason they do not want to actively offer make-up lessons is clear. When part-time university student instructors are scheduled, labor costs are incurred the moment they arrive at the classroom. Even if a student does not show up at that time, the school had reserved a slot exclusively for that student in advance, so it is reasonable to charge tuition. Considering the instructor's travel time, preparation, and classroom maintenance costs, wasted standby time is a direct loss.
On the other hand, the parents' position is also fully understandable. Situations where one is forced to be absent due to family circumstances—sudden illness, urgent family business, or overlapping school events—can happen to anyone. Since they are paying high monthly tuition, it is natural that they find it difficult to accept that the cost is wasted without receiving the service. For this reason, even if rules are established, there is no end to parents who consult with the school, asking, "Can't something be done if I explain the situation?"
This dilemma arises from the structure unique to private tutoring. In group classes, it is easier to fill empty seats with other students, but in private tutoring, each individual's schedule is closely intertwined. It is precisely because there is some validity to both sides' arguments that this problem cannot be solved easily.
Differences in Operational Reality Between Large and Small Schools
There is a significant difference in how make-up lessons are handled between large tutoring chains and small or individual schools. Large schools have established reservation systems and staffing mechanisms, creating an environment where it is easier to enforce rules strictly. For example, it is common to have a policy where notification by the previous day is required, and same-day make-ups are generally not allowed. In fact, parents who have transferred from large schools to small ones often say, "It was difficult before because the policy was strict about notifying by the previous day."
From the school's side, sudden same-day make-ups are difficult to reassign to instructors and affect the entire classroom schedule. However, there is also the reality that they have no choice but to respond flexibly in emergencies such as illness. It can be said that large schools control this balance with systems to maintain overall efficiency.
In contrast, many small, individual schools use flexible make-up responses as a weapon for differentiation. There is certainly an aspect where this is supported by parents as a detailed service not found in large schools, and it helps in recruiting students. In particular, small, community-based schools tend to value human connections with parents, so many managers choose to operate with loose rules.
However, this flexibility can sometimes hinder business management. In schools that hire part-time instructors, if a student does not show up for a make-up, the school ends up paying for "time spent waiting without doing anything." Also, in small schools where the school principal handles the make-ups themselves, the principal's own valuable time is significantly reduced. Some parents prefer instruction from the principal over part-time instructors, which can lead to repeated requests for make-ups. When this situation becomes the norm, the private tutoring site truly becomes a battle against make-ups.
Realistic Burdens and Negative Impacts Faced by Small Schools
What specific burdens arise when make-up lessons increase in small, individual schools? First, in terms of finances, wasted labor costs accumulate. Considering the hourly wage per instructor, if make-ups continue several times a month, it will certainly squeeze the profitability of the entire classroom. Especially in small schools with high fixed cost ratios, this impact cannot be ignored.
The time burden is also serious. When the principal is busy dealing with make-ups, the time that should be devoted to essential tasks—researching teaching materials, formulating lesson plans, carefully following the learning progress of each student, and career counseling with parents—is reduced. This increases the risk that the educational quality of the entire school will gradually decline.
Maintaining instructor motivation is also a major challenge. When scheduled times are frequently canceled, instructors find it harder to feel a sense of fulfillment, which can lead to turnover. Also, the complexity of schedule adjustments inevitably affects other students. There are many cases where one make-up causes a chain reaction, disrupting the order of the entire classroom.
The psychological aspect cannot be overlooked either. When there are repeated requests from parents, the school is forced to provide "special treatment," which risks damaging relationships with other parents from the perspective of fairness. On the other hand, when rules are ambiguous, a trend emerges where parents expect special treatment, making it difficult to build a healthy relationship of trust.
The Pitfall of Using Flexibility as a Strength
Making ease of rescheduling a selling point has the advantage of making it easier to gather students in the short term. However, in the long term, it carries the risk of undermining sustainability. If the image of being a "convenient school where you can always reschedule" becomes established among parents, the essence of education, which is providing learning outcomes, tends to be put on the back burner. As a result, it is viewed merely as a schedule adjustment service, making it difficult to differentiate from other competing schools.
If competitors introduce similar flexibility, it leads to a vicious cycle of being dragged into price competition. Furthermore, excessive flexibility tends to foster a sense of 'entitlement' among parents, weakening their awareness of rule compliance. As an educational institution, it is important to encourage mutual responsibility and cooperation.
Re-examining the structural challenges of individual tutoring, the issue lies in the necessity of fixing instructor time for each student. While leveraging this characteristic, it is necessary to create a system that minimizes waste. Large tutoring schools set strict rules based on the realistic judgment of resource efficiency and ensuring profitability. If small-scale schools ignore this, it will lead to an increased burden on instructors and financial deterioration in the medium to long term, endangering the continuity of the business itself.
What is a sustainable balance that both parties can agree on?
To solve the make-up lesson issue, a stance of compromise from both the school and the parents is essential. Schools should clarify their rules and strive for sufficient prior explanation. For example, they should specifically define and share with parents the deadlines for absence notifications, the maximum number of make-up lessons, and alternative means (such as online instruction or self-study support).
Efforts to encourage understanding from parents are also necessary. As a trade-off for paying high tuition fees, it is hoped that parents will grasp the actual state of school operations to some extent and cooperate in adjusting their schedules. While flexible responses in emergencies are a matter of course, the awareness of minimizing routine schedule changes will ultimately lead to a stable learning environment for their children.
Examples of balanced operation include thorough implementation of a reservation system, a combination of a certain number of free make-up lessons with paid options for additional ones, and providing recorded lessons for absences. The important thing is to build rules based on mutual understanding, rather than one-sided imposition. This allows schools to achieve management stability and parents to use the service with peace of mind.
In the field of education, there is no perfect solution. However, by respecting both positions and accumulating highly transparent communication, it is possible to build a relationship of trust. Ingenuity that combines the meticulousness of small-scale schools with the efficiency of large ones will be the key for future individual tutoring schools.