With so many tutoring options available, it can be hard to find an accurate answer to ‘how much does tutoring cost?’
In Australia, private tutoring can vary widely, starting at $40/hr to upwards of $100 per hour. This is influenced by factors such as subject complexity, tutor qualifications, geographical location, and other features/benefits.
To assist you in making an informed decision, we have compiled a list of 10 factors that you need to consider when selecting the right tutor for your child.
#1 Pricing
We believe in delivering high quality tutoring, at a price that reflects the value and results your child will achieve.
At ThriveTutors you can rest assured that you’re getting an incredible price and amazing value. We’ve gone out and conducted a market survey of the Top 6 tutoring organisations in Australia, to compare pricing and service delivery for you.
We’ve kept it anonymous so we don’t call anyone out, while at the same time being able to provide you with confidence around our high-quality tutoring compared to other tutoring options out there.
As you can see from the table above, our private, one-on-one tutoring is incredibly priced for the value of our teachers.
Importantly, we have no booking fees, no lock in contracts, and if you provide 24 hours’ notice, you can cancel a booked lesson with no charge!
#2 Tutor Qualifications
The calibre of your tutor significantly influences the quality of your learning experience and the outcomes you achieve.
At ThriveTutors, we receive tutor applications each week, however only the top applications are accepted.
All of our tutors are qualified, Australian Teachers, who have passed a current Police Check and hold a valid Working with Children’s Check. They undergo a comprehensive recruitment process including an interview with the Director. Here, they are required to showcase their communication, engagement practices and teaching skills.
Other tutoring organisations generally have no requirement for a tutor to be a teacher or to prove their ability to engage and support students. Tutors are recruited largely on the basis of their prior academic record only with little evidence of teaching capacity.
Teaching students is more than just being a ‘high achiever’ who scored in the top 2% on their ATAR. Teaching is about guiding young students to understand complex concepts, build their confidence and feel supported on their learning journey. When choosing a tutor for your child, consider whether the person or organisation you are looking at is truly ‘qualified’ to be educating your child.
#3 Quality of Results
When considering a tutoring organisation for your child, you must also weigh up the quality of results your child will achieve.
As mentioned above, many organisations hire high school graduates or university students, who may be knowledgeable but no little about educating a student. They may be cheaper, but generally the quality of results will also be cheaper.
Good questions to ask yourself:
- Is this tutor going to help my child achieve their desired results?
- Can this tutor keep my child engaged or will I have to find a new one in a few weeks?
- Is this organisation a quality investment for my child’s education?
#4 Curriculum Aligned Tutoring
This factor holds immense significance and often accounts for the range in pricing between various tutoring organisations.
If the tutoring organisation does not have access to curriculum-aligned resources that include clear explanations, worked examples and practice questions, the quality of the tutoring session can be significantly compromised.
This can lead to:
- Inaccurate material being covered.
- Key areas of the syllabus being overlooked, which can have negatively impact assessment and exam results.
- Lack of clear structure in lessons, resulting in wasted time.
- Insufficient opportunities for students to apply and practice their learning.
- Absence of supplementary learning materials for students to revise what was covered during the week.
At ThriveTutors, all our tutors are qualified teachers, which means they have expert knowledge of the Australian Curriculum, exam content and assessment requirements. They are actively teaching the curriculum in their own classrooms, so our parents can feel comfortable knowing their children will receive high-quality tutoring support. On top of that, our digital Education Hub is available to all of our Thrive Tutors. This provides them with curriculum-aligned resources to use for lesson materials, notes and practice questions.
#5 Personalised Support
In most classrooms today, students are packed into rooms of 25 or more children, where the teacher’s attention is divided. This lack of personalised support can significantly impact student learning, as they miss out on key opportunities tailored to their unique needs.
When choosing a tutoring organisation, it is crucial to ensure your child is receiving personalised support tailored to their individual learning needs. One-on-one tutoring provides focused attention and customised learning plans that address specific strengths and weaknesses. This dedicated support, unlike group tutoring, helps students overcome challenges, build confidence, and achieve their full potential. Personalised tutoring also allows for flexible pacing and targeted interventions, ensuring that your child progresses effectively and gains a deeper understanding of the material.
By investing in one-on-one tutoring, you are giving your child the advantage of a learning experience designed just for them, which can make a profound difference in their academic success and overall development.
#6 Educational Support Materials
When choosing a tutoring company, you should prioritise those that offer comprehensive resources for your child. These resources should be free, easily accessible and provide worked examples and practice questions aligned with the curriculum.
At ThriveTutors, our Education Hub is available to parents on an Elite Subscription. There is over $10,000 worth of learning materials that enable students to reinforce their understanding, apply their knowledge, and effectively revise important concepts independently.
There are very few tutoring organisations who provide high-quality, free resources as part of their tutoring programs. Only 1-2 other tutoring organisations provide a specific online portal/app for accessing tutoring and learning resources.
#7 Student Progress Reporting
Ultimately, as a parent, you want to know how lessons are going, and whether progress is being made. At the end of each lesson, our teachers are prompted to leave written feedback on your child’s lesson. This includes what was covered and how your child is progressing.
This way, you can support your child and keep them accountable to ensure that the maximum progress is being achieved.
#8 Study, Exam and Wellbeing Support
Students generally spend 1-2 hours per week tutoring – but that’s only a very small part of what it takes to really improve a student’s results. If a student isn’t motivated, doesn’t have a good study routine, is stressed or burning out, little progress will happen and a student won’t unlock their full potential.
That’s why holistic support is SO important.. When tutoring, the content is WHAT you need to know, but it doesn’t focus on the HOW – how to become confident, how to study effectively or how to overcome exam anxiety.
That’s why you must ensure your child is working with an organisation that values the whole child. At ThriveTutors, our teachers act as ‘mentors’ to our students; guiding them through all aspects of their learning journey to ensure they become confident and capable learners.
#9 Customer Support & Feedback
At some point in your tutoring journey, your schedule and availability may change, or you may need additional subject support which requires you to adjust your tutoring.
At ThriveTutors, parents have direct access with the Director Monday-Sunday 8am to 7pm via phone and email. Parents can get in touch with us at any time to reschedule a lesson or discuss specific questions/concerns they may have.
Our Director, Emma, proactively reaches out to all parents monthly, to check in on lesson progress, gather feedback and support parents.
Most tutoring organisations match you with a tutor and then leave you and the tutor on your own. If you experience a problem or need to reschedule a lesson, you are left to handle this on your own, or attempt to speak to a customer service representative through a generic hub or email.
#10 Testimonials
Ultimately, you’re getting tutoring because you’d like to see results – whether that is increased confidence or grades improving.
You want to make sure you’re working with an organisation that has a proven track record in supporting students and families.
ThriveTutors may be ‘young’ in the world of tutoring, but we already have a proven track record of supporting students and improving academic results because we truly value our families. Our priority is and always will be to connect, inspire and empower every student that walks through our doors.
See what our parents are saying:
At ThriveTutors, we provide high-quality, teacher-only tutoring and mentoring for students in Prep to Year 12. Our mission is to connect, inspire and empower students to unlock their full potential.
If you want to try online tutoring, contact the ThriveTutors team to unlock your free trial lesson and kickstart your child’s journey to success.
