"I'm just starting out as a tutor, what can I earn?"
This is a difficult question to answer as there are so many variables, but I shall do my best to answer it to the best of my knowledge, as openly and honestly as possible.
But it’s not just about what others charge, it’s about what you can offer, how you show up, and what value you can provide.
Rates in the UK typically fall between £15–£60+ per hour, depending on:
Location and format (online vs in-person)
Your experience and qualifications
Personalized resources and prep time
When a parent gets in touch, they will be looking at a variety of factors which will be unique to their personal needs. These may include finances, ease of implementation (such as getting to the lesson), or reassurance that you can actually do the job. Depending on how satisfactorily you are able to tick the hypothetical boxes that they prioritise, the more in turn they will be willing to pay for the sessions.
Where Do I Begin? How Will My Experience Affect My Ability to Charge?
This can feel like a classic catch-22: you need experience to justify higher rates, but it’s hard to get that experience without your first few clients.
When you’re just starting out, there are usually two main paths people take.
One is to work with an agency or company who are actively looking for tutors. They often pay a lower rate to begin with, but they also provide the structure, resources, and reputation that can help you gain experience quickly.
The other option is to start independently, perhaps by supporting friends or family. While testimonials from relatives might not carry the same value as those from paying clients, they’re a helpful first step , better than starting with a blank page. If you don’t have personal connections that you can work with, you could offer a discounted rate to your first few students in exchange for honest feedback and a testimonial.
Be open about it: “I’m just starting out and I’d love to support your child. To help me gain experience, I’m offering the first ‘x’ number of lessons at a reduced rate.” This gives you a chance to build confidence, create resources, and demonstrate your value — all of which help justify raising your prices as you grow.
As a rough guide, at the time of writing this, most people new to tutoring would justify charging £15 to £25/hour.
I'm not a qualified teacher,
can I still become a tutor?
Your value isn’t only measured in certificates.
I Am Not a Qualified Teacher. Will My Qualifications Affect What I Can Charge?
Another area closely tied to experience is qualifications. I used to find, in the early days especially, that I would have a conversation with a parent and at some point they would ask if I was a qualified teacher. I would explain that no I wasn’t, but my degree was focused on childcare and education, I had worked (at that time) in a variety of educational settings for over a decade, and I had also completed numerous courses focused on different learning styles.
For some parents, thankfully, this would be sufficient. However, some parents were looking for a qualified teacher. If you do have a teaching qualification, you can charge a premium because of this. If you don’t, providing your other assets offer what they are looking for such as your reputation, your teaching style, the location of the lessons, etc., you can still justify a high average cost/session. Qualified teachers often charge £30–£50+.
How Much Should I Let How I Perceive Myself (and Others Perceive Me) Affect What I Charge?
Potentially what is key is not necessarily your experience or your qualifications, but the perceived value of what you deliver and how you deliver it.
When I first started tutoring I had very little confidence in myself and had pretty much always worked in low-paid educational settings. Therefore, I set my first hourly rate as £10. That included my travel costs, the cost of producing the resources, my time, everything.
I felt as though my fees were extortionate and I felt guilty charging them.
The friend that got me into tutoring kept telling me that my prices were too low and although I was pretty much making a loss with each lesson, I couldn't accept that I should charge more. In my mind that wouldn’t be fair to the families I was working with. It took probably six weeks for me to find the confidence to, with a sense of guilt, double my hourly rate. As soon as I did, the work started rolling in. By perceiving myself as low value, there was no reason why anyone else would see me in any other way. And in a fairly affluent area, this was detrimental to me getting started.
Within six months of starting tutoring, I gained more work than I was able to cope with single-handedly. So, I started to recommend other tutors. Two stand out that are relevant to this aspect of the conversation.
By perceiving myself as low value,
there was no reason why anyone else
would see me in any other way.
The first was a GCSE maths and science tutor. At the time my youngest daughter was doing her GCSEs, so I arranged for him to spend an hour with her each week to ensure she did some focused revision. He too was charging roughly £20-£25/hour. However, his lessons consisted of them sitting in a local coffee shop (with a coffee that I paid for in addition to the cost of the lesson) and he would read to her from a science textbook then ask her to answer the questions at the end of the section. (I did wonder why I was paying someone to read to her, when she was an avid reader and quite capable of reading for herself). His perception of his time alone justified the hourly rate.
Another scenario occurred at roughly the same time, when my lad was doing his A’ levels. I arranged for a tutor that I knew and had been recommending to others to come and give him an hour’s support with something my lad had missed in an Economics lesson. This tutor turned up with a pen and asked what Jamie would like to concentrate on. Jamie asked him and the tutor asked what he knew about it. Jamie responded that he didn’t know anything. The tutor replied that he must. This continued for an hour then he left. He charged £50/hr + transport for this. For context, I was charging £20 including transport at the time. I spoke to him about his price, and he replied: “No one has ever complained about it before.”
So, do be aware that self-perception is sometimes what determines what you can charge as a tutor.
However, your self-perception will only take you so far.
Your Reputation is "Gold Dust"
Your reputation can carry you further than almost any other factor.
Are either of these two still tutoring? I don’t know, but I know after the experience with the economics tutor, I never recommended either of them again. My reputation meant too much to me to allow tutors like that to carry it forward. What they did, I knew reflected strongly on myself and what I stood for.
Treat your reputation like gold dust. As your reputation grows, you will be able to put your prices up if you choose to. When people are looking for recommendations, your name will pop up time and time again, offering you one of the strongest signs of credibility. Even if someone points out that you are more expensive than others, it will likely be followed by a “yes, but”. Generally speaking, if you can get your reputation to that stage and protect it like a baby wrapped in cotton wool, your options for what you can charge will fly.
Clearly it will take time to gain this reputation, but remember it is your biggest asset and is worth nurturing and protecting throughout your journey.
Your reputation can carry you to the higher price points of £40+/hr.
Your reputation has the power to drive your
earnings up significantly
Ready to Start Earning as a Tutor?
If you’ve made it this far and still feel excited about the journey ahead — that’s a great sign. The truth is, you don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin. You just need the courage to start.
To help you take that first step, we’ve created the Start Tutoring with Confidence Pack — a practical, encouraging resource filled with tools and support to help you feel ready, professional, and clear about what you offer.
Check out the
"Start Tutoring With Confidence Pack"
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