Getting Yourself Started

Tutoring Fees and Policies That Work

A major concern potential clients have about hiring a tutor is the fees and policies that are involved.  Unfortunately, private tutoring has earned the reputation of being expensive and inflexible and this may discourage potential clients from looking into hiring a tutor.  However, as a tutor who runs your own tutoring business, you are free to consider these issues and develop fees and policies that are both appealing to potential clients and reasonable for you. 

One of the problems with larger tutoring companies is that they require the parent to sign a contract which locks the clients into paying a specific fee for an extended time period, most often, for an entire year.  This can often be discouraging for parents who feel that their child only needs help for a short period of time or that they need to work with a tutor periodically instead of on a regular basis. 

You may want to consider requiring parents to pay on a monthly basis instead of locking them in for a longer time period of time.    By paying on a month-to-month basis, parents feel more empowered and in control of the situation.   You might want to establish a policy in which the client will be continually billed each month until they decide they want to end the tutoring services.  They must inform you in writing at least a month before they wish to stop meeting with you, otherwise, they will continue to be billed.  Parents are relieved to hear that they are only making a monthly commitment when signing up with you and that it will not be a complicated process to end the services. 

You may also want to consider offering specific packages which include a specific number of hours of tutoring for a certain fee.  For instance, if you plan to earn at least $25 an hour, offer two packages:  the first might be a $112/month package which entitles the client for up to 4 hours of tutoring at $28/hr and the second might be a $200/month package which entitles the client for up to 8 hours of tutoring at $25/hr.  The parent may choose to pay the $200/month over the $112/month package because they recognize the bargain, even if they didn’t originally believe their child needed the full 8 hours a month.  Meanwhile, although you are earning three less dollars and hour, you are guaranteed to get paid for more hours than you would have if you didn’t offer a specific package. 

Evaluate the number of hours you will be willing to work and your financial needs and then decide on two or three packages that will work for you.  Be sure that the cheapest rate per hour is associated with the package that offers the greatest number of sessions and vice-versa.  

Put your billing policies down on paper and be sure that you review them with the client before you start tutoring their child.  You may even want to have the parents sign a copy so you are certain that the parent is aware of your policies. 

By offering a variety of packages, allowing clients a simple way out, and not requiring them to sign an extensive contract, you will be demonstrating your flexibility and willingness to work with individual clients on a more personal basis than larger tutoring corporations will.