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Original poster

What’s the hourly rate for private secondary tuition?

103 replies

TaRaLa · 04/10/2021 20:44

Looking at secondary school age in maths and science up to A level, what is the going hourly rate you pay/get paid or would be willing to pay for your child’s private tuition?

OP posts:
CallmeHendricks · 05/10/2021 08:10

Those of you objecting to some of these hourly rates, I presume you'd go along with paying that sort of price (or more) for a solicitor if you needed one's services
Yet again, people are proving how little they value teachers' skills. They want something for (relatively) nothing.

Nowisthemonthofmaying · 05/10/2021 08:29

@kinzarose I wouldn't say I do anything extra compared to a lot of tutors, though I do whatever the pupil needs and I have a lot of experience. I think the difference is probably in the market - most of my clients are UHNW families and I have a lot of students from Russia and China. I teach online and also travel with/to families to stay with them in the holidays (though not in covid times so much!) If I just did local tutoring round where I live I'd have to halve my rates as most people here wouldn't be willing to pay that much and there's a lot of competition. Also, these days I mainly prefer to tutor for boarding school entrance exams (13+) which isn't so in demand round here.

steppemum · 05/10/2021 08:44

@BungleandGeorge

Are tutors actually working face to face? Why pay such a premium for location when it can be done by zoom?
well, I had to do loads of zoom tutoring last year, and it was not nearly as good as face to face. I do deal with primary kids, which makes it harder, but simple things like writing out a maths problem as you do it is so slow on zoom compared to pen and paper, and then to get them to work so you can see what they are doing, again, very slow on zoom compared to pen and paper.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

General education Private schooling Secondary education Tutoring
blametheparents · 05/10/2021 08:45

@Kite22

Some of the prices quoted on here, are ridiculous. I looked at tutors when my dc was struggling with one of their A levels. Even through agencies, no-one was charging anything like these figures.

Are you the person thinking of setting up as a tutor, or the person looking for a tutor for their child ?

Either way, I think it depends what you are offering. Are you a current teacher with up to date knowledge of the syllabus and exam boards ? Or are you are person who "just" understands the subjects and is willing to help explain concepts to young people?
Are you preparing lessons or going through homework / assignments / exam papers with them?
Are you F2F or on-line ?
Then, are you 1:1? Or small group ?
Are you travelling to their home ?

DD had a tutor for a couple of subjects while schools were closed during Covid (no online lessons from the school at all) and I looked for a teacher with knowledge of the syllabus. I did not want somebody who was fantastic at Maths, or fluent in German (or whatever), I wanted somebody who knew what she needed to be taught. The skill is two fold - knowing the subject and knowing how to teach it. I saw a local uni student charging £25 per hour for maths - definitely not worth it (in my opinion). I could have got my own DS to do that for free!
MrsKeats · 05/10/2021 08:47

I don't get paid 60 quid an hour in school when I have 20 odd kids in a classroom.
Therefore why would I charge that for one pupil?
I'm using the same skills and experience so the lawyer analogy does not work.
Lots of people are clearly ripping parents off.

PurpleDaisies · 05/10/2021 08:49

@MrsKeats

I don't get paid 60 quid an hour in school when I have 20 odd kids in a classroom. Therefore why would I charge that for one pupil? I'm using the same skills and experience so the lawyer analogy does not work. Lots of people are clearly ripping parents off.
It’s only a rip off of you’re not providing the service they are expecting.
PurpleDaisies · 05/10/2021 08:51

For gcse I’d charge £30, £40 for a level

NumberNineTwo · 05/10/2021 08:55

I’m puzzled why parents need tutors anyway. Fair enough if you don’t speak French or whatever - but everyone knows Maths and English and most parents are educated to degree level?

HermioneAndRoger · 05/10/2021 08:55

@MrsKeats

I don't get paid 60 quid an hour in school when I have 20 odd kids in a classroom. Therefore why would I charge that for one pupil? I'm using the same skills and experience so the lawyer analogy does not work. Lots of people are clearly ripping parents off.
If you were a lawyer you’d receive a different hourly rate for legal aid and private clients despite using the same skills and experience.
HermioneAndRoger · 05/10/2021 08:56

@NumberNineTwo

I’m puzzled why parents need tutors anyway. Fair enough if you don’t speak French or whatever - but everyone knows Maths and English and most parents are educated to degree level?
‘Most’?!
blametheparents · 05/10/2021 08:59

@NumberNineTwo

I’m puzzled why parents need tutors anyway. Fair enough if you don’t speak French or whatever - but everyone knows Maths and English and most parents are educated to degree level?
Grin I assume you are being ironic?
MrsKeats · 05/10/2021 08:59

Using something like Google documents means you can watch what they are writing and help them as they work.

Bimblybomeyelash · 05/10/2021 09:07

I find it strange that charging more is described as ‘greediness’. I am amazed that people pay that much, but of course I understand that the best tutors, in the wealthiest areas are going to be able to charge a premium. And good for them!

