First meeting

[CoastalWave]

I'm looking for a tutor for my child, but not one will meet me and my child first to just have a chat!

Are my expectations unrealistic?

Each one has said I need to pay £25+ to have a 'first initial lesson. I don't want a lesson - I want to meet them and see if they would be a good match for my child first.

Also - costings. What would you say is the going rate for lesson these days? Primary - maths and English. Thanks.

My dd is a tutor and she offers the first lesson free to get to know the student and to see what level they are at.

No idea on price as she doe secondary

£32 an hour here.
I haven't met the tutors but I have met the woman who runs the business.

My DH is a tutor. His waiting list is 20 students long, he takes on 12 a year. He hasn't got time or capacity to do anything for free. He has costs to take into consideration too. So whilst I sympathise, any good tutor won't have the time to do this.

It is 35-50 an hour here. He charges the higher end. I've seen as high as £100 for 11+ / private school entry.

I don't want a lesson - I want to meet them and see if they would be a good match for my child first.

I'm on sure they would be happy to do that at their usual hourly rate.

What is it you want to chat about that couldn't be established by phone or email?

Do you work for free?

Yes your expectations are unrealistic.
Most tutors would do an initial consultation over the phone and then arrange a trial lesson. How else can you tell if their teaching style works for your child without having a lesson?
Price depends on whereabouts in the UK you are and the tutor's experience and availability. £25+ would be the going rate in most parts of the Uk, expect to pay more in the SE/London.

I charge £50 ph and work with primary age children 1:1.

Tutors charging £25 ph are likely to be uni students. Not qualified teachers.

For new families, I offer a free 10 minute zoom call or phone chat so they can put a face to the emails. I also email them lots of information before this and am very happy to answer their questions via email. I don't offer further meetings or phonecards as they tend to end up taking a very long time and consist of parents asking me for information which I have already sent them but they haven't had time to read (ironic, when they are happy to take up my time).

After that, my time is paid for including any trial lessons. I currently have waiting lists of at least 30 children per year and generally take on 10 new children per year.

The only way to really know if a tutor/student is a good fit is to pay for a lesson or two. Any good tutor would allow you to sit in. You should expect to pay the tutor for their time, not audition for free.