UK tutor rate benchmarks
These are typical hourly rates for what tutors charge directly. On commission-based platforms the rate students pay is often 25-49% higher, because the platform takes a cut on top.
By level
KS1 and KS2 (primary): £20-£35/hr, rising to £40-£60/hr for former primary headteachers or tutors with strong selective-exam records.
11+ entrance prep: £30-£60/hr, with £70-£120/hr for tutors who place children at top-track grammars or selective independents.
KS3: £25-£40/hr, higher for subject specialists with stretch and scholarship-track experience.
GCSE: £25-£50/hr, and £55-£90/hr for grade 7-9 specialists in shortage subjects like Triple Science and Higher Tier Maths.
A-level: £35-£70/hr typically. Oxbridge-track subject specialists and A-level Further Maths tutors reach £75-£150/hr, as do modern-languages tutors with native fluency.
University admissions and aptitude tests: £50-£200/hr, covering UCAT, LNAT, Oxbridge interview prep and personal-statement coaching at the top end.
Regional variation
London and the South East run 20-40% above national rates. Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, and Bristol broadly track London. The North, Midlands, and most of Wales and Scotland outside Edinburgh and Glasgow sit at or slightly below the national typical range. Online tutoring has flattened this. A student in London can hire a Manchester-based tutor online and pay closer to Manchester rates.
What drives the spread within a level
Specialism scarcity
A-level Further Maths tutors charge more than A-level Biology tutors because the supply of qualified people is smaller. The same holds for Oxbridge admissions advisers, UCAT specialists, Latin and Classical Greek tutors, and A-level Computer Science tutors with a strong programming background. Subjects with abundant supply, like GCSE English or Year 6 SATs, sit at the lower end of the band.
Track record
Tutors with measurable outcomes, such as a high A*/A rate at A-level or a record of grammar-school placements at 11+, charge what the market will pay. This shows most at the top end. A 1:1 Oxbridge-track Further Maths tutor commanding £150/hr is doing so because their results justify it to the parents who pay.
Format
In-person tutoring carries a small premium over online, typically 10-20%, reflecting travel time and cost. Group tutoring of two to four students carries a 30-50% per-student discount versus equivalent 1:1.
Total course cost versus hourly rate
Hourly rate matters less than total spend. A few worked examples at mid-range national rates:
Year 11 GCSE Maths, weekly from autumn to May: about 32 weeks × £40/hr = £1,280.
Year 12-13 A-level Chemistry, weekly through Year 13: about 28 weeks × £55/hr = £1,540.
11+ prep across Year 5 and the autumn of Year 6: about 30 sessions × £45/hr = £1,350.
A targeted weak-topic burst: about 5 sessions × £50/hr = £250.
Where platform fees fit in
How a platform charges makes a real difference to the total.
Commission platforms add 25-49% to the tutor's rate, paid per lesson. Over 30 lessons at £40/hr, that is roughly £1,200 to the tutor and another £300-£600 to the platform.
Subscription platforms charge a recurring fee, around £39/month, for the right to message tutors. Across a year that is about £470 on top of lesson costs.
Finder's-fee platforms charge a one-off unlock and nothing after. Tutorperch is £9.99 per unlock. First Tutors, the long-running incumbent in this model, used a sliding £9.99 to £34.99 fee before it closed in May 2026.
Setting a budget
A pragmatic approach:
Decide the goal and timeframe, for example Year 11 GCSE Maths weekly from October to May, or a burst of six sessions to fix one A-level Chemistry topic.
Estimate the lesson count from that timeframe.
Set an hourly-rate range from the level and specialism, using the benchmarks above.
Multiply out for the total course cost and compare with your budget.
Add any commission or subscription fees for platforms that charge them.
Better to budget realistically and run the course as planned than to under-budget and stop partway through. Inconsistent tutoring rarely holds the gain.