Introduction

Tutoring is a delightful and satisfying job. If you are good at a subject, you can always tutor that subject to someone and earn decent money. Many tutors do it part-time, whereas some tutors do it full-time.

How much should I charge as a tutor?

The average tutoring charge is around $40 per hour in the USA but you may find tutors charging anywhere from $15 to $65 per hour too. Of course, many tutors charge beyond this $15 to $65 range, but their number is relatively small.

Tutoring charges are subjective and depend on many factors, which we will discuss in this article. 

  • How much should a tutor charge per hour
  • How much should I charge for tutoring two students 
  • Private tutor rates 
  • How much should I charge for math tutoring 
  • Tutoring rates per hour high school 
  • Tutoring rates per hour middle school 
  • How much should I charge for online tutoring

If you are wondering about any of these questions, you are at the right place. Before answering these questions, let us understand the factors determining tutoring charges.

Factors that affect tutoring charges

Like any other economic activity, tutoring rates follow the demand and supply rule. If there are too many students (demand is high) and only a handful of tutors to teach them (Supply is low), then the tutoring rates increases and vice versa.

Demand and supply may vary due to various factors.

The government has put a minimum hourly wage rule in place in the USA, and it effectively puts the minimum hourly rate for any job. So, for example, if the minimum hourly rate is $15, you as a tutor can not charge less than $15 no matter the demand and supply situation.

Grade/class of student

More tutors are available to teach lower-grade students as it is easier. The tutoring charges are higher for higher grades (engineering, college, and university students) as few tutors are available. 

Complexity of subject

A high school algebra course is much easier to teach compared to quantum mechanics to a Ph.D. student, and you can not expect to charge the same fee for both. 

Number of students 

Tutoring 2 students at a time is more demanding than tutoring 1 student. So if a student and his friend decide to get private tutoring from the same tutor simultaneously, then the tutor may charge some extra fee, and it might not be double, but just 20-30% more. 

Travel needed?

If you need to travel 20 miles for each tutoring session, you will have to spend a lot of time traveling over and above the traveling expenses. But if you travel just 2 miles, it will be much easier. You will charge more for the first case to compensate for your time and travel expenses.

Tutoring Language used

A student wants Physics tutoring in the Icelandic language, and you know this language, and it is a less spoken language, and you know it. You will increase your tutoring rates because the student will not find any good physics tutor like you who knows this rare language.

Long term, short term, or occasional requirement

If a student asks for 5 hours of tutoring only once, you will ask for $30 per hour. But if the student asks for 5 hours of tutoring per week for a much longer 6-month duration, he may ask for a discount, and you will also settle for a lower fee like $20 per hour. You would not like to lose this chance, and hence you will tend to agree to a lesser hourly fee.

Number of hours

You may reduce your fee if the student needs 30 hours of tutoring per month compared to 3 hours per month, and it is like giving him a volume discount.

Problem-solving or learning concepts

Teaching concepts tends to be easier for the tutors, as they don’t need to prepare in advance. But for problem-solving sessions, the tutor needs to put extra effort to revise the problem in advance. How much should I charge as a tutor in this case? We suggest you to charge 20% more. 

Tight Deadlines

If a student wants statistics tutoring right now or within an hour, you will charge more and have to rush. It is valid for online tutoring as well as offline, face-to-face tutoring. A student shows urgency, and you can charge a premium for that.

Qualification of tutor

It is harder to find a statistics tutor with a Master’s degree than a Statistics tutor with only a graduation degree. And, If you have a Ph.D. degree in Statistics, then it is even harder to find, so that you may charge a premium for your degrees/qualifications.

Your Reputation

If you are a well-known tutor for Calculus, you may charge extra as students will be willing to pay you more. Due to your flawless records with previous students, you will get more referrals and word-of-mouth leads. You may increase your fees as you get more inquiries (remember the demand and supply principle in economics?)

Your Experience

You are an economics tutor and have 20 years of experience. Your fellow tutors might be excellent, but this 20 years of experience means a lot, and students and their parents will be willing to pay a premium price for it.

Your Workload

If you already have a lot of students and you are reluctant to teach more students, you can start asking for higher fees from the new students. This way, even if you will have to work more hours, you will feel good due to the handsome fees that you are charging. It will also limit the number of students you will have to teach as not every student will be willing to pay the extra fee.

Teaching mode

Teaching online is more accessible, and the time wasted in traveling and the petrol expenses are zero, whereas face-to-face tutoring is a high cost. So if you as a tutor charge $40 per hour for private offline Math tutoring, you may charge only $25 per hour for online math tutoring.

Timings (odd hours, exam time)

Exam time: If December is a month for final exams (say), then the tutoring rates increase in December as more students want to tutor, and hence they are willing to pay extra for their favorite tutors.

Odd hours: If the student wants tutoring early mornings or late nights, which is not a preferred time for most of the tutors, the supply( tutors available to teach him) becomes low, and hence the tutoring rates increase for these special odd tutoring hours.

Any special need

If a student has ADHD, for example, then you will have to put in a lot more effort. Consequently, you may charge extra for that. Likewise, if you are teaching a genius student who keeps asking tough questions from you, then you may charge more as your effort will be more.

Answers to FAQs

How much should a tutor charge per hour? 

Anywhere from $15 to $100 is an excellent hourly tutoring rate.

How much should I charge for tutoring two students? 

You will definitely have to put extra effort into tutoring two students at a time, but it will not be twice the effort tutoring one student. So you can charge an additional 20-30%, and your students will be happy.

Private tutor rates

You can charge the tutoring rates mentioned above for face-to-face private tutoring, but you can and should also charge for travel expenses.

How much should I charge for math tutoring?

Math tutors can charge anywhere from $15 to $65 like other subject tutors. The average is $40 per hour.

Tutoring rates per hour high school

You can charge $15 to $40 per hour for high school.

Tutoring rates per hour middle school

You can charge $15 to $30 per hour for middle school.

How much should I charge for online tutoring?

For online tutoring, you can charge a slightly lesser amount of $15 to $45 per hour as it is easier.

What is the difference between a teacher and a tutor?

There is a clear difference between a tutor and a teacher. A teacher teaches to a group of students in usually a classroom setup (online or offline). On the other hand, a tutor provides personalized assistance to a student to suit the needs of that particular student.

A teacher teaches as per their style, and their target and interaction with the student are limited. On the other hand, a tutor teaches per the student’s needs, and the sessions are pretty interactive. Students have a significant say in the direction in which a session moves.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed various factors on which the tutoring charges depend. It is not an exhaustive list, and there can be many more factors that we have not discussed. However, it is pretty clear that tutoring charges are subjective. It depends upon the value that the student find in your tutoring, and you as a tutor can charge according to this. There is always a room for negotiation. So, unless you become good at selling yourself, you may be charging way lesser than what you truly deserve. 

These factors will give you a better idea about how students think, and you can tweak your tutoring rates as per that. There is no watertight boundary within which you have to charge. We wish you become a master in negotiating your tutoring fees without losing prospective clients and start earning a lot more than you currently do.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment down below. We will answer all your questions happily.

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