Tutor Costs

[Swimalie]

I had to pay my daughter's figure skating coach $44/hr for lessons and she didn't even have a college degree! Why is it that some people will pay for private lessons for something (music, sports etc...) without batting an eye, but when it comes to educational tutoring, they think it's expensive?

For me, personally, I think I'm getting a huge bargain at $30 an hour for my son's handwriting help. She is doing something I tried and he wouldn't listen to. I pay a lot more for his tennis, swimming and my swimming and I wish they were as much of a bargain!

 

[aprilgail2]

Really? Our office keeps a list of teachers willing to tutor so parents are able to reach out to anyone on the list. It was common practice for students to stay after and have the tutoring done right on school property. (this just recently changed due to insurance issues)

Ours has a list also plus there are flyers on the counter in the office to take. But they can not do the tutoring on school property- most of them all use the public library for tutoring sessions. It gets very full in there around Regents time! I know for grade school the tutors run 50-60 an hour, not sure what high school tutors get.

 

[Shelly888]

I don't think I am getting a bargain, but his tutor is worth every cent. He is reading slightly above grade level and spelling at grade level(or just below...I don't recall) and he still sees her. He is going into 4th grade. We are trying to close the fairly gigantic gap between ability and achievement.

Like a pp stated, I tried to teach him after extensively researching exactly how to teach him, and it did not work. I got mad, he got frustrated...not good! The way I look at it is this....'What good is a bank full of savings (for post secondary school) going to do him, if he can't get into a college anyway?!'

He has to work way harder than most to achieve average results. Having a tutor that can break it down for him has made a huge difference to his future academic success.

I see pros and cons to using a child's current teacher. For us, most regular teachers just do not have the background needed to teach a dyslexic child.

 

[MommaGinger]

Thank you everyone for your input. I met with the tutor who was recommended to me ($40 per hr) and she seems perfect so we are going to give her a shot and see how it goes. Take care and enjoy the rest of your summer.

 

[Pigeon]

In my school, that would be a HUGE conflict of interest. Any kid in the school can come to me for free extra help. Charging for tutoring any kid in the building is a HUGE no-no.

I paid for a tutor for science for my high school kid last year. She had already tried staying after with her teacher for free. For a variety of reasons, it wasn't helpful.

I paid $50/hr for a different science teacher to tutor her after school and she did pull her grades up quite a bit.

Our school allows this and I'm glad. I loved that they could do it after school in the building and dd could just catch the late bus. It made scheduling and transportation much easier.

Trying to find a place for tutoring can be complicated. Dh is a teacher and used to tutor. Most teachers I know won't tutor in the student's home or the teacher's home, too much liability. Our public library is always packed and has limited hours.

Dh once was tutoring in the child's home with the grandmother present. He'd explained that in order for him to be there, the grandmother had to be in the house and in close proximity so that there could be no question that anything inappropriate happened. Grandma excused herself to go to the bathroom, went out the door and took off, so dh had to leave immediately. End of tutoring.

 

[mama2four]

Hi! I live in RI, and a reading specialist here costs about $30-$65/hour as far as I have seen. It is expensive, but this would be for a specialist who can work with children who have a diagnosed learning disability.

 

[nighttowll]

I'm just going to throw out there to all of you paying $40+, unless your kid has major learning disabilities that require special instruction, I'd look into college kids.

I worked as a college tutor for years and never made much more than minimum wage. I feel totally jipped. I got around $8.50 to tutor college students, and you people are paying $40+ to teach 6 year olds their ABCs! I was clearly in the wrong field.

But seriously, college tutors are required to complete quite a bit of training. I received certifications in ESL, Dyslexia, and general learning disabilities, as well as basic tutor training.

I'm not saying all college tutors would be a good match for young kids as many are more use to working with older students. But for junior high and high school students, I think a college tutor would be fine. You also have the added benefit of a younger role model. For elementary age, I'd recommend an education major. They can make great tutors at half the cost. Also, many of these students are already working as student teachers in schools, so they do have experience and an interest in younger kids.

Something else you might not realize, not just anyone can be a college tutor. At most schools, you have to be recommended by at least one or more faculty members in a certain area. It's not just grades they look at. It is your knowledge of the subject, personality, and ability to teach others. Even then, you are limited in what you can tutor and have to prove yourself to keep your job. Most schools can easily recommend tutors that will fit your needs, many keep lists.

