Online Tutoring Surges in the UK

by Sarah Adams
  • Post-covid, nearly half of all private tuition is now online.
  • Before the pandemic (January 2019), only 9% of students opted for online tuition
  • Most popular subjects for tuition are GCSE online English Literature, Maths and Physics
  • Most popular A-level tuition is Chemistry, Maths and Economics
  • The average cost of online tuition is £30 per hour, a saving of 20% in comparison to in-person lessons

New research from First Tutors shows that the pandemic has forever changed the face of the private tuition market in the UK, with online learning becoming a desired and sought-after part of the educational experience.

From Jan 2019 to March 2021 First Tutors have helped over 300,000 families find a private tutor and supported tutors in finding tuition work, online.

First Tutors Covid

The insights into these families' tuition habits - gathered from a range of tutors across the UK - indicate that from primary level through to secondary and undergraduate degrees, online tuition is now the preferred form for expert help in a range of subjects.

"At First Tutors, we believe the switch to WFH and online private tuition was inevitable. The pandemic has only forced an acceleration of this process, and it's for the greater good, opening up the market to more students and lowering the cost of tuition for everyone."
Chuck Cohn CEO

Our research has also found that:

  • 74.3% of tutors now report higher or same levels of demand for their tuition services pre pandemic
  • 77% of tutoring is focused on confidence building and lost learning during the pandemic
  • 54% of students have a long-term commitment to tutoring
  • 46% of students use tuition to prepare for exams

"There has been a dramatic learning loss over the past few years and students have lost as much as a whole academic year of learning. As we know tutoring is one of the most proven solutions for addressing Covid-related learning loss. Countless studies have shown that online tuition is effective and can raise test performance well beyond asynchronous learning. This type of tuition means high quality live learning in a way that increases accessibility, lowers cost, and improves convenience."

Chuck Cohn CEO

For families online tutoring also offers more flexibility and convenience than traditional tutoring. There is no need to commute, and it can be done from virtually any location as long as your child has access to the Internet. Which means even if you are travelling, or busy working your child does not need to skip a tutoring session and lose out on learning.

For more information contact enquiries@firsttutors.co.uk


ENDS

Data

1. Data taken from all tuition request payments (January 2019 - August 2022)

2. Data was taken from a sample size of 405 tutors (January 2019 - June 2022)

About First Tutors

First Tutors was established in 2005 to help people find great tutors in their local area. As the first service of our kind, we have won industry awards and appear regularly in the educational, regional and national press. We are committed to making the tuition market more open and merit-based.

Why Use Us?

Reassurance - We conduct ID and reference checks on all our tutors so you can confidently choose them.

Choice - We have many thousands of tutors nationwide, covering various subjects. Whether you need to prepare for your Maths GCSE or brush up on your French, First Tutors can help you find a tutor for your subject and level.

Feedback - Collectively, our tutors have thousands of client reviews.

Flexibility - There are no minimum or maximum limits on the number of hours you can book a tutor. And our service can be accessed 24/7, whenever suits you.

Accessibility - Our site is secure, functional and easy to navigate.

For more information contact enquiries@firsttutors.co.uk

Tags: pandemic covid education
Categories: tutoring