Most tutors start with a single hourly rate and a lesson at a time. That works until a parent asks, “Can we book six weeks in advance?” or a student wants to know whether ten lessons before an exam would be cheaper. If you have no answer ready, you tend to improvise a discount on the spot, and improvised terms are the ones that cause arguments later.
This guide is about the structure around your rate: how to build a package, how to do the arithmetic, and what to agree in writing. If you have not yet settled your basic rate, start with how to set your tutoring rates and come back.
Why offer a package at all
A package, or block booking, is a set number of lessons agreed together. It can help both sides in specific ways.
For the client, it gives a clear plan with a start, a middle and an end, and removes the need to rebook every week. For you, it makes your diary more predictable and reduces the time spent on admin and chasing the next booking.
It also has costs. A longer commitment is a bigger decision for a new client, and a poorly designed block can leave you tutoring at a rate you no longer want to accept. A package is a tool for particular situations, not something every tutor needs.
Start from a goal, not a discount
The strongest packages are named after what the student wants to achieve, not the number of hours. Compare two ways of describing the same thing:
- “Ten lessons for the price of nine.”
- “Six lessons to rebuild fractions and algebra before the November mock, with a review in lesson four.”
The second tells a parent what they are buying and gives you a built-in point to check progress. It also makes the discount question less central, because the client is paying for a plan.
Good candidates for a package include an exam run-up, a topic that needs a few connected lessons, a language conversation block before a trip, or a first-term plan for a new student. Avoid packages with a vague aim such as “ongoing support” unless you add a review date.
Work out the arithmetic first
Before you decide on any discount, know your numbers. Here is an illustration using round figures; replace them with your own.
Suppose your standard rate is £40 a lesson, and each lesson involves 20 minutes of preparation and follow-up. Your real time per lesson is 80 minutes, so your income per hour of working time is about £30.
Now offer six lessons at a 10% discount. The package costs £216, which is £36 per lesson. Your income per hour of working time drops to about £27. That may be fine. It becomes less fine if the client reschedules twice and you have to fit extra slots in around other bookings.
Three questions help you set the discount:
- What is the lowest income per lesson I would accept without resenting the work?
- How much does a block save me in admin and empty slots?
- Will I still be happy with this rate in the last week of the block?
If the answer to the first question leaves little room, you can offer something other than a discount: a short written summary after each lesson, a mid-block review call, or priority choice of lesson times.
Choose a length that matches the goal
For a new client, a short block is usually easier to agree to. Four to six lessons gives you enough time to teach a defined topic and see whether the student can use it on unfamiliar questions. It also gives both sides a natural moment to decide whether to continue.
Longer blocks make sense when there is a deadline. A student preparing for an exam in ten weeks may sensibly book ten lessons. Even then, build in a review rather than assuming the plan will not change.
Avoid asking clients to pay far in advance before they have met you. A trial lesson or one single lesson first lets them check the fit before they commit to a block.
Write the terms down before the first booking
Most disputes about packages come from terms that were never stated. Keep them short and put them in your profile or in your first message after the trial. Cover:
- What is included: number of lessons, lesson length, any materials, follow-up notes.
- Expiry: how many weeks the block is valid. For example, six lessons to be used within ten weeks.
- Rescheduling: how much notice you need, and how many reschedules are allowed per block.
- Missed lessons: what happens if a client does not attend without notice.
- Your own cancellations: what you will do if you have to cancel, such as offering a replacement time.
- Unused lessons at the end: whether they lapse, are extended once, or are handled another way.
- Ending early: what happens if the fit is not right.
Pick terms you can apply consistently. A sample line could read: “Blocks of six lessons are valid for ten weeks. Please give 24 hours’ notice to reschedule; one reschedule per block is included.”
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Handle the awkward cases in advance
Think through a few situations before they happen:
- A student is ill for a fortnight. Will you extend the expiry once? Saying yes in advance feels fair and costs you little.
- A family wants to stop after lesson three. Decide whether you will end the block there, and how you will treat the remaining lessons.
- The tutoring goal is met early. Offer to close the block on a good note or use the remaining lessons for consolidation.
- You can no longer offer the slot. Tell the client as soon as you know and offer alternatives.
You do not need a long contract. A few lines, applied the same way for every client, are easier to follow and easier to explain.
Review each package before repeating it
After the first few blocks, look at what happened. Did clients use their lessons within the expiry? Did the discount feel reasonable once the block was finished? Did the review point lead to a useful conversation, or did it get skipped?
Adjust one thing at a time. If most blocks run over, lengthen the expiry slightly or shorten the block. If you rarely use the discount, drop it and keep the structure. Keep the package that serves your students, and retire the ones that do not.
A package that is clear about the goal, honest in the arithmetic and specific about the terms is worth offering. A discount alone is not.