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If you're looking to become a tutor, now is the best time to begin. From teaching primary school students the basics of math to helping university students prepare for their semester examination, the tutoring opportunities are endless.
Since you can't put a price on your knowledge and expertise, you will instead need to charge for your valuable time.
But what then are the going rates for a tutor these days.
This is what we are going to find out in this article.
But first, how much is ideal for a tutoring session?
As a tutor, you should plan to bill between ₦1000 to ₦1500 per hour based on the complexity of the subject matter, your education level, the student's grade level, and your overall experience as a tutor.
A study has shown an increase in the number of parents willing to invest a huge sum of money in their children's education and future.
That being said, with so many different variables in the world of tutoring, zeroing in on the perfect hourly rate might require some additional information.
After all, knowledge is power, and the tutoring industry has grown from a small industry to a multimillion naira industry in Nigeria.

Factors to Consider When Setting a Tuition Rates
A popular axiom among tutors is that "Private tutors might share the same space on the internet, but they don't share the same price."
Your hourly rate is mostly the first thing that potential tutees look out for when they check your profile. Therefore, it is important to set a low rate that will attract them to your page but not too low that you are underpriced or undervalue yourself.
The rates should be substantial enough to cover your tutoring costs and provide you with an income source either as a part-time or a full-time tutor.
That being the case, a private tutor’s hourly rate depends on different variables such as
- Experience
- Location
- Teaching methodology
- Subject matter
- The student level
Now that you have known the variable to look out for, we recommend that you begin by looking at the existing market price for each subject and location.
Tutoring jobs in Abuja and Lagos are often associated with higher prices than in other cities such as Ibadan and Abeokuta.
To save you time, we have compiled the rates that tutors charges in different subjects and location.
Suitable Rates for Private Tuition Based On Subject
The following are a compilation of data that has been compiled from the Superprof Nigeria website based on existing tutors teaching on the platform. These projections can be a standard for new tutors to set their rates and provide a convenient starting point that you can easily adjust later.
These rates include
Mathematics and Science
Presently in Nigeria and the Superprof platform, the average hourly rate charged by most mathematics and science teachers in Nigeria is between ₦1500- ₦2500
Rates for other subjects per hour include
Chemistry ₦ 1500- ₦4000
Economics ₦1500- ₦4500
Physics ₦2000- ₦5000
Biology ₦1500- ₦4500
Mathematics ₦2500- ₦5000
Humanities
On average, the humanities teacher in Nigeria charges an hourly rate within ₦500 ₦5000.
Geography ₦500- ₦3000
English ₦500- ₦5000
History ₦500- ₦2000
Languages
Language tutor's charges vary on the language that the tutor is teaching and the tutee's location. Some of the rates of some modern foreign languages are
French ₦1000- ₦5000
Arabic ₦1000- ₦4500
Mandarin ₦1000- ₦5000
Russian ₦1000- ₦5000
German ₦1000- ₦5000
Spanish ₦1000- ₦5000
Professional Subjects
Professional tutoring subjects require a high level of specialized knowledge and qualifications to impact or teach others. Professional tutors often have hands-on experience in the given area of tuition.
ICAN ₦2500- ₦5000
Tax Law ₦2500- ₦5000
Criminal Law ₦2000- ₦4000
Civil Law ₦2000- ₦4500
Social Sciences
Most of these subjects are not taught to secondary or primary-aged students. There are mostly for university students
Financial Accounting ₦1000- ₦4000
Cost Accounting ₦1000- ₦4500
Psychology ₦1500- ₦5000
Philosophy ₦1500- ₦4000
Sociology ₦1000- ₦4000
Music
The rate for music tuition varies depending on the musical instrument.
Piano ₦1000- ₦5000
Guitar ₦1000- ₦4500
Trumpet ₦1000- ₦4000
Drum ₦1000- ₦5000
Violin ₦1000- ₦4500

