Pricing guide
Tutoring prices in Melbourne (real numbers, no fluff).
Tutoring pricing in Melbourne is wildly inconsistent. Two tutors with identical backgrounds can charge $40 and $90 for the same hour. Below is what we actually see across the market - by year level, by provider type, and what a fair price looks like in 2026.
By year level
What you should expect to pay.
Primary (Years 3-6)
$40 - $65 / hour
The widest band - because a uni student tutor and a primary teacher both work in this segment. For basic homework support, $45-50 from a strong uni student is reasonable. For reading specialists or scholarship-track prep, $65-75 is typical.
Secondary (Years 7-10)
$50 - $80 / hour
Foundations work in algebra, geometry, English essay structure. The middle of this range is where most experienced tutors sit. Year 9 maths in particular pulls demand because of its role in deciding VCE pathways.
VCE (Years 11-12)
$70 - $110 / hour
Where the rate jumps. Tutors who scored 40+ in the subject can charge $90-110. Tutors who teach at school level can charge $80-100. There's also a long tail of $60-70 uni-student tutors who can be excellent for foundational topics but vary widely in exam-technique experience.
VCE Specialist Maths
$80 - $130 / hour
The highest tutoring rates in Melbourne. The pool of competent Specialist tutors is small and demand from ATAR-90+ aspirants is high. Worth the premium if you're targeting a study score above 35.
Selective entry / scholarship prep
$60 - $100 / hour
Year 5-8 families preparing for John Monash Science, Nossal, MacRobertson, Suzanne Cory, or private school scholarships. Specialist niche - and tutors who've actually gotten students into selective programs charge accordingly.
By provider type
Five different ways to hire a tutor.
Large national agencies (eg Cluey, Tutor Doctor)
$80 - $150 / hour
What the parent pays. Agencies typically take 50-65% of that as commission, so the tutor sees $30-50 per hour. The premium covers tutor vetting, matching service, and the agency's own platform tooling. Worth it if you want a fully hands-off experience.
Local agencies and boutique services
$70 - $130 / hour
Generally cheaper than national agencies and often run by educators who actually know the local schools. Variable quality - the strongest local agencies are excellent, the weakest are just middlemen with a website.
Independent platform tutors (eg Tuterly)
$50 - $100 / hour
Same calibre of tutor as agencies (most platform tutors are educators or strong recent VCE graduates) but priced directly because there's no agency commission taken. You pay the tutor, the platform takes a small subscription instead.
Independent listings (Gumtree, FB groups)
$30 - $80 / hour
The cheapest option and the most uneven. Some excellent tutors run informal practices this way; some chancers also do. No vetting, no review system, no platform tooling - just a hourly rate and a phone number.
Tutoring centres (group classes)
$25 - $50 / hour
Not 1-on-1 - usually 6-12 students per teacher. Works well for reinforcing fundamentals through repetition; works poorly for targeted help on specific weak areas. Worth knowing the price for comparison.
What you'd save
Tuterly vs a typical agency.
Drag the slider to see what tutoring costs over different windows. Assumes the typical-agency rate of $100/hr vs an average Tuterly tutor rate of $60/hr, four lessons a month.
Your savings
Assumes 4 lessons/month
Over 1 month of tutoring, you save
$131
Typical company
$400
$100/hr (typical agency rate) × 4 lessons
With Tuterly
$269
$60/hr (avg tutor on our directory) × 4 lessons + $29/mo subscription
Fair-price guide
Four things worth knowing about pricing.
- 1
If you're paying $120+ per hour and not getting structured session reports, you're overpaying.
- 2
If your tutor is charging $50-70 from Year 7 through to VCE Methods, they probably know the curriculum but may not have done the exam themselves recently.
- 3
If you're paying agency prices ($100+) for tutoring you already have to chase the tutor for an update on, switch providers.
- 4
The difference between a $60 tutor and a $100 tutor is rarely the lesson - it's the bits around it (reports, practice questions, progress tracking).
See real rates in the directory.
Browse Tuterly tutors with their actual hourly rates visible up front. No agency markup, no enquiry-form pricing games.
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