Dancingonmoonlight · 05/10/2021 09:21

It’s a problem easily solved if people refuse to pay it. They won’t be long dropping their prices when they have empty diaries.
Shop around. There are so many teachers doing nixers.

Comparing themselves to a lawyer who is charging that for his full time day job is 🙃

CMOTDibbler · 05/10/2021 09:27

We are paying £45 an hour for online tutoring (maths GCSE) but they have post graduate degrees in maths and apart from the 2 hours a week ds has, he also gets ds to submit his homework to him as well, marks and comments on it, and sends it back (after submission deadline of course) with detailed explanations of where ds needs to expand/ show working better/has gone wrong. Worth every penny.
I could tutor ds in some areas, and do provide extension work/ review homework submissions, but theres no way I could do the detail that his tutor does

nancypineapple · 05/10/2021 09:46

I paid £50/hour for my DS for A level maths and further maths ( North London) for a year during lockdown. His tutor is an ex head of maths and absolutely amazing-ds achieved an A* which gained him a place at Uni. I'm paying for her 25 years of teaching expertise, knowledge of exam questions and exam boards and exam technique. She is fully booked now with A level /GCSE students and absolutely worth every penny -she sets questions and papers and works many hours marking and devising a personal study plan for every student.

bizarrustii · 05/10/2021 10:14

£30 p/h
NW
Teacher is a secondary school teacher and therefore also has a PGCE in addition to degree in tutored subject.

What I find concerning on those tutoring websites are the number of undergraduate dentists and medics offering to tutor for £50 per A'level science subject. Just because these young UGs have achieved high grades, this in no way equates to being an A'level Science tutor.

As a dentist myself, I would never have been so arrogant as to do this when I was an UG.

NumberNineTwo · 05/10/2021 10:45

I assume you are being ironic?
Everyone has completed secondary school and done the stuff their kids are learning. Half of people have some sort of post-secondary education. A quarter of people have a bachelors degree. Most kids should have at least one parent or close relative who’s educated to degree level? It therefore puzzles me why most parents can’t teach their own kids.

HermioneAndRoger · 05/10/2021 11:05

@NumberNineTwo

I assume you are being ironic? Everyone has completed secondary school and done the stuff their kids are learning. Half of people have some sort of post-secondary education. A quarter of people have a bachelors degree. Most kids should have at least one parent or close relative who’s educated to degree level? It therefore puzzles me why most parents can’t teach their own kids.
Your maths really doesn't stack up here. How does a quarter of adults being graduates equate to 'most parents'?

Regardless, the distribution of these qualifications won't be equal. Some children will be surrounded by highly-qualified adults. Many children won't have any family members or other adults beyond school who are educated beyond level 3. Have you never seen the threads on here started by an OP who can't find anyone to counter-sign their child's passport application?

NumberNineTwo · 05/10/2021 11:24

But generally the less educated parents aren’t so bothered about their kids achievement. And the educated parents who are bothered are mostly capable of tutoring.

PurpleDaisies · 05/10/2021 11:25

It puzzles me why most parents can’t teach their own kids

Because it’s a totally different relationship. Most teens want someone neutral and not the person they’re eating breakfast with. Plus even if parents know the content, they won’t necessarily be experts in exam technique and what’s required by the syllabus.

Dancingonmoonlight · 05/10/2021 11:33

It puzzles me why most parents can’t teach their own kids

For the same reasons people don’t homeschool.
Most people aren’t knowledgable in every area and even if they were, there is a vast difference between knowing the information and being able to transfer the information so another person understands it. This is why there are good and poor teachers also but thankfully many parents, unlike many teachers, accept their limitations.

ThanksItHasPockets · 05/10/2021 11:53

@NumberNineTwo

I assume you are being ironic? Everyone has completed secondary school and done the stuff their kids are learning. Half of people have some sort of post-secondary education. A quarter of people have a bachelors degree. Most kids should have at least one parent or close relative who’s educated to degree level? It therefore puzzles me why most parents can’t teach their own kids.
How familiar are you with the 9-1 GCSEs? Quite a lot of former AS level content has been moved onto the GCSE specifications, meaning that the tutoring parent would often need an A level in the subject to be confident with much of the content. I’m an Oxford graduate and qualified teacher but my highest qualification in maths is a B at GCSE from 1999 and I’m little use to my DC if they’re studying composite functions or surds.
Isabellabasil · 05/10/2021 11:54

When you're paying the tutor for an hour with your child, you are also paying them for their planning time etc which could take up to another hour before/after the session. Everyone seems to forget that.

CallmeHendricks · 05/10/2021 12:14

If you don't want to prioritise the money for a tutor and pay the going rate, then fine. Don't.
Who suffers? Certainly not the tutor.
Or do it yourself. Can't? Then you will need to consider paying for someone who can.