How Much Do Tutors Charge? – The Private Tutor Rate Guide!

How Much Do Tutors Charge Per Hour?

Whether you are looking to make money as a private tutor, or hire one, how much do tutors charge is a question that you definitely need to ask!

Knowledge of any topic is all that you need to earn money as a private tutor. And everyone is an expert at something! Therefore, earning an income as a tutor is a very real opportunity!

On the other side of the coin, hiring a private tutor may be exactly what you (or a loved one) need to make it in this competitive world.  

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Stiff competition for top grades among students from elementary school to high school! Fighting for limited spaces at the best universities!

Another battle in college in order to secure internship spots and good grades! From college into the workplace…career advancement goals!

The battle never ends!

Having a good tutor may just be the competitive advantage that a student needs! Hiring one with a decent tutoring hourly rate would definitely ease the stress. 

With the global private tutoring market forecasted to grow to a value of over $171.9 billion within the next few years, now is definitely the time to reserve your slice of the pie!

When I was in college, I was approached by a mom to tutor her two sons in high school, during my time off.

They were struggling with school in general and failing Math and English. They had gotten so frustrated that they developed a negative attitude towards those subjects. 

I started private sessions with them and was initially earning just enough money to pay for my weekend entertainment. 

As we progressed, the boys were so motivated by my modern, fun and humble approach to teaching that they actually started grasping the concepts.

More so, they started liking the subjects and scoring good grades in their official class assessments. They also started bragging to their friends about their new tutor. 

Within a few weeks, classes grew to a few dozen students, on a rotational basis, just by word of mouth from the students and parents.

My wife (girlfriend at the time) also joined in and we had a full blown tutoring center being run out of my parent’s garage. 

By the time I graduated from college and got my first job as an engineer, I had already saved up enough money to purchase my wife’s dream engagement and wedding ring set, solely from money as a private tutor. 

White gold…big rock…princess cut…big money stuff! How much is private tutoring per hour, to afford a ring like that? 

$25 per hour, per student!

That’s what I was offered and I accepted.

$25 per hour is actually a very typical tutor hourly rate! When managed right, there is a lot of money to be made from private tutoring!

As far as the up and coming tutors go, there is clearly a market for your services! The money is real!

If you are setting up your business, you’d need to have a pricing structure, so figuring out how much to charge for tutoring is a big question.

There are several factors that affect private tutor rates!

Likewise, if you are about to hire someone for private tutoring services, you need to know exactly what you are getting and whether you are getting the best bang for your buck.

We’d review the making money aspects of private tutoring and tips for setting your tutor hourly rate, for those of you that want to get your hustle on.

For those interested in hiring a tutor, whilst sticking to a budget, we’d educate you on what dictates how much do tutors charge.

This way, whether you are the employer or employee, you can make the most frugal decisions possible. 

What is a Tutor?

A tutor is someone who offers services as a private educator, or teacher. These teaching services may be on an individual (one on one) level or to a small group. 

Whereas a teacher has to possess some form of professional qualification, such as a teacher’s diploma or degree, a tutor does not. 

A professional teacher also teaches a larger number of students at any one given time, usually over 20 students per class. 

How Much Do Tutors Charge?

The average hourly tutoring rate is $25, per student. However, this can go upwards of $80 per hour for more specialized and higher level services such as for SAT preparations or for tutoring from actually qualified professors and teachers. 

You can consider $15 as a safe, generalized, minimum tutor hourly rate per student and $100 as a maximum.

However, there are cases of persons making over $2000 per hour, traveling the world on all expense paid tutoring trips, to tutor kids of the world’s billionaires.  

The bottom line is that there are many factors that dictate tutoring hourly rate, such as: the level of tutoring required, tutor’s level of expertise, subject matter, location and the nature of the student teacher interaction.

An online, remote tutor, with a virtual classroom of fifteen middle school students should have a lower rate than a physics professor, giving a face-to-face session to a billionaire heir, university student, prepping for finals. 

It just makes sense that there should be some varying answers to how much do tutors charge. It is not written in stone and there are numerous factors that play a part. 

Factors Affecting How Much to Charge for Tutoring

Type of Tutoring & Its Effect on Private Tutor Rates

There are three basic types of tutoring: online, corporate (large scale tutoring center) and private.

If you review the same level of students, taught the same subject, from the same tutor, you should typically find that the online tutor hourly rate is lowest, and private, the highest.  

Even though they may all fall under the umbrella of private tutoring, since the learning does not take place in a conventional “school”, there are some major differences.

Online Tutoring

Online tutors usually teach anywhere between one and twenty students at any given time, from a remote location, online.

They utilize virtual meeting forums such as Google Classroom, Skype or Microsoft Teams to conduct their private sessions.

