If you are considering becoming a private tutor, this is the right place to start and gather information and get ready for this job.
Being a tutor is a great career considering how the world is changing and also that parents are spending more time and money on extracurricular activities for their children.
The advantages of being a private tutor are the following, flexible schedule on full-time or part-time, control over your rates, possibility to work online or in different locations. And the rewarding experience to work with people from different ages and backgrounds and seeing them achieve their goals.
All this sounds fantastic! But being a tutor also required rigorous organization and responsibility. Like many other things, the first steps are the most difficult ones: making your online tutor profile and most importantly, setting a price. A tutor's price tag is one of the first elements that a person will see, and the price must be justified by the information that follows on the tutor profile.
If your price does not go along with your experience and qualifications, you run the risk of being overlooked by potential students. But if you also offer very low prices, this undervalues your experience and qualifications and might come across as negative as well.
That's why setting the right rate is a delicate balance, it does not have to be too little or too much in order to be appealing. There is not such thing as an hourly rate that fits every tutor, but here we will overview the main elements you have to take into account to set your hourly rate as a private tutor.
Look where you stand in the competing market of tutors
First step, check out other tutors and their profiles, they are your competitors but also your colleagues. You con rely on them to get inspired and see how they present themselves and their skills.
Their prices will also give you a fair idea of what students are looking for and willing to pay for certain skills and services according to a specific subject and location.
The subject
If you haven't already, check out how the tuition rates vary according to specific subjects.
Like any other product or service, the price of a subject will be influence by the offer and demand that exist at a certain moment. That's why we also recommend you to review your prices periodically to keep up with the prices of the market according to your subject.
Another factor to take into account is that some fields and subjects are more expensive due to the equipment required. For example, a fencing tutor will require more equipment than a hip-hop instructor, this will be reflected on the prices as well.
The location
This is another variable that influence the price despite the online tutoring becoming more trendy, where you are located and what is the perimeter where you will decide to offer your tutoring classes influence the price.
For some subjects and tutors, the geographical market is very important. This is because prices vary according to each region, if you live and tutor in a city the prices will not be the same as if you offer your services in smaller towns.
The location factor takes into account the living standards of the city or region you are offering your tutoring classes, the wages of this region, schools, and exams in this area, supply, and demand in this region. In addition, it takes into account the distances and costs of the public transport to get to your tutoring class.
If you decide to offer one-on-one tuition lessons, this is a noteworthy factor to add to the variables to calculate your price-rate.
However, if you decide to only offer online lessons you can reach a greater pool of potential students, this also means that you will be more exposed to a competitive market. For this situation, you should compare your prices with all the other tutors across the UK and anglophone countries with the same subject as you. This is a global market and might be more challenging than a local market to offer your services.
Find what makes you stand out in the tutor job market
Once you have done this fieldwork and figure out what is out there, it will be easier for you to decide where does your service fit in. The next variable to estimate your rate, will be your background experience and skills.
For some students and subjects, the amount of experience you can offer makes a big difference and allows you to charge more according to your experience: the more experience you have, the more you can charge.
But how do you assess your experience?
Here are three broad experience categories you must know in order to see where you fit best.
Professionals or experts
This is the most notorious kind of experience for some subjects that require expertise from someone that has worked or works in a specific field. Professionals are valued for their extensive knowledge and experience that learners can only acquire through tutoring or with years of personal experience.
Being an expert in a field changes according to the subject, for example in languages a 'professional' might be a native speaker that has a linguistic academic background. The advanced knowledge of a subject means that they often charge the highest rate for tutoring, also because professionals are not as common as we think.
However, some professionals do not always have the pedagogic background that your level might require, you can always ask what is their methodology to be sure this is a good fit for you.
Qualified Teachers
They have a solid pedagogic background on the subjects they offer and are able to adapt to several levels. Although they may not be on the cutting edge of the field, they have a sound knowledge of the subject and are familiar with the school syllabus, tests, and governing body standards. As a result, they can charge a substantial rate for their lessons.
Undergraduates
Students frequently offer tutoring lessons as a part-time job alongside their studies to gain experience in their subject. They might be the least experienced of the three categories, but their passion, enthusiasm, and motivation make up for it. They can be very suited for children, beginners, or if you are a learner on a budget.
Undergraduate tutors are very hard-working and can be better adapted to teach younger pupils. Being the least experienced among the other categories, they usually charge a lower rate for their tuition.
But remember, all your tutoring experience and mastery of the subject you are teaching matter and should be evidenced by testimonials and feedback on your tutoring profile.
Factor in your Costs to Become a Tutor
If you find yourself this far, you probably already have a price in mind that correlates to your subject, location, and experience. Now we need to review the last stage of your rate, which are tutoring jobs costs and preparation time among others.
Remember that with Superprof, you don't pay any commission. This means that if you charge €18 for an hourly rate, you will receive €18 for each hour worked. Thus, it is not necessary to add any commission into your costs on the Superprof platform.
However, the following criteria must be considered:
Preparation time
An organized, and responsible, tutor prepares every lesson and study plan for each student before their lessons. This creates a good routine for the tutor and student where providing feedback on assignments and possible improvements on both ends is possible.
As a general rule, it is recommended to spend one hour of preparation for each class. When considering this in your hourly rate, you must therefore divide your advertised rate.
For example, when a tutor is charging €18 per hour this means he will actually be earning €9 per hour.
Commuting and transportation
When tutoring one-on-one lessons, and you need to commute or use a specific transportation, do not forget to include your travel time and costs when setting your rate. This is to ensure that your earnings will cover your expenses!
Equipment and resources
Some subjects require specific equipment or resources, and a tutor that offers this kind of extra service will set you aside and attract more than one student. This is particularly attractive for beginners that do not want to invest in full equipment before feeling fully committed to a subject.
But be careful, when offering equipment and resources you can decide to charge more and this will include the equipment. Another option is to charge a small fee for the use of the equipment, but when doing this your equipment must be in sufficient good condition to avoid injuries or other problems related to your equipment.
Taxes or other fees
The tutoring career means you are self-employed and therefore have to consider your own income tax and National Insurance Contributions at the end of each tax year. Several self-employed professionals forget this important variable in their first year, be prepared and inform yourself on how to keep your taxes up-to date.
Decide what can make your price vary
Tutoring is competitive, but also allows freedom and creativity.
Use this to your advantage you figure out what is peculiar about your experience, skills, background and put it out there!
A last element to consider standing out is to offer alternative hour rates, for groups, by levels or by packages.
Group rates
Groups are a win-win situation, you get to have numerous students that will add to your tutoring experience. Also, you will be able to earn more and the students will be able to afford this even more than doing a private class.
To give you an idea, some tutors charge between 20% to 30% less per student in a group session. This of course depends on the size of the group. Try to keep the groups manageable for your experience and load work.
Rates by level
Your experience is not the only factor that influences the price, the level of the student is also important. In many subjects beginners level is considered easy to teach, but it also requires more attention to build good foundations.
However, advanced students are often more willing to pay more to find a teacher that is able to help perfect their already high level in a subject. This is because teaching an advanced student will require more preparation time to find all the details and information they require and deliver a fulfilling and stimulating class.
On Superprof, we recommend to offer the first lesson for free to get to know the level and expectation of your student and also encourage the student to take your class.
Package class
Lastly, offering a set of classes at a better class than taking them one by one can be very appealing for some students. Particualrly if they are already committed to a subject and want to achieve a specific goal.
Now you are almost ready! With all these elements we hope it will help your build a tutor profile!
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