Education

What’s My Value? How to Determine Your Hourly Rate as an English Tutor

Running your own business allows you to scale and establish your hourly teaching rates, which is fantastic if you’re already a freelance primary school English tutor or aspire to be one. However, the question of how much to charge students may confound you. Your fee should be set at a level that won’t drive away potential pupils or undersell your abilities. So let’s start with determining your prices as a self-employed English tutor!

How are the prices decided for independent English teachers working online?

One of your first impressions as a self-employed online English instructor is more than just a number—your hourly rate for English lessons. Therefore, consider these most crucial aspects when choosing to price your classes.

Qualifications

Gaining TEFL certification, finishing specialised training or courses, or receiving a master’s degree in TESOL provides you with an advantage over the competition and improves your teaching abilities, giving you the power to demand a higher hourly rate.

Experience

Experience is more than just how long you’ve been a teacher of English. Also, consider your accomplishments, the projects you worked on, and the students you taught. Your ability to set rates higher as you gain experience increases.

Newcomers in online ESL instruction, for instance, often charge between $12 and $15 per hour, depending on where they are located and the market they serve.

However, teachers with exceptional experience might bill up to $25 per hour or even more.

country of residence

Do you reside in a nation with a high or low cost of living? The area where you now reside affects the ultimate hourly rate chosen. You can anticipate higher wages if you live in a large economy, like Japan or the U.K., but high taxes and living expenses may counter these.

financial targets

This question will help you decide how much you want to charge for your online classes. In addition, setting a realistic monthly or annual income goal before determining whether you can achieve it with the rates you are contemplating, after deducting overhead costs and taxes, is also helpful.

competitive costs

Learn the going rate for other independent online English teachers who are rough as qualified and experienced as you to get a ballpark figure or a price range. You can find out how much their classes cost online by looking on freelancer or teacher marketplaces, asking other independent contractors, or joining a network of online English teachers.

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