“We had planned to stop the tutoring after the 11+ exam, but with the next lockdown and more disruption to her education, we quickly relented when she literally begged us to continue going! The sessions are adjusted to her needs and she describes them as ‘really fun’ and she likes it that the work is specific to her level and much more individualised than the class work at school.”
A Guide to the Cost of Private Tutors
Why Does the Cost of Tuition Vary So Much?
According to prospects.ac.uk after-school tutors in the UK charge from around £20-£60 per hour in 2024. Of course all of this will depend on a great deal? Is the tutor qualified? Does the tutor have experience with children? What qualifications does the tutor have in the subject and what exams (if any) is the child working towards? It would be quite normal to pay £65 per hour for GCSE tuition and much more than that for the best 11+ tutors in London say! (Tutorfair.com have prices of over £100 per hour for specialist 11+ tutors/entrance exam tutors)
So why is there so much variation?
What Makes Some Tuition More Expensive?
Does The Fee Include Overheads?
Some tutors work from home or will visit the student’s home, so may have travel expenses which are high at the moment. Some tutors work from a centre, so they have to pay overheads such as power, rent and rates. The resources and working environment may be better but it will cost a little more.
How Experienced and Qualified are the Tutors?
This is probably the biggest variable as tutors do not have to be qualified to offer their services. Some tutors may have a degree in the subject they are teaching and some tutors may have teaching qualifications and classroom experience in schools, so will expect to be better paid.
Does the Tutor Pay VAT?
Tutors do not have to pay VAT on the private tutoring they do if they are self-employed. Companies will need to pay this tax howerer if they go over the VAT threshold. The government
have recently changed the law on this as some agencies were avoiding VAT, now they will all have to pay it too.
What Education Level or Exam is the Student Aiming For?
Generally the higher the level of qualification the student is studying for the fewer tutors will be qualified to teach that subject. If you are studying for a maths degree, for example, it will be more expensive to hire a tutor. The tutor will have to be more experienced and qualified themselves and the lessons will take longer to prepare, therefore they will charge more.
What Makes Some Tuition Less Expensive?
The Number of Students in a Group
One way to reduce costs is to teach more students at a time. This may lead to a less individualised lesson if the planning is not well organised.
What Is the Preparation Time?
Using standard resources and computer programmes is a way to reduce costs. This reduces the preparation time for tutors and so reduces the amount of time spent on each lesson, before and after. Some companies use AI computer resources which respond to the child’s progress so the tutor does not need to do any planning.
Online or In Person?
Online tutoring can provide services anywhere which increases the supply of tutors and therefore reduces the cost. For example, they could be from another country with lower wage costs.
Why are some tuition companies more expensive?
Generally, the more qualified and experienced the tutors are, the highter the fees are going to be. Some tutors will charge more because, even though they may not pay VAT or have to pay wages, they may have built up a reputation that allows them to increase their fees. Also, in some regions there is a lot of competition for independent school places and therefore a lot of demand for 11+ tutors. This drives up prices.
Why are some tuition companies cheaper?
Some ‘tuition centres’ do not employ fully qualified tutors, in fact some may just be enthusiastic graduates or less. Some education businesses do not actually teach the children but allow the computer AI to teach them. If a tutor lacks experience and qualifications, teaches online or doesn’t have to travel far, they are likely to charge a lower fee.
I Love to Learn Professional Tuition-Where do we fall?
We only employ fully qualified and experience teachers to be tutors here at I Love to Learn. This means that we don’t even interview anyone unless they have QTS (qualified teacher status). We also expect tutors to have a number of years of actual classroom experience.
We run dedicated education centres which means we have to pay overheads. It does give us the advantage of having all our resources in one place and the ability to run tuition in small groups. For those reasons our frees of £46 for each 80 min session, which works out at only £34.50 per hour, and we think is great value. We also think the teaching environment, the excellent computer/non-computer resources and the fun of small group learning make our tutoring a really high quality product.
