It is far from a women only problem

I spent 6 months working on a contract monitoring the performance of a company installing water meters in homes around Wales. The team fitting these were all men (not many female plumbers about even now) and they managed to get themselves in to enough trouble. None of them could really be described as attractive but they had sexual advances ranging from women flirting with them in their nightware to one plumber crawling from under the sink to find a man standing over him in leather shorts pleasuring himself. We also had animal attacks (mainly dogs) and several mugging attempts and tools stolen.

As a result every time they completed a job they would phone in which job they were going to next. If they spent two long between calling in we would call out to them.

It is something that HSE can advise on and it is also something you many want to speak to your local crime prevention officer about.

I must say working from home, my wife did not like it when the kids were younger.

There will alway be a chance that something can go wrong at home or out on site.

My wife visits farmers regularly - 

When she was employed and doing this they set up a buddying system where she told someone in the office what time the visit started and finished, and then would call in when she did finish. If the finish call didn't come in at alotted time then follow ups began.

We still do this now we work together

Gut feel is still a good guide though

Make sure you the correct Public Liability cover in place if you are a sole trader. If you have staff by law you need Employers Liability.

I once came across a letting agent who refused to take out Employers Liability cover (totally illegal) and had staff accompanying prospective tenants on viewings. Shameful!

One thing, if it was a woman would you feel the same?
Gut feelings are one thing, (go with them) but assertions are another.

I used to have meetings at my home or clients home when I started. Very quickly decided that hiring a meeting room locally was a better approach, before moving into a serviced office.

You need to consider your business model. Is this a one off gut feeling, or will you have the same concerns if working at the home of people with a certain profile? If the latter, then need to either exclude or find another solution (unless your husband can join you in more home visits which will also impact on his time when you increase the number of your clients).

Meeting the guy in a coffee shop tomorrow and I will let you all know the outcome, thanks for all the advice.

Guy seemed OK, have arranged to tutor him at his home but taking hubby with me

Job done then.

Hi Helen
It would probably worthwhile getting in touch with Cat Johnson at iCom Solutions. They are a telecom company and they offer a lone worker package including a tracker system and alarm service.
Cat could explaini in more detail and is a lovely lady. Give her a call.
Helun

I used to work in an IT job that involved installing IT equipment in peoples homes, configuring their software and internet and basic training. I always phoned my hubby when I got to a clients house and as soon as I left and got in the car - the appointments were scheduled to last 45 mins so if he didn't hear from me within an hour he would ring me. If I felt uncomfortable - and there were occassions with some men that I felt really uncomfortable  - I told them it was company policy that I had to check in every 10 mins and would do that. My hubby had been pre-warned that if that happened I was not entirely comfortable and he would be waiting for each call.

It is a difficult situation for lone female workers in particular, but putting safety procedures in place helps a lot. And if you are in a customers home and you really do not like the situation or something doesn't feel right you can and should leave. There isn't a right or wrong solution unfortunately - you have to do what feels right for you. If that means taking someone along then do it - safety is always the priority.

Go with your Gut Instinct Helen!! I used to do computer repairs in peoples own homes if it didnt feel right I used to just give them some rediclous date in my diary however sometimes they still said yes.. (LOL)

But Good luck with your venture!

When I was a student nurse on the district I was told never to let the client get between me and the door - it only happened once and I was made to feel so uncomfortable that I made sure it never ever happened again.  It's also not just a problem with visiting men in their homes - I've visited some women who I was a little unsure of as well.  All of the above advice is good and sound - be safe x  

I started to have second thoughts about this guy, even taking hubby with me. I sent him what i thought was a very nice email, saying I would meet him in offices or if that didn't suit I would help him find a tutor who would be happy to go to his house. Since then I have had a number of messages from him which have confirmed my decision not to go. Next time I get a gut feeling I am not going to hesittate to just refuse to meet the person at the outset. It's sad that this is how the world is these days

Ther are often threads along these lines on some of the photographer & model forums, normally posted by models.

The reality of life is statistically a female is most likely to be attacked by their partner or a friend/colleague.

The anonomous random "axe murderer" is very, very rare.

Since your business is about tutoring have a check in system by phone with  a friend or co worker who calls you ten minutes after an apointment begins, if it feels dodgy you can make excuses re an "office emergency" plus leaving a schedule with names & addresses etc.

Playing devils advocate I'm not surprised he reacted badly to your email since you advertise your usp as "Personal I.T. Tutor offering a individual learning program to people of all ages in the comfort of your own home" & you are refusing to offer this to him.

If you are going to go on gut feelings you need to make the decision immediately, possible having a backup male colleague who you can offer to book them in with instead.

Check out http://www.suzylamplugh.org/ for useful info.