What's the going rate for tutoring a young elementary student?

[Anonymous]

I'm paying a 3rd grade teacher to tutor $55 an hour for two kids. Fairfax County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. Interesting. I'm really surprised people pay this much! I figured $20/hr maxx, since that was more than this kid is going to make doing any other job this summer. I obviously would expect to pay more if I were using a teacher or a professional tutoring company. And I still disagree with the PP about whether it's relevant that this is very basic stuff. I would, and probably will, pay more for someone to help with skills that I cannot effectively cultivate myself, like AP calculus. That is more specialized work and therefore should demand a higher price. But for addition, subtraction, multiplication tables...?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear from other parents who use NONprofessional tutors - older kids rather than teachers or Kumon stuff. Is $30 plus gas and travel time a fair rate?

You're missing the point. You're not looking for, or paying for, someone with special content knowledge, like physics or what have you. What you need is someone with specialized skills in teaching basic concepts to young children. Pretty much all content taught in elementary schools is common knowledge to adults, but if it was that easy to teach it your daughter wouldn't be having any problem. If this college student has no training or experience in teaching, I agree $30 is high-- and frankly I don't know why you'd hire someone for this job if he is not qualified. If you're looking for someone with teaching experience, which I would be if I were in your position, I would expect to pay $50-60/hr.

[Anonymous]

Have you considered a high school student? I had a lot of experience as a peer tutor and started tutoring people in elementary, middle and high school. It was in a blue collar area, I charged $8 - 10 an hour and was very good at it (and had a waitlist). I bet you could find a solid high school student for $15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't you or or your spouse teach? Or your friend who graduated from college?

I too am baffled at this... Can someone please explain?

[Anonymous]

The going rate with my colleagues is $75 per hour.

[Anonymous]

Our tutor charges a dollar a minute to tutor my 5th grader.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I am an experienced algebra teacher, and only charge $40/hour for the kids. I can't believe some of the rates on here.

[Anonymous]

I know that personal trainers charge $65-$75 per hour and there is absolutely no prep time for that. I would say $40-$50 for a certified teacher is on target.

[Anonymous]

If you can get your hands on a trained and qualified math instructional specialist to really help math "click" (rather than just practicing the same stuff over and over the way it didn't click before), then you'll be golden. Expect to pay up to $80/hour for that.

But it could be worth it.

[Anonymous]

I paid $40 (for two kids) an hour last summer for a college Sophomore majoring in Math. During the school year, I had a tutor a couple of times -- she was an AAP teacher and she charged $55/hr.

[Anonymous]

Gosh, $55/hour for a well-trained instructor... that's a damn steal. Seriously. I mean, I know what people get paid in their daily jobs, but this isn't an 8-hour job. The opportunity costs for tutoring one or two kids are high. And excellent math instructors -- who can identify and address any specific conceptual challenges and the reasons behind them -- are precious, indeed.

If you're a highly trained elementary math specialist--maybe with some special ed background, too--I'd empty my wallet for you! Thank you for not making me do this, though...

[Anonymous]

For the purpose of basic math, these rates are typical for private tutors:

A college student with no tutoring experience: 20-25.
An exceptional college student with high test scores, tutoring experience, etc.: $30.
A college graduate with no tutoring/ teaching experience: $35.
The rates soar from there in math tutoring, though $50-65 is reasonable for a good private tutor for high school level math.

I suggest, however, that you find a tutor with experience and pay a little extra to get the results that you are seeking; otherwise, why bother paying someone to come and drill math with your child? Ask the tutor what teaching methods he/ she uses, and inquire as to how he/ she works with different learning styles.

Keep in mind, you are paying for the luxury of having someone travel to come to work with your child in the convenience of your home for a very short period of time. That person must account for lesson preparation, travel, and the administrative work that comes with owning and running his own business (however small it may be).

When you work with a tutoring company, you will pay extra, but you will also have the peace of mind of having a background check, credential verification, etc.

For reference, I have 15 years experience in the tutoring industry. I also have a small tutoring company in the NoVa/ DC area, and our rates are highly competitive compared to those of tutoring companies in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I own a tutoring business. $30 is cheap.

Not so cheap for someone with little experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. Interesting. I'm really surprised people pay this much! I figured $20/hr maxx, since that was more than this kid is going to make doing any other job this summer. I obviously would expect to pay more if I were using a teacher or a professional tutoring company. And I still disagree with the PP about whether it's relevant that this is very basic stuff. I would, and probably will, pay more for someone to help with skills that I cannot effectively cultivate myself, like AP calculus. That is more specialized work and therefore should demand a higher price. But for addition, subtraction, multiplication tables...?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear from other parents who use NONprofessional tutors - older kids rather than teachers or Kumon stuff. Is $30 plus gas and travel time a fair rate?

I don't really understand what your goal is. Your child is struggling with third grade math, so you are going to hire a college student who doesn't have prior teaching or tutoring experience to teach her the basics. I'm assuming you know basic calculation yourself. Why would a college student be better at the basics than you? If you are looking for someone to get at her underlying problem, assess her deficits, and work with her strengths, then you need to pay for that sort of specialized work which would involve paying a good, experienced tutor or teacher more than $30.

If you are looking to check the box and say you hired a tutor this summer, then $30 plus travel time is on the more expensive end. I've tutored basic reading for a first grader and I charged $40 (mostly because this is a poor neighborhood). High school chemistry, physics, or advanced math were closer to $75 an hour in other parts of DC (seven years ago).

[Anonymous]

For a college student not teaching only general math concepts, $20 max. If you or your husband is able, you can easily teach her the concepts and buy her workbooks to practice or use IXL. The college students will not know some of the more unusual ways concepts are presented under 2.0.