Now here's the best part, since most colleges start their tutors out right at or right above minimum wage, with pay raises earned as you earn your levels, you could pay them half what you are paying now, and they'd be thrilled because that's still double the current salary. It's a win win situation.

I personally never charged more than $10/hr for tutoring elementary kids, but I don't think paying $20 to a college tutor would be too high. They do have some training and skill.

As far as the OP's original question, $40 to $75 is about right for a tutor skilled in a specialized subject, especially for older kids or ones with serious learning issues. It seems very high to me for basic reading or math though.

Also, there is a great computer program if you can find it called Earobics. It goes through all the basic sounds of letters and is commonly used with kids who need that extra help getting started with reading. We learned about it through a Dr. we used to do testing with. He specializes in learning disabilities and the software really seemed to make a big difference for kids learning to read. It's fun too, so it holds the kids attention well.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Mid-Michigan, the going rate is $20 an hour for regular subjects, $15 per half hour for musical instruments. One area where we have had luck is hiring tutors who are working on their student teaching internship. If you have not already, you might ask your child's teacher for recommendations. If this has already been discussed I apologize, I have only skimmed the postings. Good luck. A good foundation in a subject can make a world of difference in future learning.

By the way, we hire tutors when our child struggles with a subject, not when she is failing a class. Even students who make good grades often struggle with particular subjects.

 

[irishabigail]

I run a tutoring business in metro Atlanta, and I wanted to throw my two cents in about what tutors may consider when calculating their rates.

I graduated from Georgia Tech in 3 years with a degree in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Economics. I have been tutoring for 6 years, 3.5 of which have been for my own business.

I currently only work with students one-on-one to give them personal attention. This is in contrast to tutoring centers which will put several students from different subjects and age groups at the same table and have the tutor split her time. This does allow tutoring centers to charge less.

All of my students come to me at a local bookstore, which allows me to work with many more kids who need help. Thankfully, the store provides me with a dedicated area in which I have whiteboards, printer, etc. Maintaining this space is an input cost for me.

I primarily teach Calculus and Physics, but I'm also available for Essay Writing, SAT, ACT, Spanish, Economics, Government, and College Prep tutoring. Because I cover so many subjects, as well as the upper level ones, most parents find they only need one tutor for their children. I find that most parents see a greater value in a tutoring session if the tutor can switch gears to answer questions for another class.

As far as rates go, I charge two different rates. One is if you find me directly or by referral, and that's $60/hr. On a website I use to advertise myself (WyzAnt) and that allows you to use credit cards for payment, I charge $80/hr. The difference covers the fact that the website takes a percentage. So, keep that in mind if you hire someone via a tutoring website. On the other hand, WyzAnt (and sites like it) tend to provide you with a lot more information about tutors and their abilities up front, so it's not as much of a risk.

The other thing to keep in mind is whether or not somebody tutors for a living. If they do, they have to report self-employment income for tax purposes. For me personally, I give the government 25-30% of my income each year, which is one of the reasons I have to charge my clients more. I also do not get benefits, as I am self-employed, so I get to pay for my own health insurance. This is all in addition to the fact that tutoring is seasonal, and there's a marked drop off in income during summer months and other holidays.

Then there is, of course, the question of quality. Finding someone with experience in tutoring is a must. There is a skill required to impart knowledge to someone else that is not necessarily inherent in all people who understand the subject. I personally like math, but I also like to talk... apparently it's rare to like both!

Hopefully this information helps understand the costs of tutoring. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll be happy to answer them for you!

 

[garjanjones]

I am a certified teacher (math) with a masters degree. I think it depends on what you are looking for. If you are talking about elem. level stuff $40 is high. I have tutored some in the past. $40 was about what I charged. If you are looking for help with high school subjects, you may be looking at $100. $40 would be a steal for that.

 

[ugadog99]

I'm a teacher with 29 years of experience and a Specialist degree. Currently, I am tutoring twin girls, third grade reading. I have both girls together for an hour once a week. $60 for the hour. Around here, it seems to run about $40 an hour for 1 child.