Tutoring costs aibu

[JumpRope]

please be gentle with me, as this is our first foray into private tutoring. Kids are 4 and 6, and the only reason I'm having private lessons (1 hour per week) is because this is a slightly exotic language, and I can't find any classes.

I called a lady who said she could do it, and she is amazing. Qualified teacher, lots of materials etc. She told me it was £25 per hour. I have no idea whether this is cheap or not but it seemed OK. I wrote her out a cheque for £25 after the lesson, and she said no, its £25 each.

£50 per week is too much for me, and I'm probably going to stop the lessons. AIBU in thinking its a lot??

i pay £30 per hour, for one child. Is she tutoring them both at the same time? If so; it certainly seems like a piss take... It's an hour of her time, whether she teaches one child or ten.

Did they have a separate hour each? It's not clear from your post?

They go together for the hour at the same time.

yikes that does seem unreasonable (greedy?) on her part, £22 an hour here. Plus it's unlikely they'll concentrate for a full hour at that age.

Depending on where you are in the country that is absolutely standard. You could ask for a discount if she's working with both children at the same time (lots of tutors will agree to this) but that definitely isn't particularly expensive for a qualified teacher in a non-standard language.

I think that's about right. My husband does tutoring (although only A-level) and charges £30 per hour.

A lot of preparation time goes into each lesson plus travelling (if required ) and any resources required.

If £50 is a struggle, you could speak with the tutor to see if she could maybe do the two lessons for slightly less.
Or could the children have alternate lessons so you only pay for one a week? Not perfect in terms of teaching and learning but might still support them.

If none of these options are possible, you may need to reconsider. Is there a particular reason for them to be learning an exotic language so young?

She shouldn't quote per hour if she charges per child...

She was U for not being clear but you should have asked too. A friend of mine tutors and charges per child (in London) and seems to be the norm.
If you think it's too much, stop the lessons and find someone else. If it's an 'exotic' language it explains why it's expensive

Why greedy victoryinthekitchen? That is what she charges and people have the choice whether to use her or not. Agree that she should have been clearer with her pricing policy but she is totally free to set her own rates and isn't obligated to help out the op.

I think I might just ask for my older child to have lessons alone, since my younger plays up a bit - an hour is too long for her. Its in the tutor's home, so she jumps on the sofas and plays about.

Its not an exotic language to the teacher, its her mother tongue.

I do tutoring and charge for the time I'm there (around £25 an hour seems reasonable). I know some people increase the price slightly if there is more than one child (I guess it might involve more preparation to tailor the lesson to both) but doubling it is outrageous.

That's probably your answer then, op. If your youngest chid is running amok disrupting the lesson, it's obviously far more hassle than teaching two or more engaged children.

£25 an hour isn't too much, but £50 an hour is ridiculous.

It's a lot of money to pay at that age - whether it's an unreasonable amount depends on where you live. Can I ask why you feel it's necessary starting tutoring so young? I assume this is a second language and either you or your partner speak it at home?

It sounds as if the tutor is trying to encourage you to just have tutoring for your older child, as that is what would benefit her the most. Perhaps she could provide a few things/make suggestions for you and the younger child to work with at home, and help the older one practise?
Or perhaps she knows of other families with younger children and could do a less formal short group session of songs or games, with parents present, so the younger ones can join in as well? Charge £10 per family for half an hour, and invite more families?

That does sound a lot, O would expect it to be a bit more to do two children, maybe £30, but not double for the same hour of her time.

OTOH, if she has skills that are hard to find, then really, she can charge what she likes.

I also wonder if there might be other ways to get the children exposed to this language without tutoring so young.