How Much Should You Charge for Tuition? Singapore Market Rates by Level and Tutor Tier
"How much should I actually charge?" is one of the first questions anyone asks when they start tutoring seriously — and one of the easiest to get wrong in either direction. Undercharge and you're leaving real money on the table (or burning out trying to make up for it in volume); overcharge with nothing to back it up and you'll struggle to fill your hours. Here's what the Singapore market is actually paying right now, broken down the two ways that matter most: the student's level, and your own tutoring background.
TWO FACTORS SET THE RATE
Almost every rate card in Singapore's tuition market is built around the same two variables. The first is student level — rates step up from Primary through Secondary to Junior College, broadly tracking how demanding the syllabus gets and how much is riding on the exam at the end of it. The second, and usually the bigger swing, is tutor tier — your own qualifications and track record:
Part-Time / Undergraduate — a current university student or someone tutoring part-time alongside other work, without a full-time teaching track record. The entry tier for most people starting out.
Full-Time Tutor — tutoring as your main occupation, with an established track record of students and results, but no formal MOE teaching background.
Ex- / Current MOE Teacher — formally trained and/or posted as a school teacher (or previously was). This is the premium tier at every level, reflecting both the qualification and direct syllabus familiarity.
A tutor moving from the first tier to the third can often see their rate more than double for the same level — qualifications and a proven record are worth more than almost any other single factor in this market.
THE RATE TABLE
These are guideline ranges for 1-to-1 home tuition, triangulated across current Singapore tuition-agency rate cards (sources at the end of this post) — not a fixed price list. Individual tutors set their own rates within, above, or below these ranges.
Level
Part-Time / Undergrad
Full-Time
Ex-/Current MOE
P1–P4 (Lower Primary)
$25–35/hr
$35–45/hr
$50–70/hr
P5–P6 (Upper Primary)
$30–40/hr
$40–55/hr
$60–85/hr
Sec 1–2 (Lower Secondary)
$30–45/hr
$45–55/hr
$60–85/hr
Sec 3–5 (O-Level)
$35–45/hr
$45–65/hr
$65–95/hr
JC1–JC2 (A-Level)
$40–65/hr
$65–90/hr
$90–130/hr
TRY IT: THE TUITION FEE CALCULATOR
Plug in the level you'd be teaching and pick your own qualification from the dropdown — it'll work out the going rate for someone in your position.
Tuition Fee Calculator
Tell it who you'd be teaching and where you stand — it works out what tutors like you typically charge.
Who are you tutoring?
Suggested rate
$40–55 /hr
Tutoring as a main occupation, with an established track record.
≈ 1.4× what an undergraduate/part-time tutor typically charges at this level
Guideline ranges for 1-to-1 home tuition, compiled from current Singapore tuition-agency rate cards — see sources at the end of this post. Not a fixed price list: subject difficulty (Science and A-Maths tend to sit higher), exam-year demand, group vs. 1-to-1 format, and each tutor's own track record all shift these in practice.
WHAT MOVES YOU WITHIN A RANGE
The table gives you a band, not a single number — where you land inside it (or whether you can justify going above it) usually comes down to a handful of things. Subject matters: Science and A-Maths tutors typically sit toward the top of their tier's range, since demand for them tends to outstrip supply. Timing matters too — Sec 4/5 and JC2 command a premium in the months leading up to O-Levels and A-Levels, when families are the most willing to pay for focused, exam-ready coaching. Format matters: a small group class usually charges less per student per hour than 1-to-1, but earns more per hour of your own time — worth factoring in if you're weighing group sessions. And a track record compounds: tutors with real, visible reviews and a history of results can typically charge above the general range for their tier, the same way it works in any skilled trade — earned credibility, not just a credential, is what closes the gap.
WHERE GRANDMASTER FITS IN
None of this only matters in theory — it's the actual decision you make when you set your rate on your profile. What tends to separate tutors who can comfortably charge toward the top of a range from those stuck at the bottom isn't just qualifications on paper — it's whether prospective students can actually see the track record: real reviews from completed sessions, a verified profile, and a history that speaks for itself before a family ever messages you. That's what GrandMaster's verified mentor profiles are built to surface, and it's also where a structured, multi-session Programme or Module tends to justify a stronger rate than a loose string of one-off lessons. If you're weighing whether to start tutoring more seriously, our piece on why people teach — and what it can realistically pay is a good place to start. Ready to set your own rate? Becoming a mentor takes a few minutes.
SOURCES
Rate ranges in the table and interactive grid above are compiled and cross-checked from multiple current Singapore home-tuition agency rate cards, not from any single official source — private tuition rates in Singapore aren't government-set or published by any regulator, so these are market guidelines, not fixed prices.
