Tutoring arrangements fail when "help with school" is the entire contract. Nobody knows which subject. Nobody knows when it ends. A parent who is paying attention still cannot confirm a fog.
Write the scope. Ask for a yes. Do it before the first hour.
This is not a marketplace and not a wage guide. Use the rate you already have. If you do not have one, do not invent it in this message.
Hours, subject, done
Name the course the way the school names it. Hours per week, and for how many weeks unless you both already treat it as open-ended — in which case say how you will stop. Where you meet. What "done" means in something you can both see: the midterm date, a chapter list, a skill (can solve the posted problem sets without hints). Do not promise a grade.
Ask for a decision: accept this scope, accept with one written change, or no. That is the list. "What are you thinking for tutoring" is how you start without a scope.
If a claim about the student's level is a guess, label it. You have not taught them yet.
A date that is not the first session
Set an honest deadline before you hold the time. "If I do not hear by Thursday I will release the slot." A parent who can see the consequence can answer. A floating "hope to start soon" fills nobody's calendar.
One scope per briefing. Do not staple a sibling's algebra to this student's chemistry.
They confirm from email
A parent who is not on RelayLink gets ordinary mail and a link. They do not create an account to say yes. If they already have one, you need an accepted contact. If they later want a portal, they sign in with an emailed code. There is no password.
You draft. You read the hours. You confirm the send. A scope under your name is not auto-mailed.
No attachments. Worksheets stay in the place you already share. The briefing is the agreement.
Nicknames stay private unless you share them. Use the names the school uses.
If they block you, the block is silent. Release the slot on the default you wrote.
When the scope fits in a briefing they can answer from a phone, connect your assistant and get the yes before the first hour invents the job.