Tutor prices in the UK run from £15 an hour to £90 and beyond, and the spread confuses parents because the price says more about who is teaching than about how good the teaching is. This page sets out what tutors actually charge in 2026, by tutor, by level and by region, what a year adds up to, and how to tell whether a quote is fair.
The short answer
Most UK families pay £25 to £50 an hour. Below that you are usually hiring a student; above it, a specialist, an examiner or a London postcode.
| Who is teaching | Per hour | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|
| University student on a marketplace | £15 to £30 | Took the exam recently; no teaching training; may leave after a term |
| Qualified teacher, independent or through an agency | £30 to £50 | Knows the exam board and the mark scheme; evenings and weekends |
| Examiner or subject specialist | £60 to £90 | Marks the real papers; worth it for the top grades |
| 11-plus specialist | £40 to £90 | The target school's test, timed practice |
| Tuition centre | £120 to £200 a month for two group sessions a week | A programme and a membership, not one-to-one |
| Online from India (Science with Shobha) | about £8 to £10 | Master's-qualified, one-to-one, UK exam boards, the recording after every class |
An agency adds its commission to the tutor's rate, so the same teacher costs more through an agency than directly.
By level
| Level | Typical range per hour | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary, KS1 and KS2 (Years 1 to 6) | £25 to £45 | Many tutors can teach it; patience matters more than subject depth |
| 11-plus (Years 4 and 5) | £40 to £90 | Demand squeezed into two years; specialists know each school's test |
| KS3 (Years 7 to 9) | £25 to £45 | The foundations GCSE depends on |
| GCSE | £30 to £60 | The tutor must know the board's specification and tier |
| A-level | £40 to £90 | Fewer people can teach it; maths and the sciences cost most |
Two things move the price within a row. Subject: maths, further maths, physics and chemistry cost more than English and humanities at the same level, because fewer tutors offer them. Season: rates and waiting lists rise from January to May, when everyone wants exam help at once.
London and the rest of the UK
London is typically £10 to £20 an hour above the rest of the country, and central and west London more than that: £40 to £70 for the teacher who would charge £30 to £50 elsewhere. The detail for the capital is in maths tutor London prices. Outside the big cities the difficulty is not price but supply: there may be no A-level physics tutor within reach at any price, which is one reason online tutoring has grown.
Online against in person
| In person | Online, UK tutor | Online from India | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per hour | £30 to £60 | £25 to £50 | about £8 to £10 |
| Travel | Tutor's or yours | None | None |
| Recording of the lesson | No | Sometimes | Every class |
| Choice of tutor | Whoever is nearby | Anyone in the UK | A specialist for each subject |
| Suits | Young children; handwriting | Most pupils from about 8 | Pupils from about 8 who need frequent lessons |
Online is not a lesser version from Year 4 upwards: a shared whiteboard lets the tutor watch every line of working, which is the point of one-to-one teaching.
What a year really costs
Hourly rates hide the real figure. School terms give about 36 teaching weeks.
| One hour a week, per year | Two hours a week, per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Student at £22 | about £790 | about £1,580 |
| Qualified teacher at £40 | about £1,440 | about £2,880 |
| Specialist at £70 | about £2,520 | about £5,040 |
| Online from India at £9 | about £325 | about £650 |
Research on tutoring is consistent that two sessions a week do far more than one. For most families the hourly rate decides whether twice a week is possible at all.
Is the price fair? Six questions
- Can you name my child's exam board and specification? A GCSE or A-level tutor who cannot is teaching the wrong paper.
- What will you do in the first lesson to find out what my child does not know?
- Will it be you every week?
- What do I receive after each lesson? A note, marked work, a recording.
- Is there a contract, a package or a minimum term? A good tutor does not need one.
- How will I know after a month that it is working?
A £25 tutor who answers these well is better value than a £60 tutor who cannot. Whether your child needs a tutor at all for GCSE is weighed up in is it worth getting a tutor for GCSE.
How to pay less without getting less
- Ask the school first. Many run free revision and catch-up sessions, and some pay for tutoring from their pupil premium funding.
- Go direct to a qualified teacher instead of through an agency.
- Start early and go weekly, not in a panic before exams, when prices peak.
- Share a lesson between two children at the same level; many tutors offer a lower rate per child.
- Go online, and consider a tutor outside the UK who teaches the UK boards.
What we charge
About £8 to £10 an hour for a live one-to-one class with a master's-qualified tutor, the same one every week, teaching to your child's exam board, with the recording, notes and marked homework after every class. Billed monthly, no contract. The pages for each stage: GCSE, A-level maths, 11-plus and KS2 and KS3. The first 30-minute class is free and is a real lesson at a UK after-school time.
Questions parents ask
1How much does a tutor cost in the UK?
2How much is a tutor per hour in the UK for GCSE?
3How much does an A-level tutor cost?
4How much does an 11 plus tutor cost?
5Is online tutoring cheaper than in-person tutoring in the UK?
See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →
Shobha
Founder and lead tutor, Science with Shobha
Teaching maths, science and English to children online since 2018. 500+ students, 20+ tutors, families in nine countries.