Well, it’s started!
It’s the time of year when pupils suddenly realise they have an alternative use for their time and money, and start cancelling their lessons (or not booking anymore until January).
I’m not too worried, though. For a start, I originally had over 40 hours booked for this week (this is one useful little trick to help deal with cancellations: book as many as you can, so that cancellations don’t matter). The freed up slots I can now offer to pupils who’d said they wanted lessons, but who I couldn’t fit in – even if a only a couple take the offer it helps offset the lost income. And even if they don’t, it’s time off for me, and I’ve still got over 30 hours scheduled.
To be fair to my lot, they are at least being honest by telling me they can’t afford lessons with Christmas coming up. I can also understand where they are coming from: learning to drive is definitely not cheap when you add it all up.
One thing I will never agree with, though: other instructors who insist that Christmas is when it traditionally goes quiet. The worst that can be said is that – for two weeks – some pupils will not be taking lessons. This is no big surprise, seeing how Christmas is celebrated in this country. Other than that, it is business as usual as far as I am concerned.
EDIT 8/12/2009: And there you go! Just after I wrote this entry, I got an email from a pupil booking 12 hours of lessons over the next three weeks!
Mind you, I feel sorry for one of my others. He had a lesson booked for tonight, and he’s off to Australia tomorrow on a school cricket tour. I got a call from his mum about an hour before saying he has been injured playing rugby (someone stood on his knee). I hope he’s OK – his family was going out to meet him in a couple of weeks and they were due to be spending Christmas out there – but his mum sounded upset, and his injury seems quite serious.