Week five of term
Most families paid in the first fortnight. Twenty have not. The office has sent one reminder each, by hand, and has not had time to send the second. A teacher mentions that one of her pupils' parents asked whether the invoice had been sent, because they never received it. Another teacher is asked by the manager to 'have a word' with a parent at pick-up, which she hates doing.
Meanwhile teachers are paid at month end regardless, room rent is due, and the account is thinner than it should be.
Why chasing fees stalls
Chasing is nobody's favourite job, so it is done late and inconsistently. Reminders are written from scratch, sent from someone's own email, and not recorded in the accounts package. Families who genuinely did not receive an invoice are treated the same as families who are struggling, and families who are struggling have no easy way to say so or to pay in parts.
- Reminders depend on someone finding time.
- Invoices go to a single email address that may not be read.
- Paying means logging into online banking and typing a reference.
- There is no simple way to agree instalments.
- Teachers become the debt collectors by default.
What slow chasing costs
The obvious cost is cash, which matters to a business paying teachers and rent every month. The hidden costs are office time and relationships. Teachers who have to ask for money at the door feel uncomfortable, and so do parents. A parent embarrassed in front of their child is a family you may lose.
Reminders that run on their own
- Invoices are created in your accounts package, such as Xero or QuickBooks, and each one includes a payment link through Stripe or GoCardless so paying takes a minute.
- A reminder sequence you approve runs from the due date: a friendly nudge, a second reminder, then a firmer note, each with the link and the invoice attached.
- Reminders go to every paying contact on the family account, not only the first email address.
- Families can choose to spread payment in instalments if you offer it, which sets up the schedule automatically.
- Anyone replying that they cannot pay, or disputing the bill, is taken out of the sequence and put on the office's list.
- After the last reminder, the family appears on a short list for a personal call from the office, never the teacher.
- Payments are reconciled against invoices, so the list is always current.
| Days after due date (you choose) | Message | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| Shortly after | Invoice resent with payment link | Friendly |
| A week or so later | Reminder with instalment option | Friendly |
| Later still | Note about your policy on unpaid fees | Firm, polite |
| After that | Office call list | Personal |
The wording, the timing and what happens after the final step are yours. We write them with you.
Fees without awkward conversations
Paying becomes a one-minute job, so families who simply forgot can pay from the first reminder. The office spends its time on the few who need a real conversation, with the history in front of it. Teachers are taken out of money matters entirely. At month end you know where you stand without opening every invoice.
The families who are struggling benefit too. A parent who has lost hours at work can choose instalments from a link without having to explain themselves at the door, and the office can see who has done so. That tends to keep children in lessons through a hard term, which is usually what everyone wanted in the first place.
Is chasing fees wearing you down?
- Reminders are written and sent by hand, when someone has time.
- Teachers are asked to raise unpaid fees with parents.
- Families say they never received the invoice.
- There is no easy way to pay in instalments.
- You do not have a current list of who owes what.