Setting your hourly rate for private tutoring in France

Your hourly rate is the price a family pays for one hour of tutoring, before any tax credit. Set it too low and you erode your margin; set it too high and enquiries dry up. Here is how to land on a fair rate, built from real numbers rather than a guess.

What sets the price of a tutoring hour

Four factors carry the most weight:

• Subject and level. An hour of A-level maths or university prep costs more than primary-school support.
• Location. In Paris and other large French cities, rates run 20 to 40% above the national average.
• Format. In-home, online, or a small group: each has its own price.
• Your experience. A certified teacher with ten years of practice sits well above a student who is just starting out.

On Superprof, the average private-lesson rate in France sits around €18 to €25 per hour, with wide gaps by subject and region.

Start from your real costs

The advertised rate is not what lands in your pocket. Three things cut into your net income:

1. Social contributions. As a micro-entrepreneur in a liberal profession, you pay roughly 26% of revenue in contributions in 2026.
2. Unpaid time. Prep, marking, travel, and messages with parents add up to 20 to 30 minutes for every hour taught.
3. Empty slots. Cancellations and holiday weeks leave gaps that nobody pays for.

A €30 rate does not mean €30 of income. After contributions and preparation, you often keep under €20 per hour actually worked.

A worked example

Say you charge €30 an hour and teach 15 hours a week.

• Revenue: €450 a week.
• Contributions (26%): about €117.
• That leaves €333 for 15 hours taught, or €22 an hour. Add five unpaid hours of prep and your real rate falls to €16 to €17 an hour.

The number that matters is not the sticker price. It is what you keep per hour of your week.

The tax credit changes what the family pays

If you register your activity under France's service à la personne scheme, the family gets a 50% tax credit on what they pay you. A €30 lesson therefore costs the family €15 net. That is a concrete way to justify a slightly higher rate without losing the client. With the instant advance, the reduction applies at the moment of payment, without waiting for the annual tax return. In practice, families compare the net cost after the credit, so a €26 rate and a €30 rate can feel identical to them while leaving you €4 more per hour.

Benchmarks by subject and level

Treat these ranges as a starting point and adjust for your city and your track record:

Packages, travel, and cancellations

Three simple adjustments frame your rate:

• Packages. Selling a block of 10 hours up front protects your schedule and keeps the family committed for the term.
• Travel fees. Charge for travel beyond a 10 km radius, or offer online lessons at a slightly lower rate.
• A cancellation rule. A cancellation under 24 hours is still charged. Put it in writing at the first lesson so nobody is surprised. A single missed hour a week is €120 a month at a €30 rate, so this rule pays for itself.

Keep your rates and revenue in one place

A clear rate is worthless if it is scattered across a notebook, a few texts, and a spreadsheet. Bringing your students, lessons, and invoices into one tool shows at a glance what you earn per student and per hour, so you can raise a rate that is too low with evidence in hand. Kadrella tracks your income, issues your invoices, and follows payments, with a transparent price list of its own. You can also read our invoicing rules for tutors for the paperwork side.

Sources

• Tax credit for home-based personal services (service à la personne)
• Home employment and the tax credit (impots.gouv.fr)
• Micro-entrepreneur social contributions (entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr)
• Price of a private lesson in France (Superprof)