Question for full time tutors : hours and earnings

[CatvsPolarBear]

Years ago before DC I was a french teacher. My youngest DC starts secondary school this summer and cost of living means that we could do with some extra money coming in.

I'm thinking about doing online French tutoring for kids doing GCSE / A'level.

I reckon I can effectively work full time but realise that it will mean evenings and weekends.

My query is: what are a tutor's typical working hours like (number of hours and rough timings) and what can I potentially earn? Also are there any hidden overheads that I need to be aware of?

Typically I work 4 days a week Mon - Thurs for maybe up to 6 hours between 10 and 7. I work mainly in person (my strong preference) with clients coming to me and a bit online. I teach maths and science. There's high demand for those subjects, also for English. I earn approximately £45K but I've been at this game for a few years nowv and I'm in the south-east (what people will pay varies regionally). Hidden costs include additional home insurance because clients come to my house. Also subscriptions to online resources, accountancy software, ICO subscription, public liability insurance, Zoom subscription and others.

Thank you - do you find that your hours vary across the school year? i.e. busier in the run up to the exams or is it fairly consistent?

I find it pretty consistent. My year 11s are about to move on and I'll be on-boarding the year 9 and 10s mid-June. I work term time only.

Would you consider daytime tutoring of students who are unable to attend school? It's really hard to find an A level tutor with both QTS and time in the school day. Our son's GCSE tutor offered a discounted rate during the school day (£40ph) but she was just setting up, and I expect her rates have gone up now. We found her privately when LA-supplied agency tutors could not meet need.

The students are often extremely capable and can do very well in exams, but they have a lot of barriers and can need quite a specialist low demand approach.

I teach kids in that category.

You might be interested in this report I have just written: 'The UK Private Tutoring Rate Report 2026: What 24,183 UK private tutors actually charged, by subject, level, region and reputation' (an analysis based on - historical First Tutors data and Sutton Trust data). https://tutorperch.com/research/uk-tuition-rate-report-2026?subject=Maths&level=GCSE&region=UK - I've included a tool that compares rates for different subjects, levels, locations etc...

I tutor Primary children, mostly after school from 3.45-6.45 each evening, and a couple of home ed daytime sessions each week. Saturday mornings were very popular too when I offered them. I do my planning and admin for a couple of hours a day in the mornings and see my hours as the equivalent to teaching about three days a week. It would be possible to pick up more daytime work but this is harder to get than evenings. I charge £45 for 50 minutes - Surrey, 30 yrs teaching experience.

There are some very helpful and supportive groups on Facebook - Twinkl private tutors, Tutors who thrive, Katie's tutor support.