How Much Do Tutors Charge in the UK?

 More than ever, both parents of school-age children and mature students are looking for private tutors. This might be to catch up with education lost during the lockdown or studying for a professional qualification. It might alternatively be for a leisure activity, like learning a musical instrument or knitting.

 If you're making the choice of tutors, you'll be judging on qualifications and reputation, but the price will also come into play. So how much should you expect to pay for a tutor?

What Factors Determine How Much a Tutor Will Charge?

• Location — Where a tutor lives is likely to affect what they charge, since the cost of living varies. For example, London-based tutors tend to charge most and Glasgow-based tutors least. Bear in mind, though, that if you're having online tuition you're not limited to your own area.
•  Experience — Private tutors vary considerably in both experience and qualifications, and this will affect the fees they charge. While a less-experienced tutor may have exactly the skill set you need, they'll probably be charging less than one who has decades of experience.
•  Subject — Depending on the demand for a particular subject, the price could vary considerably between popular and less popular options. For example, where you might pay £18 for biology tuition, learning to play the piano could be as high as £30.
•  Level — You age and level in the subject you want to learn could affect the price, due to different requirements for preparation. A maths tutor, for instance, should need far less preparation for primary-level classes than to teach a graduate masters-level maths.

 What Are Typical Prices for Private Tuition?

As we've seen, prices for private tutors can vary considerably even for the same subject. However, to illustrate the kind of figures, here are the national averages for a few subjects:

• Biology — £18
• Spanish — £18
• Maths — £21
• English — £22
• Russian — £28
• Design — £28
• Piano — £30
• Knitting — £48

Of course, these are just a few of the many subjects on offer, but these figures make it clear just how much lessons can vary in cost.

Can I Lower the Costs of Private Tuition?

In general, with tutors as with anything else, you get what you pay for. However, if the budget is tight, there are ways of reducing costs without necessarily reducing the quality. As noted, a less-qualified tutor will be cheaper, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be less effective. Read their profile carefully, especially customer reviews, to judge if they might be a good fit.

 Other approaches include arranging group tuition and increasing your study between classes, so that you'll need less teaching. On the other hand, you may feel paying a little more is worth it — as long as you get the quality you're paying for. Fortunately, most tutors on TutorExtra offer a free first lesson, so you can decide whether they're a good fit. Why not register with TutorExtra to explore the choice of tutors we offer?