The average hourly tutoring rate for online classes is $25, but it can be as low as $15. Monthly private tutor rates can reach up to $200 on average, depending on the number of sessions and hours needed. 

Corporate Tutoring Center

A corporate tutoring center is a large scale institution that is made up of several tutors and large classrooms, similar to a school setting.

It is more common to pay a monthly fee or a fee per semester to attend classes at a tutoring center. 

The average monthly cost to enroll at a tutoring center is $150 to $200.

Private Tutor 

A private tutor is someone who holds private classes with either individual students (one-on-one) or small groups.

This is a very personalized approach to education and maximizes student to teacher interaction!

Private tutor rates for individual sessions start at around $25 per hour. However, they can reach up to $100 per hour for specific exam preparations, or for specialized coaching by an expert. 

How Special Prep Affects Tutor Hourly Rate

The tutor hourly rate for a general coaching, teaching or training in a subject is $25, on average. But, this can increase to $50 – $100 per hour if you are preparing for a specific exam or trying to cover a specific syllabus in a short period of time. 

If you are wondering how much is private tutoring per hour, the answer may be vastly different if you are covering a general subject area, versus covering a specific syllabus and preparing for an exam. 

For example, hiring a private tutor to sharpen your high school math skills may run you about $25 per hour.

You would go through various topics and take on the task from a more generalized approach. Classes may consist of just going through a text book and tackling questions with tutor guidance.

On the other hand, preparing for a Math SAT exam would have a more rigorous approach to it. This can take you up to $80 to $100 per hour.

Firstly, as far as exam preparations are concerned, tutors have a deadline to work with in order to make sure the concepts are covered and understood. 

Tutors need special skills and familiarity with the syllabus to be effective. Access to past papers and previous questions would also come at an additional cost. 

When it comes to specialized prep or training for a test, the associated tutoring hourly rate would be more reflective of an expert in that particular area, hence the higher rate.

Qualification Level & How Much Do Tutors Charge 

How much do tutors charge when they are actually qualified experts? $50 to $100 per hour for individual sessions! This is for someone with a degree or any higher academic credentials. 

Someone who is merely good at a particular subject, can charge around the $25 mark as a tutoring hourly rate. 

If you are looking to be competitive and you are still in high school, you can even go as low as $15 per hour if you are good at a subject and want to make some extra money. $30 should be your max!

An industry expert or degree holder in a particular subject matter would automatically command a higher tutor hourly rate. 

How Much to Charge for Tutoring Based on Experience

For a newbie to the field of tutoring, a rate of $15 to $20 per hour is a safe starting point. A more experienced one should start at $25 and can go upwards from there.   

A seasoned tutor would have gained special skills over the years in order to guarantee success for their students. This would justify a higher fee than one now starting up. 

How Reputation Affects Tutoring Hourly Rate

With any business, reputation is everything! A tutor that is known for delivering successful results for students would be in high demand. The tutor hourly rate for one with a solid reputation should generally be upwards of $25 per hour! 

If there are limited spaces available, a waiting list or classes are constantly filling up just based on word of mouth…that’s a tutor with a good reputation and a proven history. 

Specialized Skills & Private Tutor Rates

If a tutor possesses mastery in a very specialized subject, or is known to be an expert or “the best” at teaching a particular topic, expect an hourly rate of over $25 per hour. 

Specialized skills would have come with some higher level of training on the part of the tutor, therefore a higher rate.

A Chemistry tutor may be good at teaching the subject in general, but one may have a special approach when coming to Organic Chemistry or Molar Calculations. This expert may charge a bit more for tutoring at a specialist level. 

Similarly, a Math teacher may charge $25 per hour for basic high school Math, but the same person may charge $40 per hour for Advanced Calculus, or $50 for Abstract Algebra. 

Being multilingual would also be a special skill, that would come at a price.

Tutor Hourly Rate with Specialized Needs

Special needs would come at an additional cost such as if there are any specific props or facilities required during tutoring. Lab services, tools, materials, all cost money and come at an extra cost. 

Similarly, if students themselves require special care as in the case of learning disabilities, physical handicaps, language barriers, etc. This may require specialized services and therefore, a higher tutoring fee per hour. 

Subject Level & Average Hourly Tutoring Rate

Generally, for pre-K up to high school, $25 is the average tutor hourly rate. SAT prep into university and beyond can be over $45 per hour, and even up to $100 hourly. 

Generally, the higher the subject level, the higher the tutor hourly rate, as an advanced level of education and training on the part of the tutor would be required.

The Subject Itself & Tutor Hourly Rate

Certain subjects are more sort after than others. Therefore, just based on supply and demand, tutors of one subject may be able to earn a bit more than others.

For example, there is always a need for Mathematics tutors, not so much for drama or art. Therefore, a Math tutor would be more successful in filling a class, just based on the demands for that service.

