Tutoring is an *amazing* side hustle! If you have recently realized you can make some extra $$ doing this and you’re wondering how much to charge for tutoring, then this post is for you!
Are you looking for ways to make extra money? Perhaps you are a graduate with a great understanding of certain subjects; do you know you can shoot your income to another height with tutoring? Tutoring is one of the most requested services by high school and college students.
Adequate knowledge in certain courses can make for extra income in this lucrative business. However, some tutors complain of not making as much to complement their tutoring job. Several factors may cause this, but they all boil down to knowing how much to charge for tutoring sessions.
This post is all about how much to charge for tutoring.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.
How Much to Charge for Tutoring
Exactly How I Made $2,200 A Month Tutoring (Now $2,520)
Before we get into how much to charge for tutoring, I want to show you how possible it is to make really good money from tutoring. The title of this post is NOT click bait! I really made $2,200 a month, by simply sharing my knowledge with others. I recently gained two new clients and now I’m making even more!
Here is the breakdown:
MCAT tutoring (client 1): 1 hour twice a week @ $25/hour = $200 per month
MCAT tutoring (client 2): 1 hour once a week @ $30/hour = $120 per month
4th grade tutoring: 5 days a week (9.5 hours total) @ $40/hour = $1,520 per month
9th Grade Algebra tutoring: 1 hour 3 times per week @ $40/hour = $480 per month
College chemistry tutoring: 1 hour once a week @ $50/hour = $200 per month
Total *extra* money per month (aside from my day job) = $2,520
So, I highly encourage you pursue this side hustle if you need some extra income! As a bonus, I thoroughly enjoy working with all the students I work with and actually like it 10x more than my day job lol.
How I made $680 of That Tutoring From Home (Now $1,000)
Okay, so now you want to know the BEST part about this side hustle?! Out of the 5 tutoring side gigs I listed above, FOUR of them are from the comfort of my own home!
If you came across this post via the pin that says “how I make $680 tutoring from home” that wasn’t click bait either!
And since I made that pin, I gained two new clients so I’m actually now making $1,000 by tutoring from home ($200 + $120 + $480 + $120).
I hope I have convinced you to purse this great side hustle. Now, let’s talk about tutoring rates!
How Much Should You Charge?
This is a question with no definite answer. There are several factors to consider before setting your rate, such as if you would like to charge per hour or set a flat rate. Your fee also depends on the course’s workload to be taught, the student’s location, whether you need to travel or buy supplies, and more.
Here is a guide to help you charge your client correctly and make them comfortable with your rate. Without much ado, let’s look at some points to consider before deciding how much to charge your next tutoring gig:
How qualified are you?
As cliché as this may sound, it is the first and the most crucial factor that gets you hired as a tutor. This will determine how much you can charge for the tutoring sessions. A highly qualified tutor deserves a higher rate than an intermediate-level tutor; a degree holder should charge more than a student because of their qualifications. This is to say that the more qualified you are in the subject you aim to tutor, the more confident you would be to charge a larger fee.
How complex is the course to be tutored?
Complex courses demand higher rates. Complex subjects are usually calculation-related topics; for example, 12th-grade chemistry charges more than 12th-grade English. The complexity also depends on the class level. 12th-grade English would be charged more than 10th-grade. The complexity of the course will also determine the amount of time you would need to prepare for each class.
How old is your client?
Age is a significant factor to consider; sadly, most tutors don’t. However, this factor still varies based on the client’s ability: the older the client, the more likely the course to be complicated, requiring higher rates.
When and where is the tutoring going to take place?
These are two determining factors in one as they are somewhat related to each other. How far is your client’s location from yours? Are they traveling to you or are you going to them? Is it online? Are the classes going to be held on weekdays or weekends? How flexible is the schedule? These are questions to answer before determining the best rate to offer.
Is it a private class or a group class?
You can charge for a service based on the number of participants involved. A private or personal class would attract higher charges for the personal attention you provide. Group classes are often lower if the students share the cost or because your attention must be divided between them.
What is your client’s ability?
