What does online tutoring actually cost?

Almost no tutoring site publishes a price before taking your number, which is why this is the first thing parents ask us. Here is the whole picture, including the parts that are not in our favour.

What sets the price

• How many lessons a week. This is the biggest lever by far. Two lessons a week costs roughly twice what one costs, and almost every provider discounts the larger plans.
• How long each lesson is. Thirty, forty-five and sixty minutes are the common lengths. Forty-five is the usual choice for primary-age children — an hour is longer than most of them can concentrate for.
• Where the teacher is. A tutor living in London or New York has to charge several times what a tutor in Lahore or Karachi charges for the same hour. This is the single largest difference between providers, and it is about cost of living rather than about teaching.
• 1-on-1 or a group. A group of four is cheaper per child and is a different product. Ask which one you are buying; some sites say "personalised" and mean a group.

What a month usually comes to

For 1-on-1 lessons of 30 to 45 minutes, taught by a qualified teacher based in South Asia and teaching families abroad, the ranges below are what you will see across this market. Our own plans sit inside them, and are published with the price on the page rather than given out on a call.

• Two lessons a week. Roughly $40 to $90 a month.
• Three lessons a week. Roughly $60 to $130 a month.
• Four or five lessons a week. Roughly $90 to $200 a month.

Is Quran teaching priced differently?

Usually yes, and usually lower. Quran classes are often shorter — many families take thirty minutes five days a week rather than forty-five minutes twice — and the market is more competitive, so the monthly figure tends to land at the bottom of the ranges above even though there are more lessons in it.

What about Urdu?

Urdu is usually priced like any other academic subject, which surprises parents who expect a language to be cheaper. It takes the same preparation and the same teacher. What does change the price is how it is taught: group classes in Roman Urdu are the cheap end of this market, and 1-on-1 in the script is not.

Charges worth asking about before you pay

• Registration or admission fee. Some providers charge one. Ask, because it rarely appears until the end.
• Materials. Ask whether books, worksheets and a Qaida are included or billed.
• Missed lessons. Ask what happens if your child is ill. A provider who charges for every missed lesson and never offers a replacement will cost more than the headline figure.
• Notice to stop. Ask how much notice ending a plan needs. A month is normal; three is not.

What we charge

Our plans are on each subject page with the price printed on them, and the trial class before any of it is free and needs no card. You meet the teacher, watch the lesson, and decide afterwards.