By trade9 min read·Updated July 2026

Tutoring rates per hour: what tutors charge in 2026

A complete breakdown of UK tutoring rates in 2026: what tutors charge per hour by education level, by subject, by region, and online versus in-person — plus group session pricing, what agencies take, and how to set and raise your own rate.

Quick answer

Most UK private tutors charge £30-£50 an hour, averaging around £35-£40. By level: roughly £22-£38 for primary (~£29 average), £28-£55 for GCSE (~£38), £38-£75 for A-Level (~£52), and £40-£90 for undergraduate. London runs 15-25% above the national average. Qualified teachers with QTS commonly charge £35-£60+. Online sessions typically price 10-20% below in-person, and group sessions run £12-£25 per student per hour.

UK tutoring rates per hour by level, 2026

Level	Typical range	Average	London	Qualified teacher
Primary (KS1-KS2)	£22-£38	~£29	£35-£55	£30-£45
KS3 (11-14)	£25-£45	~£33	£40-£60	£33-£50
GCSE	£28-£55	~£38	£45-£75	£38-£60
A-Level	£38-£75	~£52	£55-£100	£50-£80
Undergraduate	£40-£90	~£58	£60-£120	£55-£95
11+ / entrance exams	£35-£70	~£48	£50-£120	£45-£85

Step-by-step

Price by level first — it's the biggest single factor

Level moves your rate more than anything else. A-Level tutoring averages around £52 an hour against roughly £29 for primary — the same hour of your time, priced at nearly double. If you tutor across levels and charge one flat rate, you are underpricing your senior work to subsidise your junior work. Set a rate per level, publish all of them, and let parents self-select.

Then adjust for subject — supply drives the premium

Within a level, subject can move your rate by 20-40%. Maths and the sciences consistently sit at the top because fewer tutors can teach them well at A-Level and above; physics and further maths are the scarcest of all. English and humanities sit mid-range. Modern languages vary enormously — French and Spanish are well supplied and price accordingly, while Mandarin, Arabic, Latin and Japanese command a clear premium. As a rough guide against the level average: further maths and physics +25-40%, chemistry and biology +10-20%, maths +10-15%, English and humanities at par, common modern languages -5-10%, uncommon languages +20-35%.

Adjust again for region

London is the outlier: expect 15-25% above the national average, and considerably more in the most competitive boroughs for 11+ and A-Level work. The South East and the university cities — Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Edinburgh — run roughly 5-15% above national. The North East, Wales and much of the Midlands sit 5-15% below. If you tutor online you are not bound to your local market, which is the single easiest way to escape a low-rate region.

Price online slightly below in-person

Online tutoring typically runs 10-20% cheaper than in-person, largely because there is no travel for either side. That is not a downgrade. Online lets you fill awkward gaps in your timetable, take students from anywhere, and avoid unpaid travel time — which usually more than compensates for the lower headline rate. In practice a tutor who goes fully online often earns more per working hour despite charging less per session.

Use group sessions to raise your effective hourly rate

Group tutoring is priced per student, typically £12-£25 an hour for a group of three to six. Four students at £18 is £72 an hour against a £40 one-to-one rate — a substantial rise in what you actually earn for the hour, and a lower price for each family. It works best for exam revision and syllabus coverage rather than diagnosing an individual student's specific gaps. Run groups in the exam run-up and one-to-one the rest of the year.

Understand what an agency actually costs you

Tutoring agencies typically take 20-30% of your rate, and some charge the family a separate registration fee on top. On a £40 hour that is £8-£12 gone. The trade is real — they handle marketing, matching, scheduling and payment chasing, which has genuine value when you are starting and have no reputation. The mistake is staying on an agency indefinitely once you have a waiting list of your own. Most established tutors use an agency for their first year and their own website thereafter.

