How much should I charge as a private tutor?

sky_fall

Hi there,

I was hoping I could get your advice...I've recently taken a private tutoring job which I have done previously teaching a subject. However, this has only been done individually.

I have been approached by an institution to teach although I've now realised it's not for individual students but classes (up to 20 students).

I have left my prices as the same as it would be individually but wondering if it's silly of me to leave at the same price?
If anyone else teaches privately, I would be interested to know the prices you set?

The lessons are currently £20 an hour (including agency commisssion)

Many thanks in advance.

ElefantEd

I charge £20/hour. But I would definitely charge more for a larger group or for a class.

getmore4less

£20ph is like £30k-£35k

theoretica

How much more planning, marking and documenting will a class take?

silverwhistle

I work from home and via Skype and charge £20/Euros 24 an hour.
As theoretica has hinted at there will be a lot more involved with a class, more preparation, less flexibility, more structured, need for differentiation and possibly nightmare bureaucracy and documentation to deal with.

I wouldn't do it for the same price. FE rates haven't gone up for ages so I don't bother.

£20ph is like £30k-£35k

It really isn't. Remember you only get paid for contact time. Possibly a two hour lesson once a week, with the same overheads that someone working a full day will have.

getmore4less

As you can see a tutor that knows what they are doing, up and running, can work from home/very local for a bit on the side, £20ph is an OK wage depending on skill level.

If you are looking at a business, setting up training and need to travel you need to earn a lot more to cover the overheads or charge separate.

sky_fall

Thanks guys for taking the time out...Just to add, after agency commission, I get £15 an hour.

The majority of the prep for the lessons has been done (and I will need to tweak this of course) so the time spent preparing lessons is not a huge deal.
However, marking the work of approximately 20 students is not a 5 minute job and there are all the factors silverwhistle mentioned to take into account.

Many thanks again.

getmore4less

Marking is extra time that needs charging for if not done during the tutor time.

Unless this is low skill £15 is too cheap.

sky_fall

Thanks getmore4less!

BooJewels

I certainly don't think the same rate for multiple students as for a single is anywhere near fair to you - even for a single, £20 per hour sounds low to me - because each billable hour has to cover all the hours that aren't, but eaten up by the same session - travelling, marking, prep etc.. You'd be hard pressed to work 40 billable hours in a week to make a decent salary, especially if 25% goes to your agency. My father is just having some legal work done and showed me their fee leaflet, £195 per hour + VAT - so that will be structured to cover everything behind the scenes when you're not sat in front of them too.

Can you add a scale of something like £20 per hour for a single student, plus a small fee for each additional student? Even at a quid per extra student you'd then bill £39 for those sessions - £2 each would be £58. You're effectively a supply teacher and it's a while since I was a school governor, but I know that they cost a lot more than that.

robatwork

Not sure how you can consider working for the same amount.
If your rate is £20 per hour individually you should be asking for £100 for a class full.

If you're involved with an agency are they an umbrella company or more closely aligned with the establishment? You can ask them what they would charge.