How much is a fair hourly rate for learning a foreign language?

[gabriela]

There are lots of available language tutorial services online. Although there are free language lessons, intensive language training would require a student to be enrolled with a teacher, whether online or offline.

The rates vary greatly, too. What do you think is the fair hourly rate for learning a foreign language?

[Lasonax]

Do you mean "fair" instead of "fare"?

Honestly, I don't really know. I would argue that you definitely do not need a techer to learn a foreign language. Most of us can do great without the help of a teacher, even if a teacher might be good to have at times.

A "fair" rate for a freelancing teacher would probably be somewhere between 10-15 dollars per hour from the teachers perspective. But to demand such a price, you should probably be pretty good at teaching... It may not sound like a lot of money, but I wouldn't be surprised if natives which cannot really help much at all with learning would demand such a price just because it would be somewhat close to a regular-job wage.

A more fair price would probably be between 5-10$ per hour, if the teacher in question doesn't have a very good reputation/is new that is.

But as I said, I don't think anyone really needs a teacher... So in a way, I think it's a bit wasted money to pay a teacher like that. I suppose it might be useful at times, but I think you're better off self studying to be honest, and finding a studying partner online (if you want to practise speaking/need help/etc - you can help each other out!)

[2times]

For a teacher with years of experience, i would pay around 10-20 dollars each hour.

For a teacher that is fairly new to the whole tutoring thing, i would pay around 5-10 dollars MAYBE 15 dollars an hour.

Yes when you do tutor all the time for many hours, the dollars add up and turn into big bucks, but If the student is really focused and determined to learn that language, I would say that it is worth it to pay that kind of money. :grin:

[Rosa]

There are those of us who prefer to be tutored than study on their own or even be in a big classroom setting. Some are willing to pay whatever the cost may be, while others will seek to find the most affordable and fare rate. I'd be willing to pay $10-20 at the initial stage of learning but not more than $10 after I have passed the primary stage.

[gabriela]

Do you mean "fair" instead of "fare"?

Oh yes, I mean "fair."  Thanks for correcting me.

[LauraM]

Oh yes, I mean "fair."  Thanks for correcting me.

I have corrected the title of the thread and your original post to avoid any additional confusion.

As for the question I would think that a minimum of $15 per hour would be acceptable and upwards of $20 or $25 would also be acceptable depending upon the person's experience and education. 

I think anything less than this would be unfair to the teacher or tutor who should be properly compensated for their efforts. 

[joy2111]

My mother is an English teacher in Indonesia; she charged $40 not per hour but per session which is 1.5 hour. I think that is expensive but she is a very experienced English teacher, who has taught Indonesian abroad too. I think some foreign language teacher would charge less than that.

[GingerSpice]

I would also say around $10-20 an hour would be fair, and like others said, it does depend on the tutor's experience, ability, and education.

[Trellum]

I'm not sure, because the price varies from country to country and the language you are learning.  I believe that over here learning English is way cheaper that learning dutch or German, because not many schools over here are offering courses to learn those languages.  So I don't think there is a fixed rate for learning a language over here, but I do know that having an online teacher is cheaper than having an offline one.  Sometimes online is much better than offline.

[Miya]

Are you talking about teaching online or like actualy face-to-face teaching?

The rate per hour really depends on which country you're teaching in, what language you're teaching, and the demand for the language. In America, private English teachers are only paid around $12USD an hour to have a one-to-one session with students. In Hong Kong, however, rates are around $28USD and can even go higher depending on the status of the teacher. So how much you earn really depends on those 3 factors.

[jfab]

For formal lessons I think $30 is already expensive but it would still seem sound fair especially if you will learn a lot anyway. Also if it doesn't have to be everyday. But if I'm going to pay for a lesson, I would choose to do it monthly.

[wander_n_wonder]

I think $10/hour is fair enough.  If it's a bit higher, it's also ok, as long as the tutor is really qualified.  In this case, I would look at the qualifications of the tutor before making a decision how much to pay him or her.  I also like the idea if they are available online so that we don't need to meet personally and we can do lessons even through a video call.  I think this saves a lot of time and it also ensures that I'm able to attend my classes. 

[diprod]

I think I'm willing to pay $15 for an hour of learning. If it was that good, I'm willing to pay for more. I don't think it's a bad deal at all.

[2times]

If you send your children, let's say to an american public school to learn english, then they will only speak in English to you. American teachers are not allowed to speak in the language that the child knows because it is their job to teach them English..

[FosterTXT]

A way to estimate how much a language teacher should be paid is by there experience and there ability I teach. There is no use in paying a teacher loads of money per hour if he or she can't cover enough material to justify there high hourly rate.

[nashvilleshelby]

It really depends I would say from 12-20 per hour. If you think about it along the terms of a product such as Rosetta Stone. Sure it is a great product, however, it is great to be able to speak with someone if you get hung up on something or if you need more personal attention. I think that $12-20/ hr is more than fair.