Groups can do things one-to-one lessons can't. A single tutor reaches more families, children work alongside each other, and holiday courses give an agency something to offer outside term time.
They're also a different kind of business. In a one-to-one lesson, your costs and income move together. In a group, your costs are largely fixed and your income depends on how many children turn up. That's why the decisions below are worth making before you advertise anything.
Per session or one course fee?
| Per session | One course fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Suits | Weekly classes that run all term | Holiday courses and short exam courses |
| For families | Easy to join part way through | A clear price and a firm commitment |
| For you | Income changes week to week | You know your income before you start |
| Watch out for | Children drifting away one week at a time | Needing a clear rule on refunds and missed days |
A useful test is to ask whether the sessions build on each other. If a child needs to be there for all of them, charge for all of them. If they can dip in, per session is fairer. You can also combine the two by charging per session but billing a block of sessions at the start of each half-term.
Work out your minimum numbers
Before you set a price, work out what one session costs you to run:
- the tutor's pay, including preparation if you pay for it
- the room, if you're hiring one
- materials
- the office time to set it up, take bookings and answer questions
Then the sums are simple:
Cost of a session ÷ price per child = children you need to break even
Always round up. For a course, use the total cost of all the sessions and the full course fee. Then add what you want the group to earn, and you have your real minimum: the number below which you won't run it.
Also work out your maximum, which comes from the room and from how many children one tutor can properly teach, rather than from how many you could fit in. A price that only works when the group is full leaves you no room for a quiet term.
Decide what happens below the minimum
Choose a date by which you'll confirm that a group is running, and put it in the booking details. Then decide in advance what you'll do if you're short: cancel and refund in full, run it anyway, or offer a smaller group at a different price. Telling families the date up front turns a cancellation into something they were expecting.
Manage places and the waiting list
Agree how a place is secured. Payment is the cleanest answer, because a provisional yes can hold a place for weeks. When a group is full, keep a waiting list and agree a simple rule: who gets offered a place first, and how long they have to reply before you move on.
A waiting list is also useful information. If one group keeps filling up, it may be time to open a second.
How to pay the tutor
There are three common ways to pay for a group, and each one places the risk differently.
| Approach | How it works | Who carries the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Set amount per session | The same pay, however many children come | You. The tutor knows their pay, and you take the risk of a small group. |
| Amount per child | Pay rises and falls with the number of children | The tutor. A small group may not be worth their time. |
| Set amount plus per child | A guaranteed base, with extra for each child | Shared. It takes slightly more explaining. |
Whichever you choose, write down the edge cases before the first session. Is the tutor paid for planning time? If you pay per child, does a child who misses a session still count? What's the tutor paid if you cancel a session or a whole course at short notice?
Set the rules for absence
Group absences work differently from one-to-one lessons, because the session runs whether or not a child comes. Your costs stay much the same, so you may want different rules from those for a cancelled individual lesson. Whatever you decide, state it when families book:
- Do families pay for a session their child misses?
- Can a child catch up in a different group?
- Will notes or materials be shared after a missed session?
- What happens if a family pulls out after the course has started?
- Can someone join late, and do they pay the full price?
Before you advertise a holiday course
- Publish dates early, so that families can plan around their holidays.
- Set a booking deadline that leaves you time to confirm the room and the tutor.
- Say clearly who the course is for, including the year group and level.
- Plan the sessions so that they stand alone if a child misses one.
- Keep one register for each session, so that you always know who was there.
If a course will take children under 8, check whether you need to register as a childcare provider before you advertise it. Tuition can be exempt, but it depends on what you offer. Ofsted's guidance on childcare registration exemptions sets out the rules for England.