The problem
A private tutor with 25 families usually invoices at the end of the month by counting lessons, typing invoices, matching bank transfers and chasing whoever hasn't paid. At 6 minutes an invoice that's 150 minutes, and chasing 6 late payers at 15 minutes each adds 90 more: 4 hours a month of unpaid admin, usually on a Sunday night.
What the AI does
TutorBird bills from your calendar: you schedule lessons and take attendance, and it calculates each family's charges. Its invoicing page lists billing per lesson, monthly or hourly, sold blocks of hours that count down as lessons are used, automatic invoice reminders, late fees and Auto Pay. Connect your own Stripe or PayPal account and parents can pay by card through the parent portal; families who prefer bank transfer still see their balance and invoices there. The vendor doesn't give reminder timings, so set them in the settings.
A worked example
A self-employed GCSE maths and science tutor in Reading teaches 25 families, about 30 lessons a week at $53£40€48A$77C$75 an hour, and invoices monthly by hand from a spreadsheet.
Before
25 invoices at 6 minutes plus 6 late payers chased at 15 minutes: 240 minutes, 4 hours a month
After
About 60 minutes a month checking invoices before they go and answering the odd query
What it's worth
About $120£90€107A$173C$169 a month of time saved, against $19£14€17A$27C$26 for TutorBird. That's 3 hours (240 minus 60 minutes) at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour, the value of an hour the tutor could teach or rest. Card fees from Stripe or PayPal come on top for families who pay by card; check their UK prices before you switch card payments on.
How to set it up
- Start the 30-day free trial and import your families from your spreadsheet.
- Set each family's billing: per lesson, monthly or a prepaid block of hours.
- Add your term breaks and closures to the calendar so they aren't charged.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal if you want card payments, and switch on invoice reminders and Auto Pay for families who agree to it.
- Run the first month's invoices side by side with your old spreadsheet and fix any lesson counts that differ.
What goes wrong
- Invoices are only as right as your attendance. If you don't mark lessons as taught or canceled, families get the wrong bill.
- Late fees must be in the terms parents agreed to before you charge them; switching them on mid-term causes arguments.
- Card processing fees are separate from the $18.55£13.95€16.60A$26.78C$26.23 subscription, so a family paying $213£160€190A$307C$301 a month by card costs you a little more than one paying by bank transfer.
- The price shown to UK visitors is $18.55£13.95€16.60A$26.78C$26.23 a month for one tutor; each extra tutor or staff member adds $5.25£3.95€4.70A$7.58C$7.43.