Top 7 ways to set rates for private lessons

Learn some actionable ideas on how to charge for your services. These ideas come from my dad’s decades-long experience as a successful guitar teacher. Click this link to watch the Hartiverse video on setting rates.
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Whether you are giving private lessons in art, music, or core subjects like math and language, determining what to charge for your services can be tricky. You don’t want to charge too little or prospective students won’t take you seriously. It could also lead to the opposite problem and reel in too many students. You can’t serve everyone, so setting reasonable, competitive rates will help create a balance in your life. You don’t want to create a situation where you resent going to the studio for your next round of students coming in. You also don’t want to charge substantially more than your competition unless you have the professional clout to command high fees for your time, and the lessons would take you away from more profitable pursuits in your field. My dad was a guitar teacher, so I have some inside knowledge of how the lessons business works, based on his experience. Here are some hard-won life lessons on how to set rates:

Where do you give lessons? When determining your fee, you need to factor in where you’re giving your private lessons. If you are giving them in your home, then you probably won’t need to charge as much as you would if you rent a separate space to give lessons. Unless you’re giving lessons over Zoom or some other online platform, it’s best not to use your home. Set all your classes for certain days with your scheduling back-to-back so you maximize the use of your time. A place where the basic necessities of your trade are sold is a good choice. For example, most music stores have small rooms set aside in the back for teachers to give lessons. Oftentimes you can rent rooms from churches to use for your lessons as well. It’s not necessary to be a member of the church. You just need to find a facilities administrator willing to work with you. It’s helpful if the church is already renting rooms to other teachers. My dad had a gig like this for a long time and it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Factor the room fee plus your travel expenses into your decision what to charge.
Check what other teachers and tutors are charging for their services in your area. If there are no lessons like yours being taught nearby, expand your search geographically. Call stores outside your local area and see if they have lists of teachers and their rates. You don’t need to let these lessons dictate your rates, but it’s a good place to start. If no one in your region is selling a similar service, you may want to consider creating coursework and sell it online at a place like Skillshare or Udemy to reach a national audience. Coursework is good to sell anyway, as it expands your earnings at no additional cost. Writing a book that is printed on demand such as CreateSpace or an Amazon Kindle book on your subject is yet another revenue stream to consider.
Determine how much you need to charge to make it worth your while. Not only will this help you set your rates, but it will also help you see how many students you’ll need in order to hit your own reasonable financial goals. Keep in mind your rates should be competitive. Don’t give in to the temptation to be the cheapest teacher in town. That only cheapens the value of your service.
What education do you have? Experience is important, but a degree is easy to prove and sometimes people are willing to pay more for someone who has a degree. Your education has value, and it might permit you to charge a little more. Having a little bit of local fame by playing live and selling your CDs, having your artwork shown in a local gallery, or by having a book on your topic for sale in your area can also help you raise your rates above others. Try to get interviewed on local radio shows or give talks at local events to help raise people’s awareness that you have a valuable service to offer.
Charge the same fee for everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, a family member or a complete stranger. Giving private lessons is a business, and you deserve to get paid for your time. Discounts for your family and friends never pay off in the end. They need to feel like they’re getting service for value the same as anyone else.
Don’t offer family discounts or group rates. It might be tempting to do, but your time is worth the same whether you teach one student or multiples, because each student will need your individual attention, even in a group setting.
Your rates should not stay constant forever. You will need to raise your rates from time to time. This may cause you to lose some students to cheaper teachers, but chances are that if you are good at what you do, then people will be willing to pay the increased cost. It’s time to raise your rates if you have a full roster of students, or you have been doing it for two years without an increased fee, but especially if you are below the rate for teachers with the same degree and qualifications as you.

It’s easy to undervalue yourself, but remember: your education and experience are valuable! This is true whether you’re setting rates for tutoring core subjects like math or language, or elective subjects like art or music. Time is money, so don’t let people talk you out of your rates. If they aren’t interested in paying you the going rate for a teacher of your caliber, don’t jump to the conclusion that this means you’re overcharging for your services. It may just mean that you need to improve your advertising to spread the word to more people.

I hope you found some good ideas in this video on how to structure your rates. Please click like on the video and subscribe to the channel for more informative content like this. Thank you, and happy teaching!