How Does the Subject Level Affect your Rates?
Ordinarily, the student's level of education is expected to influence how a tutor is expected to charge a student. The difficulty levels of a particular subject that each tutor teaches also help to determine the rate that one is expected to set.
The More Advance, a Student’s Level in a Subject, is, the Higher the Rates Charge
Some of the different levels of learning difficulties include
- Beginners Level: This level offers the students/pupils the chance to discover a new skill and knowledge base. At this stage, the students are expected to learn the basics of the subject. This class requires less in-depth but detailed knowledge about the subject. The good thing about this teaching level is that it requires less time for preparation, with less marking and feedback mechanisms. Therefore, the beginner’s level might be priced just below the subject average.
- Intermediate Level: These are for students that have good knowledge of the foundation of the subjects. There are mostly secondary school students and university students. The students here have mastered the foundation of the subject and hope to build on their knowledge. Here, the tutor is expected to teach the various aspects of the subject matter and invest more time preparing for the class. The price rates for intermediate classes are between that of the beginner's level and the advanced level.
- Advanced Level: This is the apex stage of the learning process. Here, the student has good knowledge about the subject but are looking to specialize in their skills. An example is advanced courses such as ICAN Classes, Civil Laws, and other professional classes. Here, the tutors are expected to be experts in their speciality area and should have a profound and broad understanding of the subject as these sessions are expected o cover a wide range of the subject area. In the advanced level classes, more specialized feedbacks and preparation time are expected. The level boasts of the highest price rate per hour or session.

Online Tutoring Vs. In-person Tutoring
When starting as a tutor, the idea of tutoring students online often seems like a dream come true. However, it is quite a difficult road if you do not partner with reputable platforms such as Superprof.
Winning tutoring clients online in Nigeria depends heavily on reviews and level of experience.
When you don't have either of them, your online client base may initially look like a ghost town.
Unlike the online tutoring route, in-person tutoring can be easier in the short run, but your market base will be limited to only people in your location.
This now leaves us with the best tutoring form to choose from?
Truthfully, we encourage that you do both.
After all, the more you put your services out there as a private tutor, the more experience you are expected to gain. And the more experience you gain in teaching both online and in-person, the more you can charge.
How much should you Charge for Online Tutoring
The amount you are expected to charge for an online tutoring class should be dependent on different factors. As an online tutor, you should charge between ₦1000- ₦1500 per hour for standard subjects like Math, English, and some science subjects.
For more advanced subjects like university-level calculus, computer sciences, and programming, you can charge between ₦2500-₦5000 per hour.
How Much Should you Charge for In-person Tutoring
In general, the difference between the in-person and online tuition average is not that much. You can charge between ₦750-₦2500 per hour, depending on the location and subject that you are teaching. Remember to factor in all expenses that you will incur while conducting this class, such as travelling to and from your tutoring sessions.

Why the Difference in Price?
As we stated earlier, different subjects come at different prices, but that depends on different reasons. The disparate tuition rates are a result of the following reasons.
Supply and demand
The supply and demand for a tutor in a particular subject determines the amount to be charged for a particular session. The more tutors available in a particular subject, the more competitive it will be, leading to a lesser price for their services.
Demands for a subject in an area also determine how much you can charge. You might be the only German tutor offering your language services in your town, but if the German language is not popular in your locality, you will need to market your services more aggressively and to set enticing prices or offer online tuition.
Equipment
Some subjects or skills require more sophisticated and expensive equipment for the sessions than other subjects. This often accounts for higher prices per hour.
A good example is a scuba diving class requiring expensive equipment such as Diving Mask and Snorkel, Wetsuit, or Drysuit. Others include the Scuba Gloves, Fins, Scuba Tank, Regulator, Depth Gauge, Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG), Compass, and Dive Computer.
Consequently, this class's hourly rate is likely to exceed that of a chess class that may only require chess pieces and a chessboard.
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