A Math tutor may be able to charge $20 to $30 per hour and easily tutor 20 students in a given week.

However, those willing to pay for private tutoring in the less popular subject areas, such as art or drama, may be willing to pay a bit more for a session.

$50 to $100 per hour is not out of the question when it comes to the creative arts. You may have less students but earn the same money in the end. 

How Much do Tutors Charge Based on Location

The cost of any service varies based on location and tutoring is no different. A tutor, offering the same services to a student in Mississippi for $20 an hour may be able to earn $40 to $50 per hour in Los Angeles or New York City. 

The average tutoring hourly rate can dip to as low as $15 for lower income earning communities and up to $100 for the more affluent areas. Figures vary across states and cities. 

Payment Options & Private Tutor Rates

Buying in bulk typically works out to be less, per unit. Therefore, if you hire a tutor for a month or entire semester, it may work out to be a lot cheaper than paying per hour, on a session by session basis.

Corporate training centers typically go the pay per semester or month route, so this works out cheaper. 

How Much is Private Tutoring Per Hour?

For the sake of being competitive in a low income region, a $10 tutor hourly rate may be what is required for an inexperienced tutor to get their foot in.

On the flip side, a guru in a very technical field can easily call over $100 per hour in an affluent neighborhood. 

If all the factors affecting how much tutors charge are merged into a generalized range, we can come up with a range of $10 to over $100!

How Much Does a Home Tutor Cost?

You can expect to pay anywhere between $25 to $100 for a home tutor. However, when you consider all the factors such as location, subject, qualifications of the tutor and experience level, tutors may charge as low as $10 to upwards of $100 or even $200. 

General Tips When Setting Your Tutor Hourly Rate

How much to charge for tutoring can be summed up with the following guide:

$10 to $20 per hour: 

Community Income Level – Low

Tutor Experience Level – Low

Tutor Qualification Level – High School or Lower

Subject Level – Basic

$20 to $30 per hour: 

Community Income Level – Average

Tutor Experience Level – Average

Tutor Qualification Level – High School, Diploma, Associate Degree

Subject Level – Basic

$30 to $50 per hour: 

Community Income Level – Average

Tutor Experience Level – Average

Tutor Qualification Level – Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree

Subject Level – Moderately Technical

$50 to $100 per hour: 

Community Income Level – Average

Tutor Experience Level – High

Tutor Qualification Level – Bachelor’s Degree and beyond

Subject Level – Moderately Technical to Technical

Over $100 per hour: 

Community Income Level – High (Affluent Area)

Tutor Experience Level – High

Tutor Qualification Level – Bachelor’s Degree and beyond

Subject Level – Moderately Technical to Very Technical

Tutoring Rates Per Hour Elementary

Tutoring rates per hour for an elementary student can be as little as $15 per hour for someone with little to no qualifications, like a high school student. The rate can go up to $80 per hour for a skilled and experienced tutor, with a university degree and specialization in K-12 education. 

Tutoring Rates Per Hour Middle School

Tutoring rates per hour for a middle school student also depends on the tutor’s qualifications and experience. $25 is a decent average, but can be as low as $15 for an inexperienced tutor in a low income community.

Advanced level courses can range between $30 to $40 per hour.

For a top level tutor with tons of experience and academic credentials, you can expect to pay up to $80 per hour or more. 

How Much to Charge for Tutoring a High School Student?

A high school student tutoring another high school student can charge around $25 per hour. For advanced level courses, $35 per hour can be expected.

A certified teacher or professional, backed with a college degree and experience can go for $50 to $100 per hour depending on the course complexity. 

How Much to Charge for Tutoring as a High School Student?

As a high school student, you should charge an average of $25 for your tutoring services. However, you can go as low as $15 for basic level subjects or if tutoring in a low income area.

For more advanced courses or affluent clients, $30 to $35 per hour is a decent average. 

How Much to Charge for Tutoring as a Teacher?

As an experienced, qualified teacher with the associated academic credentials, you can charge $25 per hour for your services, at a minimum, and if you want to be competitive. $35 to $50 per hour is typical for a professional teacher. 

For advanced courses or affluent clients that specifically request your services, charging $50 to $80 per hour is an acceptable rate. 

College Tutor Rates

For college level courses, private tutoring can be anywhere between $25 to over $100 per hour. Depending on the complexity of the course, the tutor may be a legitimate professor or holder of a doctorate degree. In this case, $100 or more, per hour can be expected. 

Pro Tips for How Much Should I Charge for Tutoring (When Building a Business)

Build a Relationship with Your Clients

Reputation is everything and it’s amazing how quickly word can get around. Both negative and positive.

Build a professional relationship with your clients and be known as someone that delivers good results!

Develop Strong Communication Skills

Effective communication skills is key to reaching your audience and to get the best results from your students.

