Fees: private tuition

Remember that fees are not standard and are always a matter of negotiation between you and the client.

Overall hourly tuition fee

Most teachers charged between £20 and £35 per hour and the ‘midpoint’ was £26 per hour. This means half the teachers we surveyed charged less than £26 per hour; the other half charged more.

The lowest fee charged was £9 per hour, and the highest fee was £70 per hour.

Fees for adults and children

More than 90% of teachers charged the same fee for adult and child pupils. The remaining teachers, charged between £1 and £11 per hour less for children.

Shared or group lessons

8% of teachers offered shared or group teaching. Of those teachers who charged each member of the group individually, most charged between £6 and £20 per pupil per hour. The ‘midpoint’ was £12 per hour.

You might consider using the following ‘formula’ for charging:

• two pupils sharing a lesson would each pay two-thirds of the fee for individual tuition
• three to four pupils, the total fee would be one-and-a-half times the individual tuition fee
• five to six pupils, the total fee would be twice the individual tuition fee.

Many teachers felt that there was more preparation and administration involved in teaching a group rather than one pupil for an individual lesson.

Regional variations

Teachers in London, the South East and the South of England charged more than teachers in other areas of the UK.

In inner London, most teachers charged between £25 and £50 per hour. The midpoint was £34 per hour.

In Greater London, most teachers charged between £24 and £40 per hour. The midpoint was £29 per hour.

In the South East and South of England, most teachers charged between £21 and £34 per hour. The midpoint was £26 per hour.

In other areas of the UK, most teachers charged between £20 and £30 per hour. The midpoint was £24 per hour.

Experience and qualifications

Teachers with more than 15 years’ experience of private teaching (87% of our respondents) charged slightly more than those with less experience and their fees were in line with the overall hourly tuition fee above.  Most of the teachers who have been teaching for less than 15 years charged between £20 and £31 per hour, with a midpoint of £25 per hour. However, the differences between the more and less experienced groups were not statistically significant.

Teachers with a postgraduate qualification (26% of respondents) charged more. Their fees were mostly between £20 and £40 per hour (with a midpoint of £27 per hour) compared with £20 - £34 per hour (and a midpoint of £26 per hour) for those without a postgraduate qualification.

Other costs you should include in your fees

Remember that your fees should cover not only the time spent teaching, but also the administrative work you do to maintain your teaching practice. They should also cover any overheads.  If you are not deemed to be a ‘worker’, you will need to build in an allowance for holiday periods into your fees. For advice as to who is or is not a worker, please look at our advice page, Employed or Self-Employed?

Overheads may include:

• instrument maintenance and repairs
• instrument, property, car, health and public and employers’ liability insurance*
• private pension contributions
• income tax, and national insurance contributions
• accounting and audit fees
• bank loan interest rates or mortgage
• music, books, stationery, recordings, advertising
• subscriptions to professional associations and periodicals
• secretarial, telephone and answering services
• time spent on lesson preparation
• time spent on updating pupils’ records, marking, writing reports
• time spent on interviews with prospective pupils;  pupils’ concerts and workshops
• studio lighting, heating and maintenance; studio hire charges; cost of transport or car mileage
• time spent travelling, if tuition is given in pupils’ homes

*The ISM’s public and employers’ liability insurance covers full and student members of the ISM.

How often should I increase my fees?

It is sensible to increase your fees every year, to reflect your accumulating experience and to incorporate inflationary increases.

The ISM’s agreement for private music tuition provides for regular fees increases. Teachers are required to give clients written notice of proposed increases by no later than the start of the series of lessons preceding the series when the increase is to take effect. If is good practice to obtain a written acknowledgement of any notice of increase of fees.

An annual inflationary increase, using the Retail Price Index (RPI) figures, can also be incorporated into your fees. These figures are published monthly by the Office for National Statistics.

Audition lessons

Teachers do not usually charge for auditioning pupils or interviewing them and their parents before deciding to accept them.

Consultation lessons

If you are going to charge for a consultation lesson, you should tell pupils and parents at the time the lesson is booked, that there will be a fee payable on the day and you should also confirm the amount. An appropriate level of negotiation of fees for consultation lessons might be one-and-a-half times the teacher’s usual lesson fee, hourly or pro rata.

Level taught

Some teachers have a scale of fees and charge more for advanced pupils.

Financial hardship

If you teach in an area where there is particular financial hardship, you may consider reducing the length of lessons, and adjusting your fees accordingly.

What should I do if someone cannot afford my hourly fee?

In certain circumstances, you may wish to reduce the amount paid by the pupil or parent. One way to do this is by awarding a bursary for a specified period.

The terms of the bursary should be put in writing, as it is a variation to the terms of tuition. It is a good idea to make clear that the bursary is made at your discretion, that it lasts for the stated period only and that it is not necessarily renewable. Bursaries should be shown on accounts as a deduction of the full fee.

What if I work as an independent self-employed teacher in schools?

In principle you have the right to set your own fees. However, in practice you may need to negotiate and agree your fee with the school. We strongly advise you to use a written contract, such as the ISM’s agreement for private music tuition, with parents of pupils. You will invoice them directly and be responsible for collecting your fees. Subject to child protection procedures, you should be able to appoint a deputy to teach in your absence.

The school may suggest that you have a contract with them. This contract will make it clear that you are using the school’s facilities for teaching pupils of the school. You may be required to pay a small fee for the use of school premises or for overheads. In this situation, the contract with the school should state the charge for rental of accommodation and for the use of any other facilities or administrative support, such as school stationery, or the sending out of bills on your behalf. For additional guidance, please refer to our advice sheet, Employed or Self-Employed?