Finding the right price to pay for a private tutor can be challenging. How is the price of a private lesson, homework help and home schooling determined?
- Is it up to the teacher to set the price of private lessons?
- Does the student have a say?
What are the price differences between a tutoring platform and a private teacher recruited directly, without intermediaries?
So many questions that Superprof will try to answer. Here is a summary based on a Tutor Pages study.
| Subject | Price per hour (in pounds) |
|---|---|
| Average rate regardless of subject | 29-41 |
| Up to age 14 | 30 |
| GCSE | 32 |
| A-levels | 36 |
| Music | 32 |
| Language | 30 |
Why Do Prices Vary?
How much does lifelong learning cost? As a general rule, the price of a private lesson can vary from the cheaper end to a very expensive price.
This depends on multiple factors such as :
- The material used,
- The discipline taught,
- The number of courses taken by the student,
- Level of education (primary, secondary, higher),
- The level of study of the teacher (bachelor, master, doctorate, etc.),
- The teacher's background: years of experience, teaching positions,
- The age of the teacher,
- The teaching method used by the teacher,
- The type of course provided: intensive courses, refresher courses, one-off courses or homework support, etc,
- Structure of the class: private, group, etc.
Frequency and Type of Courses
The price of a private lesson depends on the number of lessons and their frequency: the price will obviously not be the same if you need one or two lessons per week and if you only meet up every fortnight.
Another criterion for determining the average price of a private lesson is the type of lesson. Of course, home tutoring, private tutoring and homework help are not the same and do not require the same skills.
As far as homework help is concerned, this usually applies to primary as well as secondary school students: it is not so much a real course, but more of homework support.
As far as private tuition is concerned, tutoring brings real added value to the student, it is a contribution of knowledge or a useful reinforcement of knowledge:
- If there is something the student did not understand in class,
- If he hasn't had time to learn his lesson,
- To simply discover another way, another method, of learning
The Price of a Tutoring Course
The price of a private lesson depends primarily on the level taught: a lesson with a child in primary school will always be cheaper than a lesson for a preparatory class for the A-levels, for example.
Both the student's and the teacher's level of education count.
Why Have a Price Difference?
First of all, the differences in methodology between an elementary maths class and a uni-level physics course are completely different. The higher the student's level of education, the higher the level of education of the tutor, and therefore the higher the price tends to be.
It can also highly depend on whether or not the private lesson you want to participate in requires the teacher to have a certain degree or certification.
The Price of a Private Lesson Varies According to the City
Why does the price of a course vary from city to city? A private lesson is more expensive in London than in any other city in the UK for a simple reason: the cost of living is higher. Another factor is transport: travelling by public transport or car in London is more expensive than elsewhere in the country.
Although some certified tutoring organizations include transportation costs in their hourly rate (which may explain the higher rate), not all do. But when the teacher negotiates directly with the student or his family, they can ask that their transportation costs be added to their hourly rate.
As a general rule, you can expect location to be a deciding factor in the price of a lesson. However, at the risk of repeating ourselves, it should be remembered that the fee varies according to the nature of the discipline that will be taught.
Several parameters must be taken into account when setting the price of a private lesson:
- The level taught: a primary school course is cheaper than a secondary school course,
- The geographical location of the teacher (and possible travel expenses),
- The profile of the teacher (as well as his/her experience): an associate professor will be paid more than a student,
- The level of the student,
- The duration of the private lesson: it is always possible to give private lessons at a reduced rate if the lessons are spread over several months. Private lessons are more interesting in the long term!
Taking private lessons at home is always an investment! Private tuition may also be able to be deducted from your taxes, so keep that in mind.
How to Reduce the Cost of Private Lessons?
The extra-curricular support of children through private lessons represents a significant cost in the family budget. However, it is essential in many situations. For example:
- When the parents are often absent and cannot accompany the child daily for their homework,
- To enter certain very selective courses,
- To overcome learning difficulties,
- To prepare for exams (GSCE, A-levels).
How can you offer a child the possibility of private lessons while limiting expenses?
Here are some tips on how to offer students the best rates.
Long-Term Courses
Teachers usually give a better price when the courses are planned over a longer period of time. Of course, when a teacher is assured of being able to provide a greater number of hours of lessons, they will be better able to offer a preferential rate to his or her students.
Similarly, taking a longer amount of time in a private lesson can also be an alternative. For example, two hours in a row every two weeks is better than one hour a week. By halving travel costs, not to mention the time spent preparing for classes, which can be optimized, everyone benefits.
Group Courses
In the same logic, taking group courses reduces tutoring costs
A student can come and help their siblings with their homework at the same time. This is a solution that will allow the teacher to consider a reduction in the hourly rate of his private lessons.
What about for subject-specific courses, exam revision, or a refresher course? Some of the students' friends probably need help in the same subject. By arranging group lessons with a private teacher, the rates can be cheaper. Teenagers can also appreciate working in a group.
By favouring small group lessons, children will be able to practice a new language more easily for example. The teacher will be able to set up a more playful classes and propose a variety of teaching approaches.
Online Courses
With new technologies and the multiple possibilities of communication, online lessons have become a popular solution for both teachers and students. The advantage?
It's easier to plan lessons, even when you're not at home. An English course via Skype during your lunch break saves time in the evening to do other things!
This allows teachers to give one lesson after another to several students, without having to travel. It gives the opportunity to give more lessons and to save travel expenses. Students can benefit from this as well, many organizations have courses online for free!
Income of Tutors
It is not always easy to finance private tuition, but it is important to realize that for teachers, the rates charged are usually far from excessive. The main concern that teachers may have is the scheduling of private lessons.
This can be a real headache!
- During the day, the students are in class,
- In the evening, they all want to have the same class at the same time, between 5 and 8 p.m.
- In the summer, students usually suspend private lessons to enjoy the holidays,
- After school, there are extracurricular activities.
It is easy to understand that, in order to ensure a sufficient number of private lessons, it is important to know how to organize oneself to fill the gaps in one's schedule! To achieve this, it is useful to tutor students during study hours, correspondence courses or adults.
It is often said that private lessons are expensive, but it is important to put this into perspective.
A good salary for 18 hours of work per week, compared to many employees working 40 hours per week?
When we take into consideration :
- Time spent travelling to students' homes,
- Transportation costs (fuel, public transport, etc.),
- The time of preparation of the courses,
- Time for correcting any assignments,
- The time spent explaining, sometimes outside the session time frame,
- The (non-deductible) costs related to the necessary equipment...
We can immediately see that a tutor needs to make a living wage on top of these costs.
So before you negotiate the price of private lessons, think about what it means for the tutors and understand that a fair price usually means that tutor can make a living. First and foremost, their work helps students succeed, and like everything else, it comes with a price tag!
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