What decides the price of a private lesson?
There is no single price for a private English lesson. Two tutors in the same neighborhood can ask very different amounts, and there is usually a reason you can find out.
- Experience: a tutor who has taught children for many years usually asks more than a student.
- Lesson length: a 45-minute lesson and a 60-minute lesson are not the same product.
- Online or in person: a lesson the tutor travels to includes their travel time.
- City: prices in the center of the country tend to be higher than elsewhere.
- One-to-one or group: in a small group each family pays less, and each child gets less individual time.
- Specialty: preparing for a particular exam or working with learning difficulties usually costs more.
Why is an online lesson usually cheaper than one at home?
In a video lesson the tutor does not travel, so the same hour of work costs them less. That does not make the lesson worse. For a child who can sit at a screen, a video lesson with a good tutor gives the same individual attention.
An in-person lesson is worth the extra when a child is very young or finds it hard to focus on a screen. Without that difficulty, the difference in price does not necessarily buy better learning.
How do I compare offers fairly?
The first comparison is the price per full hour. A 45-minute lesson that looks cheap can cost more per hour than a 60-minute one. Divide the price by the number of minutes and multiply by sixty.