If you're a qualified teacher, say so and charge for it

Qualified teachers commonly charge £35-£60 and above depending on subject, phase and track record. Parents actively search for QTS and current classroom experience, and examiner experience is worth more still — if you mark for an exam board, that single line justifies a rate at the top of your level's range. If you have any of this and you are charging undergraduate rates, you are leaving money on the table.

Set your rate as a new tutor, then raise it deliberately

Start near the bottom of the range for your level — around £22-£28 for primary, £28-£35 for GCSE — and treat that as an introductory rate you have explicitly decided to leave. Raise it once you have three testimonials and a results story you can point to. Raise existing students at a term boundary with a month's notice, never mid-term; new enquiries simply see the new rate. A 10-15% rise loses almost nobody when your results are visible.

Put your rates on your website

Parents compare tutors on price and fit before making contact. Published rates by level, with a short line on your qualifications, your DBS status and your results, attract better-matched enquiries and end the repeated 'what do you charge?' messages that go nowhere. Tutors who hide their pricing get more enquiries and fewer bookings — the enquiries are simply people price-checking.

Tips & best practices

▸Block-booking a term at a small discount stabilises your income and measurably improves student outcomes.
▸Rates rise sharply in the run-up to exam season — set your calendar and prices before January, not during.
▸Travel time is unpaid: either cluster your in-person students geographically or lean into online.
▸A DBS check is a selling point worth stating explicitly on your site, not burying in an FAQ.
▸Charge for cancellations inside 24 hours from the first session, and say so in writing when you book them in.
▸Examiner or marker experience justifies the top of your range on its own — lead with it.

Common questions

How much do private tutors charge per hour in the UK?

Most charge £30-£50 an hour, with the average around £35-£40. Rates vary sharply by level: roughly £29 an hour for primary, £33 for KS3, £38 for GCSE, £52 for A-Level and £58 for undergraduate. London tutors typically charge 15-25% above these figures.

What is a typical tutor hourly rate?

£35-£40 an hour is the typical UK average across all levels and subjects. The realistic full range runs from about £22 an hour for primary-level tutoring outside London to £120 an hour for A-Level sciences or 11+ preparation in competitive London boroughs.

How much is private tuition per hour?

Private one-to-one tuition costs £30-£50 an hour for most families, averaging £35-£40. Expect around £29 an hour at primary level, £38 at GCSE and £52 at A-Level. Group tuition is far cheaper at £12-£25 per student per hour, and online sessions run 10-20% below in-person rates.

How much should I charge as a new tutor?

Start near the bottom of the range for the level you teach — around £22-£28 for primary, £28-£35 for GCSE — and raise it once you have results and testimonials behind you. Qualified teachers can reasonably start higher, at £35+, because parents actively search for QTS.

Should online tutoring cost less than in-person?

Typically yes, by around 10-20%, since neither side is travelling. The upside is that online lets you fill awkward slots and take students from anywhere, which usually more than offsets the lower rate per hour. Many tutors earn more per working hour online despite charging less per session.

Why do A-Level tutors charge more?

Fewer tutors can teach at that level, the subject knowledge required is deeper, and the stakes for the student are higher. Supply and demand does most of the work — A-Level averages around £52 an hour against £29 for primary, and A-Level physics or further maths sits higher still.

How much do tutoring agencies take?

Typically 20-30% of your hourly rate, and some also charge families a separate registration fee. That is worth paying while you are building a reputation and have no other source of enquiries, but it becomes expensive once you can fill your own timetable — which is why most established tutors move to their own website.

How much should I charge for group tutoring?

£12-£25 per student per hour for a group of three to six. Four students at £18 an hour earns you £72 for that hour against a typical £40 one-to-one rate, while costing each family less than half the individual price. It suits exam revision better than diagnosing an individual student's gaps.

When should I raise my tutoring rates?

Once you have three testimonials and a results story, and then annually. Give existing students a month's notice and change the rate at a term boundary, never mid-term. New enquiries simply see the new price. A 10-15% rise loses almost nobody when your results are visible on your site.