You can easily check what other tutors are charging by going on the First Tutors website and searching for 11+ tutors in your area with similar qualifications and experience. You can also have a look at a few local tuition agencies as they usually charge much higher fees than independent tutors.
Your fees for private tuition should reflect your qualifications, experience and level of expertise as well as the potential benefit to the child. Passing an 11+ exam is a huge step towards improving a child’s educational achievements and opportunities, which in turn impact their future career choices etc. These benefits last a lifetime!
Tuition that increases a child’s chances of being offered a place at a selective school should reflect those benefits, so don’t undersell yourself. Remember parents are not just paying for one hour of tuition, they are paying for your planning, marking and admin time too, plus all your expenses, eg books, resources, insurance, CPD, subscriptions and working from home costs. This usually means the fee for one hour of tuition is effectively two hours work, so £50 per hour of tuition means your hourly pay is around £25 per hour. You would not get any other professional or skilled tradesperson to work for this. Personal fitness trainers, life coaches etc sell themselves on their ability to improve lives, and they earn way more than most private tutors per hour too!
I’m a private tutor in the Cambridge area. We don’t have grammar schools here but I specialise in helping children prepare for 11+ and 13+ entry assessments to local schools like the Perse, which is a highly selective, independent school. I have a master’s degree from Cambridge and 30+ years of school teaching experience. Therefore, I think my charges of £55 per hour 1:1 tuition for children in KS2 and £60 for KS3 are very reasonable. My clients obviously think so because I get most of my work through recommendations and am always fully booked. If you are currently charging less than £50 per hour, I’d suggest it’s time to increase your fees in the New Year. Good luck!