Tutors might be the right answer to help your child catch up or excel, but this expert guidance comes at a price. And not just one price.
It’s a vast range that, can feel overwhelming for parents navigating the tutoring terrain. So, what exactly do you get at each price point? Are the top-shelf sessions worth it? And when is paying more the right choice?
Expertise and eligibility
Like any profession, some skills are simply harder to obtain. Fewer people are experts in specific fields, so these providers are paid more for their time. Think heart surgeons, airline pilots and astronauts.
Similarly, not everyone can teach. It takes a skilled person to be able to explain trigonometry to a struggling teenager and connect with a student. Qualified teachers, or those with degrees in the subject matter they’re teaching, will likely price their time and skills higher than, say, a university student without much experience. You might pay a first-time tutor or relatively inexperienced student around $50 – $60 per hour, whereas a qualified Maths or English teacher will charge upwards of $85 for private sessions.
Finally, a senior Chemistry teacher, or someone who can teach Maths Extension 2, is trained to help your child with high-level computations and will command a higher fee than education all-rounders. These specialists can charge upwards of $150.
Thankfully, Cluey does not charge high prices. How is Cluey able to do this? Cluey has a large number of qualified tutors and provides them with:
- Extensive resources, including all the teaching and learning materials;
- A fully developed online teaching and learning platform;
- Guidance and training;
- Practice for students to complete in-between their tutoring sessions;
- Reporting and feedback; and
- Students who are seeking specialised tutoring services.
This means that Cluey tutors do not need to spend significant time and effort recruiting their students, preparing the teaching and learning content, travelling to and from students’ homes and supporting their students in between learning sessions. Cluey tutors are only paid for the time they actually spend delivering the learning service. And parents are only charged for this time. This enables Cluey to provide high-quality school tutoring at a lower cost to parents.
Supply and demand
Depending on where you live in Australiai, the availability of well-trained tutors will influence the fees they charge. A qualified tutor living in a remote area of WA is probably one of only a few providers in the region. Less competition means that prices are significantly higher!
On the other end of the spectrum, a tutor living in Sydney will be one of many teachers and academics in the area, requiring them to be much more competitive with what they charge. In this case, you will likely pay a lower price for a tutor in an urban area, than a more remote one.
The advent of online education powered by internet-enabled devices works to combat this, giving all students access to high-quality tutors from anywhere in Australia. So, for example, if you’re a student in Mount Gambier looking for an HSC Chemistry tutor, you’re suddenly no longer limited to that one qualified person who lives in your area.
Running costs
Tutors who travel longer distances to reach your house will factor travelling time and transport costs into their rate. Similarly, learning centres include their business costs (rent on the building, maintenance, learning materials, training, and paying the tutors) before they make a profit, so expect increased fees for more overheads and higher running costs.
Group vs one-on-one
Small group sessions are typically priced at around $70 per hour, offering a budget-friendly alternative. However, this isn’t always the best value option, especially if your child needs a one-on-one, personalised approach. That said, some children work well in small groups, so always consider the needs and abilities of your child when making a decision.
Tutoring company vs private arrangement
Is it cheaper to arrange your own tutor or leave it to a tutoring organisation? Some might feel that a private arrangement can save them money. However, this isn’t always the case. Using a tutoring organisation presents many of advantages and can offer better value for money in the long run.
Tutors booked via a tutoring company have usually been vetted (including Working with Children Checks) and often come with extensive experience and testimonials. With a larger number of tutors employed by the organisation, they can also better match the right tutor to the right student, based on factors such as personality, approach, and teaching style, which all contribute to a quality learning experience. Think of the money you can save if you book a tutor, only to realise five sessions later that they’re the wrong fit for your child.
If your private tutor gets sick or goes away for a period, finding a replacement can take significant time. This disrupts the learning routine and equates to lost learning time, which can come at a considerable cost to your child, especially if they’re looking for extra support leading up to exams.