You may need to modify your approach from time to time, use visual aids or adjust the level of language that you use. Know your target and customize an approach to reach them!

Having strong communication skills doesn’t mean continuously speaking as though you’re delivering a presentation to the queen. Just know your audience and adapt accordingly.

You’d be surprised at how many more middle school or high school kids you can reach when you teach them using their slang.

Cut the standard English a bit and incorporate some of the local dialect if you have to. 

Set Yourself Apart

There must be some thing that makes you different from all the other tutors out there. Develop a unique style of teaching that is effective and your clients would recommend you over the rest. 

Know What Your Clients Want

Each student or group of students struggle with learning in a different way. Understand what they need and develop an approach that suits them. 

Pro Tips for How Much Do Tutors Charge (When Hiring a Tutor)

Set a Budget

Depending on the money that you have available, you need to set an amount that can be dedicated towards tutoring.

This may be on a monthly basis or whatever period of time that you have in mind.

Your budget may also dictate what options you have. Costs vary based on type of tutoring and the qualification level of the tutor. You may be restricted by what / who you can afford to hire. 

Set Realistic Expectations

It is important to know how much you can afford and be realistic. Understand what you can demand for that budget. 

If you can afford $200 per month, you can hire a tutor for two one-hour sessions per week, at $25 per hour. Or someone else, with a more impressive resume, for two $100 per hour sessions.

Be realistic with what you can spend and the qualifications of the tutor that you can afford. 

Weigh All Options Available

There are lots of options available and something for every budget. You also need to understand what method of tutoring that the student would respond best to.

Tutoring is an investment. Why spend money on an online tutor if the student would get best results with face to face interaction.

Likewise, some students function better in groups or classrooms as opposed to individual. Think about every option available and select the best one for your needs. 

Consult an Expert

Speak to someone close enough to the student that can give you the best advice for hiring a tutor, specific to their needs.

Talk to a teacher, counselor, principal or someone who interacted with the student in some capacity as an educator. They would give you the best advice on hiring the most appropriate tutoring option. 

Frequently Asked Questions for Private Tutor Rates

FAQ: What do most tutors charge per hour? 

Most tutors charge $25 per hour for tutoring services. The rate can be as low as $15 per hour or as high as $100. It all depends on the course level, location and qualifications of the tutor.  

FAQ: How much should I spend on a tutor?

You should spend whatever you can afford on a tutor, but the average is $25 per hour.

FAQ: How much does a tutor cost?

Tutoring can range from $15 to $100 per hour for private tutoring, with $25 as a common rate. 

There are online services from as little as $15 per month, and tutoring centers from around $150 per month. 

FAQ: How much is a tutor in NYC?

The average rate of a tutor in New York City is $27. However, depending on the course complexity and the qualifications of the tutor, the price may soar to over $100 per hour.

FAQ: How long should a tutoring session last?

A tutoring session should last between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Less than 45 minutes may not be sufficient for a student to fully understand a new concept. Attention levels tend to drop off beyond 1 hour. 

FAQ: How much do tutors charge for elementary?

An inexperienced tutor or one without any official K-12 credentials may charge around $20 to $25 per hour. However, for an experienced tutor with a college degree, up to $80 per hour can be expected. 

FAQ: How much is Math tutoring per hour?

For high school Math or lower, from an entry level tutor, $25 is a reasonable average rate. For advanced Math courses from a professor or qualified teacher, $50 to $80 per hour is standard. 

FAQ: How much should I charge for tutoring two students?

You can charge $15 to $25 per hour, per student if you have little experience and no qualifications beyond high school. For advanced credentials and experience, $50 per student is an acceptable rate. 

FAQ: How much do tutors charge for middle school?

Tutors charge $25 per hour, on average, for tutoring a middle school student. Rates can be as low as $15 per hour for a tutor with minimal experience in a low income area.

It can be as high as $80 per hour in an affluent area, for a tutor with an impressive background. 

FAQ: How much should I pay a teenage tutor?

A teenage tutor should be paid anywhere between $15 to $25 per hour. For advanced level courses or in an area with middle to high income levels, $25 per hour should be paid.

$15 is an acceptable rate for a lower income area. 

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Final Thoughts on How Much Should I Charge for Tutoring

If you are looking to earn money by offering private tutor services, you can now pick a tutor hourly rate that you are comfortable with!

By knowing how much do tutors charge, you can be competitive while getting the best cash compensation for your efforts. 

On the flip side, if you are interested in hiring a private tutor, you now have an idea of the average hourly tutoring rate that you can expect to pay and budget accordingly!

Are there any other tips or comments regarding private tutor rates, that you’d like to share? Feel free to comment below. We’d love to hear from you!

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How Much Do Tutors Charge? – The Tutor Hourly Rate Guide!