Terms for private lessons: what to include and how to get parents to sign
The short answer: good terms for private lessons answer in advance four questions behind most arguments: how to pay, until when one can cancel without a charge, what happens with a cancelled lesson, and what you keep about the student. You write them in a page or two, in plain language, and ask the parent to confirm that they read them before the first lesson. When you change something, you publish a new version and ask for a signature again.
Note: this is a practical guide, not legal advice. The final wording is worth showing to a lawyer.
Why you need terms at all
Most private tutors work on "we agreed on the phone". That works until the first time a parent cancels an hour before the lesson and is surprised to be asked for payment, or until a two-month debt builds up and nobody remembers what was agreed on the payment date.
Terms are not meant to scare parents. They are meant so that the rules are known in advance, the same for everyone, and written in one place. When there is an argument, you do not need to invent a rule at that moment: you point to a clause the parent already confirmed. What to do when a parent still does not pay is in a parent is not paying for private lessons.
Recommended clauses
There is no single correct wording. This is a list of clauses worth considering, and you choose what suits you:
- Price and payment method. The price for a private lesson and a group lesson, and if there is a lesson package - how many lessons, at what price and when it is paid for. See also lesson packages.
- Payment date. At every lesson, once a month, or in advance. Write a clear date ("by the 5th of each month"), not "soon".
- Cancellation by the student. Until how many hours before the lesson one can cancel without a charge, and what happens with a later cancellation. A detailed wording and examples are in a private lesson cancellation policy.
- Cancellation by the tutor. What happens when you cancel: an alternative lesson, a credit, or that such a lesson is simply not charged.
- Make-up lessons. Whether a student who cancelled in time can book another lesson, within what time, and when it expires.
- Arriving late. A lesson that started late because of the student ends at the original time, or not.
- Vacations and holidays. What happens on holidays, in the summer break and on your vacations.
- Privacy. Which details you keep (name, a parent's phone, history of lessons and payments), why, and that you do not pass them on.
- Communication. Through which channel one cancels (WhatsApp, a message, a personal link) and what counts as a cancellation "in time".
- Ending the arrangement. How to stop, and whether notice is needed in advance.
A small tip: write each clause in a sentence or two. A parent who receives three pages of long sentences simply will not read them.
An example of a cancellation clause
Cancellation up to 24 hours before the lesson - no charge, and a make-up lesson can be set within 30 days. Cancellation less than 24 hours before - the lesson is charged at the full price. A lesson that I cancel is never charged.
The numbers here are for illustration. Choose what suits you and your students.
Versions: what happens when the terms change
The terms will change. Maybe you will raise the price in September, maybe you will decide to shorten the cancellation window. The problem is not the change itself, but knowing who confirmed what.
The simple rule: every change is a new version, and every parent confirms the new version again. That way there is no situation where a parent says "I signed something else" and you do not know exactly what.
A few habits that help:
- Keep all the versions. Do not delete an old file when you upload a new one.
- State a date at the top of the file ("version from 1 September").
- Give notice in advance of a material change, such as a price, and not on the day it takes effect.
Signing: what is kept as evidence
A digital signature on terms does not have to be complicated. What matters is that you can show afterwards who confirmed, which version, and when.
In Teaching's Studio, this is how it works:
- You upload the terms as a PDF file, up to 5 megabytes. Every upload is a new version, and the earlier versions are kept.
- The student or the parent downloads the file from the personal link.
- The signature is a full name (of the student or of the parent), ticking the box "I have read and agree", and a time from the server and an IP address that are kept as evidence of agreement.
- Every signature points to the version that was signed. One can sign once for each version.
The file is not scanned for viruses, so upload only a file that you prepared yourself.
Three ways to require a signature in the Studio
In the Studio settings there is a rule "When the terms must be signed". It determines what happens to a student who has not yet signed the current version:
| Option | What the student sees | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| A reminder only | The personal area is open, and a message appears that there are terms to sign | When you are just starting and do not want to block anyone |
| Blocks the student area until signed | Until signing, they see only the signing screen | When the signature is a condition for starting, for example before a new year |
| Blocks booking only | They see and cancel lessons as usual, but do not book new ones | When you want to require a signature without disrupting existing lessons |
The setting applies immediately, also to students who already received a link.
How to send a request to sign
On the student's card (the "Classes" screen) you press "Access" and there "Send a request to sign the terms". The default is the parent's email, and you can type another address. Every send creates a new personal link, and the previous link stops working.
If you also have short rules that you want to appear as text and not only in the file, the settings have a field "A free note for students" (up to 2000 characters), which appears in the "Info and rules" section in the student's area. The cancellation rules themselves are shown to the student in plain words, in the language they chose: Hebrew, English, Russian or Arabic. If you also want to let students book make-up lessons by themselves, see booking online lessons.
Before you send to parents: a test student
In the Studio settings there is "Open the area as a student". It opens the area as a student sees it, with a "test student" and a sample lesson. You can sign in their name, cancel and book, and see exactly what the parent will see. The test student is not counted in debts, in the export or in the student limit of the plan.
Frequently asked questions
What must the terms for private lessons contain?
At least four things: how and when to pay, until when one can cancel without a charge, what happens with a cancelled lesson (a make-up or not), and what you keep about the student and why. Everything else is an addition according to the type of activity.
Are terms that the parent signed legally binding?
That is a legal question that depends on the wording and the circumstances. The terms help mainly in that the rules are known in advance and there is a record that the parent saw them. The wording itself is worth checking with a lawyer.
What happens when the terms change in the middle of the year?
You publish a new version and ask for a signature again. In Teaching every PDF upload is a new version, the earlier versions are kept, and every signature points to the version that was signed.
Who should sign, the student or the parent?
When the student is a minor, the parent is the one who pays and commits, so it is usually better that they sign in their full name. In Teaching's Studio the signature can be in the student's name or in the parent's name.
Can I require a signature before a student books a lesson?
Yes. In Teaching's Studio you can choose that the signature is a reminder only, that it blocks the personal area until signed, or that it blocks only the booking of lessons.
Written by the Teaching team · Updated on 14 October 2026. The guide is general information and is not legal advice.
Try the Studio with a test student during the 30 day trial
Want to see how this looks from the parent's side? Turn on the Studio, upload terms and sign them yourself with a "test student".
Sign up for free
A student management app for a private tutor: what it must have
A student management app for private tutors: 6 things it must do, from recording a lesson on the phone to debts, reminders and privacy. With a checklist.
Managing students as a music teacher: calendar, cancellations, pay
Student management for a music teacher: a fixed weekly lesson, cancellations, vacations and monthly or package payment, from the phone and the computer.
Private lesson cancellation policy: how to write and enforce it
A private lesson cancellation policy that works: hours of notice, late cancellations, exceptions, and a ready text to send parents on WhatsApp today.