FAQ’s AboutPrivate Tutoring

These FAQs are the 'best of' of all the tutoring questions we get asked through The Tutor Website. Hopefully, this section will help answer any questions you might have about private tutoring.

How Much do Private Tutors Charge?

The cost of private tutoring varies. Where you live and how experienced the tutors are in your area are the two main contributing factors.

In 2023, the average tutor in the UK charges between £20 - £40 per hour, depending on qualifications, skills and experience. However, I've seen tutors charge as low as £10 and as high as £100+.

Agencies tend to charge a fixed fee per lesson, which again varies but the average seems to be around £30 - £50 per hour.

Those that tutor online and aren't subject to charging within the platform's fixed prices, tend to charge slightly lower or the same as face-to-face freelance tutors.

How Qualified Does a Tutor Need to be?

There are no specific qualifications for tutors in the UK, so qualification levels tend to vary from tutor to tutor. In general, tutors tend to be educated to at least degree level or working towards one but this isn't a hard and fast rule.

Some students find reassurance in hiring tutors who are highly qualified, whereas others believe that experience and a proven track record of getting results is more important.

Many private tutors have qualified teaching status although you don't need to be a qualified teacher to be a private tutor. Some teachers tutor as a side-line to their classroom teaching job and some become private tutors after retirement.

Where Do Parents Search for Private Tutors?

It can be surprisingly difficult to find a private tutor in the UK. Top level tutors in London tend to be so much in demand that they're booked up months, sometimes years in advance.

Generally, students and parents tend to find tutors through word of mouth recommendations and some of the most sought-after tutors find work through recommendations alone.

Because it can be difficult for freelance tutors to market themselves online in such a competitive marketplace, most decide to register with private tutor directories, like the one we have on The Tutor Website. These directories are a good place to look for tutors in your local area.

Other tutors choose to register with private tutoring agencies or tutoring platforms such as 'The Tutor Website'.

How Long Does an Average Lesson Last?

Normally, private tutoring is priced by the hour and lessons tend to take place in hourly blocks. With younger students at 11 Plus level or primary level, lessons are sometimes shorter than 1 hour.

The frequency of lessons varies from student to student, depending on their needs and whether they're studying for exams or not.

Freelance Tutor or Tutoring Agency?

There are advantages and drawbacks to using both types of services. Freelance tutors are self-employed and take care of all their own lesson scheduling, invoicing etc. They deal with students and parents directly and tend to charge slightly less than agencies although not always.

Tutoring agencies on the other hand, are more process-orientated and generally have high standards with some of the top agencies only employing tutors from the UK's top universities. Many tutoring agencies also provide tutors with training, which can help ensure high standards of teaching.

What is Online Tutoring?

Online tutoring is essentially teaching over the internet. Many private tutors who teach face-to-face also offer their services online via real-time communication (RTC) platforms like Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or Skype.

Over the last few years, there has been a rise in online tutoring start-ups. Most offer purpose-built virtual classrooms where students and tutors can chat via webcam and share resources. Some of the leading online tutoring platforms in the UK include MyTutor and TutorHub.

IsOnlineTutoringSafe?

Generally, reputable online tutoring platforms tend to be very safe and most offer students the ability to record lessons in video and audio. Some online learning platforms also require all their tutors to have up-to-date DBS certificates.

Is Online Tutoring More Effective than Face-to-Face Tutoring?

In some cases, online tutoring can serve as an effective alternative to classroom teaching for students who are unable to attend school. Online tutoring offers students flexibility in their lesson times and often gives them more control over their learning.

Action

– Use your free checklist for starting a tutoring business

Included towards the end of this eBook, is a checklist for starting your tutoring business. Use it as a reference for making sure that you have everything prepared for starting work as a private tutor. The checklist summarises all the action points throughout the book.

Marketing your tutoring business

Just a reminder - it’s a guide specifically for self-employed private tutors. And for that reason, we hope it’s the main marketing information source you’ll need if you want to grow your tutoring business.

The single most challenging thing about growing a business is marketing. And the single most challenging thing about marketing is knowing which advice to follow. In this digital age, information overload makes it difficult for us to separate good advice from background noise.

To begin with, we’ll look at how to create an effective strategy, because without a plan, your marketing efforts will go undocumented and you won’t know what strategies have been the most successful for you. We’ll then look more closely at the most effective ways you can market yourself offline and online without breaking the bank.

Remember, the secret to effective marketing isn’t in the quantity but in the quality. And that’s exactly what you’ll get in this guide.

So, in such a competitive environment, how exactly can you ensure that you stand out from the crowd and find those 1 in 4 students who are now using private tutors All will be revealed in this marketing section.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING TUTORING PART-TIME AND ARE MAINLY GOING TO USE TUTORING AGENCIES OR TUTORING DIRECTORIES TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION MAY NOT NECESSARILY APPLY TO YOU.