This is a factor that may be hard to determine before you start tutoring. It is good to have an idea of what you will be dealing with, so you can prepare properly. The less knowledgeable the client is, the more you are to charge.
What is Your Location?
The location where you meet with your client can determine how much you charge for any tutoring service. For a college community, charges may be lower due to the availability of diverse tutors in your subject area that may offer lower rates. But an area with fewer academic tutors around may welcome higher charges.
How Can I Make the Most of my Tutoring Services?
Has this been a question on your mind as a tutor? Perhaps you’re a budding tutor, and you don’t know the ropes of the tutoring world. Here are a few tips to get started:
Tutor courses you’re experienced in
You don’t want to waste your time trying to tutor people in something you’re not familiar with. Make sure you’re very experienced in the subject you wish to tutor. You are dealing with someone else’s understanding here, so you want to be sure you know and are capable of handling whatever is required of the subject.
Be available when needed
Tutoring isn’t like every other job; it requires optimal focus and attention to students’ academic needs. This demand means you should always be available, even after tutoring hours, if they need quick help while practicing or studying.
Grow with your student
This doesn’t mean to become like your student. Instead, it implies you should follow up on every one of your student’s assignments, quizzes, and materials that would aid in better personal study. Put more emphasis on parts the student finds difficult without neglecting other parts of the curriculum. In a nutshell, follow your student’s academic growth.
Sample Charges for Several Specific Subjects
Many people like to say that tutoring jobs usually charge from $12 to $125 per hour. As this is a relatively wide range to consider, having an idea of what it’s like tutoring specific courses would give you an idea of what to charge your clients. If your subject isn’t discussed, you can always infer from one that closely relates to yours.
Before finalizing your rate, let’s see how much some tutors charge on average for specific subjects.
Math
As stated earlier, this is a rather complex subject; hence, it should be ranked as one of the highest-paid tutoring subjects. You should know that the level of the class depends on the price attached. So, high school math may be charged at $40 to $75 per hour. In comparison, college students may be charged $100 to $125 per hour, depending on the exam preparation.
Science (biology, physics, chemistry)
This is another complex subject that gets a lot of requests. You may charge about $30 to $80 per hour based on the time frame of preparation and the client’s capability. A more experienced tutor could also set his rates up to $100 depending on previous work reviews.
SAT/ACT
These are significant college entry exams that often receive tutoring requests. However, there may be many tutors for this category, so the clients’ market is quite vast. SAT or ACT can be charged at a rate of $125 per hour, depending on the client’s location and ability.
Group Classes and Private Classes
When it comes to private classes, this is based on the subject to be taught and, ultimately, the tutor’s discretion. One may charge from $40 and above for private classes. However, it is recommended for group classes to charge 75 percent of your private class rate per head. So, which can you cope with? Collective classes or personal?
Teenagers
Tutoring a teenager may be challenging and tasking. If you are not used to working with this age, you may need to consider it carefully before tutoring. It may require extra work to be done, particularly in making the student focus on what is being taught.
Online Tutoring
The world is now online, so much so that you can effectively tutor anyone from anywhere. If that isn’t interesting, then I don’t know what is. You don’t need to bother about the location now; all you need to consider is the quality of service you will be providing via online platforms. On average, tutors tend to charge from $18 to $30 per hour. Several tutoring platforms have made contacting a client very easy. Some examples are tutors.com, Course Hero, and Wyzant. These platforms pay a fixed rate ranging from $12 to $20, depending on the subject you want to tutor.
The only downside to these platforms is that they may not offer the best rates as if you were to find an online tutoring gig on your terms. However, it is relatively easy to acquire clients through these platforms.
Conclusion
A lot has been said about making the right decision when you want to charge for a tutoring job. We have enlisted and explained certain vital requirements. These requirements are things to note when you want to charge your next client. This will definitely help you make the right call.
At the end of the day, one central point to note is that no matter how much you charge, there will always be someone that would charge higher or lower and still get such a job. It is paramount that whatever you charge is something you are comfortable with based on the quality of service you will render.
When determining how much to charge for tutoring, let the quality of your service be your charges’ motivation, and you will be satisfied with yourself!
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