How Much Does Online Tutoring Cost? US & UK Price Guide
Tutoriz Education Team ·
The Honest Answer First
Online tutoring in the US and UK typically costs $40–$120 per hour (US) or £25–£80 per hour (UK) — a wide band that reflects real differences in what you are buying. This guide breaks down what drives the price and how to tell fair value from inflated branding.
Typical Hourly Rates by Level
| Level | US ($/hr) | UK (£/hr) |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary / primary | 30–60 | 20–40 |
| Middle school / KS3 | 35–70 | 25–45 |
| GCSE | 40–80 | 30–55 |
| A-Level | 50–100 | 35–65 |
| AP | 50–110 | 35–70 |
| SAT / ACT prep | 60–120 | 40–80 |
| IB (especially HL) | 55–120 | 40–75 |
| Specialist (examiner-level, SEN) | 100–200+ | 70–120+ |
What Drives the Price
1. Curriculum specialization. A tutor who knows the Edexcel GCSE Maths mark scheme or the AP Physics C rubric commands more than a generalist — and earns it, because exam-board fluency is what converts teaching into marks.
2. Qualifications and track record. Certified teachers, examiners, and tutors with documented results sit at the top of the range. University-student tutoring sits at the bottom — sometimes excellent, rarely consistent.
3. Geography — yours and theirs. Online tutoring decouples price from your postcode: a family in London or New York can access rates that local in-person tutoring (£80–150/hr, $150–300/hr) makes painful.
4. One-to-one versus group. Group formats cost less per hour but divide attention. For exam-targeted work, 1-to-1 is usually faster per pound of progress.
The Value Calculation That Matters
Price per hour is the wrong metric; price per grade improvement is the right one. A £35/hr tutor who delivers a grade 5 after a term beats a £20/hr tutor who drifts for two. Ask any service: what results do students at my child's level typically achieve, and in what timeframe?
Also weigh the alternative costs: in the UK, GCSE resits and a lost A-Level place have real consequences; in the US, a stronger SAT score can unlock merit scholarships that dwarf the entire tutoring spend.
How to Get Fair Value
- Insist on a diagnostic before buying hours — it prevents paying for coverage your child does not need
- Ask for the all-in cost: sessions, materials, cancellation terms
- Start with a trial lesson — quality is visible in 45 minutes
- Prefer transparent per-session pricing over large prepaid packages that lock you in
Where Tutoriz Sits
Tutoriz provides screened, curriculum-specialist 1-to-1 tutors at rates designed to undercut local in-person prices, with no long-term contracts and a free demo class to evaluate fit first. Book a free demo to get a quote for your child's subject and level.
About the Author
Tutoriz Education Team
The Tutoriz Education Team includes tutors and curriculum specialists with classroom and examiner experience across IB, IGCSE, GCSE, A-Level, SAT and AP. Every guide is reviewed against official exam-board documentation before publishing.