How Should You Price Private Lessons? A Guide for Independent Instructors

In short: A private lesson price comes from four things: your monthly income target, your fixed costs, the number of sessions you can realistically sell, and per-session costs such as room hire or travel. Divide your income target plus fixed costs by your sellable sessions, add the per-session cost, and you have the floor for your single-lesson price. You can discount packs, but the per-session price of your biggest pack should never drop below that floor.

What costs determine your private lesson price?

The most common mistake instructors make with private lesson pricing is starting from "what do others charge?". The market rate is a useful sanity check, but it shouldn't be your starting point. Work out your own numbers first:

• Income target: what you want to take home at the end of the month. Include tax and mandatory contributions; if you're unsure, ask your accountant.
• Fixed costs: what you pay whether you teach or not: professional insurance, training and certification renewals, phone and internet, website, accounting, wear and tear on equipment.
• Per-session costs: costs that only appear when a lesson happens: hourly room hire, travel to home visits, card payment fees.
• Sellable sessions: not the hours open in your calendar, but the hours that actually get booked. Cancellations, holidays and gaps mean this is always lower than you plan.

The fourth item is the one people skip. If you plan to teach 20 hours a week but on average only 15 get booked, you need to price for 15.

How do you calculate a private lesson price step by step?

The figures below are examples only; swap in your own city and costs.

1. Income target + fixed costs: a €2,500 monthly take-home target + €400 fixed costs = €2,900.
2. Sellable sessions: you plan 20 sessions a week and assume 75% get booked: 15 sessions × 4.3 weeks ≈ 64 sessions a month.
3. Hourly floor: €2,900 ÷ 64 sessions ≈ €45. That's what one hour of your time is worth before room or travel costs.
4. Per-session cost: if you teach in a room you rent at €15 an hour: €45 + €15 = €60. This is the number you can't go below.
5. Single lesson price: leave room above the floor for discounts, compare with the market and round: for example €70.

If you take card payments, either add the processing fee (say 3%, as an example) to the price or include it in the per-session cost in step 4.

Why should in-studio, at-home and online lessons be priced differently?

The same one-hour lesson takes a different amount of your time and money depending on where it happens. A home visit also uses up travel time in your calendar; an online lesson has no room hire.

A lower online price is also a good way in for new clients: someone in another city, or with a packed work schedule, can start online and move to in-person later.

How should you structure private lesson packs?

Selling packs does two things: your income becomes predictable and clients start coming regularly. We covered the logic of group class packs in our class pack pricing guide; with private lessons your discount margin is tighter, because one person covers the full cost of each session.

Check: the per-session price of the 12-lesson pack (€60.83) sits just above the €60 floor from step 4. Discount any further and you lose money on every session. Set validity assuming one lesson a week plus a little slack; it keeps clients in a routine and stops dozens of unused lessons piling up by the end of the year.

How do you price duet and small-group sessions?

Sessions for two or three people keep the personal attention of a private lesson while lowering the price per person and raising your hourly earnings. One example approach:

• Duet (2 people): roughly 60–65% of your single lesson price per person, for example €45 each; €90 in total.
• Small group (3 people): roughly 50% per person, for example €35 each; €105 in total.

For duets, decide up front what happens when one person doesn't show: does the session go ahead with one person and both lose a credit, or is it rescheduled?

What cancellation policy works for private lessons?

A last-minute cancellation costs far more in a private lesson than in a group class: that hour is completely empty. So write the rule as clearly as the price. For a detailed template, see our cancellation policy guide. Here's a short version for independent instructors:

You can cancel or reschedule your private lessons up to 24 hours in advance, and the lesson credit goes back into your pack. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the lesson, and lessons missed without notice, count as used. Packs must be used within the stated period from the date of purchase; any lessons left after that expire.

Put this text on your purchase page, in your payment confirmation and in the short chat you have with a client at their first lesson. A rule that's written down is much easier to apply.

Once your price is set, review it once a year: if your fixed costs, room hire or booking rate have changed, rerun the same calculation with the new figures. Announce price increases to existing clients at least a month in advance and honour packs already bought at the old price.

How do you sell private lesson packs with StudyONsende?

With StudyONsende you get a branded website in English, Spanish and Turkish and sell your packs directly from it:

• You set up class-count or unlimited packs with a validity period; you can see example packs in the live demo.
• Clients buy a pack on your site by bank transfer or online card payment; once the payment is confirmed, their membership opens automatically. For bank transfers you can set a payment deadline and reminder.
• Clients book and cancel online from your class schedule; refunds of class credits follow your cancellation window, late-cancellation and no-show rules automatically.
• You plan in-person and online lessons in the same schedule as recurring classes and take attendance from the instructor panel.

Frequently asked questions

Should private lesson prices be based on the market?

Work out your own floor first, then look at the market. If the going rate is below your floor, review your costs, your booking rate or the lesson formats you offer rather than cutting your price.

How much discount should private lesson packs have?

For private lessons, 5% to 15% is a reasonable range. The limit: the per-session price of your largest pack shouldn't fall below your per-session cost, including room hire or travel.

How long should a private lesson pack be valid?

Assuming one lesson a week, as many weeks as there are lessons plus one or two weeks' slack is a good starting point: 5 weeks for 4 lessons, 10 weeks for 8.

How should you announce a price increase to existing clients?

Give at least a month's notice in a short message that explains why, and let clients use packs they have already bought at the old price. The new price applies from their next pack purchase.

If you'd like to try selling packs from your own site and letting clients book online, take a look at the live example on the StudyONsende demo page.