The rates for tutors can vary significantly based on a number of factors, such as the subject they teach and location. Education and experience also impact tutors’ salaries, and teenagers can generally expect to earn a figure on the lower end of the salary scale, since they usually do not have college degrees or much experience.
General
In general, a high school tutor could expect to earn between about $10 and $15 per hour. However, your skill level in the subject you teach and your level of education affect your salary. Most tutors work independently and set their own rates, so the biggest determining factor is how much you can convince your clients to pay, with credentials like experience and education functioning as selling points.
Subject
A teenaged English tutor can generally expect to earn less than one who tutors in Calculus or Physics, as tutors for the latter subjects are in higher demand. In general, higher-level mathematics and sciences usually command higher wages. Computer science or honors Chemistry are other subjects considered challenging and thus, bring tutors higher hourly rates.
Location
If you live in a rural area, your rates will usually be lower than if you lived in an urban area. Urban and suburban areas pay more for tutors, just as they do for licensed teachers. However, tutors are more plentiful in more populated areas, which means you will face competition for students. Your rates may have to adjust downward accordingly, based on your credentials weighed against the market standard.
Increasing Earnings
The more experience and education you get as a tutor, the more you can charge. If you begin tutoring at 16, by the time you’re 18, you can charge a dollar or two more per hour if you kept up your studies in the subject you tutor. When you are in college, you may be able to work for your college as a peer tutor and earn even more. As you’re recommended to others and expand your clientele base, you can charge more. If you become a certified teacher in the future, you can charge up to $75 per hour.
