Hourly Rate for Grad Student Math Tutor

[JoJosMom 28,199]

I could use some Hive help, here. 🙂

I am looking to hire a math tutor for my daughter to help her with her AoPS Calculus class. What would you think to be a fair hourly rate for a Ph.D. student? I live in a tiny corner of the universe, and I would really like some help to figure out what is normal and fair. I know that there will be variation, perhaps significant variation, regionally, so if you could let me know the general region in which you live (or from which you've hired someone), that would be great.

[Roadrunner 6,287]

Around here it’s about $70 an hour.

i have tried so hard to find an AoPS tutor and failed. Good luck!

[JoJosMom 28,199]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

Around here it’s about $70 an hour.

i have tried so hard to find an AoPS tutor and failed. Good luck!

 

😱

[Lori D. 21,771]

Doing a quick online search, I see a wide range -- $25-$80 per hour -- which is not very helpful, lol. You might try popping onto a website, such as Tutors.com, and compare what tutors typically are paid in your area. That can go down to even tutors in your zip code. However, finding a tutor through a tutoring service runs on the higher end, as the service takes a cut.

[Frances 10,300]

I would say a minimum of $25 per hour. Have you checked at the university to see what STEM tutors generally charge? Does it have to be a PhD student or is that what you’ve already found? 

PNW

Edited September 17 by Frances

[8FillTheHeart 30,328]

If you pay $70, I'm pretty sure my ds would say yes to tutoring. Since he got married this summer, he is all about extra money and just took on an extra class for more $$.

[madteaparty 7,523]

There’s regular math tutor and there’s AOPS-competent tutor. I’d expect the pricing to reflect that. 

Edited September 17 by madteaparty

[JoJosMom 28,199]

3 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

If you pay $70, I'm pretty sure my ds would say yes to tutoring. Since he got married this summer, he is all about extra money and just took on an extra class for more $$.

 

If I could afford that much, I'd be happy to send it his way. 😞

[JoJosMom 28,199]

4 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Doing a quick online search, I see a wide range -- $25-$80 per hour -- which is not very helpful, lol. You might try popping onto a website, such as Tutors.com, and compare what tutors typically are paid in your area. That can go down to even tutors in your zip code. However, finding a tutor through a tutoring service runs on the higher end, as the service takes a cut.

 

4 hours ago, Frances said:

I would say a minimum of $25 per hour. Have you checked at the university to see what STEM tutors generally charge? Does it have to be a PhD student or is that what you’ve already found? 

PNW

 

We're sort of out in the middle of nowhere. I don't really expect to find anyone familiar with AoPS anywhere near here. And the nearest university is at least 2 hours away. It doesn't have to be a Ph.D. student; that's needed for comparison purposes.

[Farrar 57,493]

For a tutor who could do AoPS calculus or who was in a graduate math program, I'd expect to pay at least $50 if not a good bit more, even in a lower cola area. You're asking for a very qualified person, essentially.

I think your best bet is to look online. You'll be able to shop the most competitive prices. And you might luck out and find a cheaper tutor in more of the $30 or $40 range or maybe even less, like in the $20 range that way - possibly someone living abroad who can afford to offer cheaper rates. But I'd be suspicious that tutors offering way less would be able to successfully tutor AoPS calculus.

Edited September 17 by Farrar

[Roadrunner 6,287]

$70 is what our local tutoring center charges.

I have found one on Wyzant for $50 who seems promising for general exam prep, but not sure he is AoPS level. Mine had a rough start with a course, but is now sailing fairly smoothly, so we ended up not hiring anybody, but if he hits the rough seas again, we will look again. I think $50 would be a low end for somebody qualified.

Edited September 17 by Roadrunner

[klmama 4,757]

The university here has a list of grad students available to tutor undergrad courses listed right on the website, with contact info and hourly rate.  Most are between $25-40.

[kokotg 1,100]

my husband is a high school calculus teacher, and he charges $60/hour for tutoring.

[daijobu 3,956]

I tutor students locally in a high COLA.  I charge at a minimum $80/hour, but when I get really busy, I've had parents pay $120/hour.  I teach using AoPS materials exclusively (BA through calculus), and I prep students for MathCounts and AMCs.  

A few AoPS Academies have opened in my area, so I'm less busy this year.  😮

Edited September 18 by daijobu

[lewelma 13,931]

Do you want me to as ds if he has any friends who would be interested?  He could vouch for your dd's amazingness.  🙂 

 

[Calming Tea 5,775]

High COL here as well-

grad student or teacher with teaching or tutoring experience with enthusiasm and proven track record - who is going  to really build a relationship with your student and take very occasional emails in between - about 60-70/hr 

Grad student with No experience teaching - about 45

College Sophomore with plenty experience and recommendations - 45 

A friend of ours is tutoring my daughter for 20.00 for 45 minutes - huge discount, and I don’t know why we got that lucky except she knew she’s not doing a lot of actual teaching more like just accountability so she can do it when her brain is already tired. But still, I feel bad! Her going rate is 50/hour which around here is already a bargain. 

[Calming Tea 5,775]

Honestly the experience and proven track record is worth more than the degree. Like daijobu, we paid 75/hr my sons 8th grade year for AOPS Algebra 1, because he needed a break from Saxon and to see math in a new a different way. She had tutored many kids, sent all her kids to UCLA or Berkeley, her daughter went to China for mathcounts and she coached a successful mathcounts team for over ten years .plus she was happy, cheerful, kind, sweet and humble and never made me feel stupid for not knowing math. She was the best of the best of the best and she made all the difference! That one year with her made my son love math. 💖💖

Edited September 18 by Calming Tea

[Calming Tea 5,775]

She did have her PhD but I would not have cared Id she had not. It was her track record and who she was that made me willing to sacrifice. 

[mathnerd 3,418]

I have seen fliers in my local library from a few experienced tutors with PhD in math for $55-$65/hr. None of them mentioned AOPS, but if a person were to have a PhD in math, it could be fairy easy for them to use AOPS's approach (if they had access to the textbooks, of course). Since I live in a high COL area and this rate is considered acceptable by many here, I guess that this could be on the higher end in a rural area. 

[gstharr 994]

My 9th grader is taking college calc 1 , with very  little difficulty. The kid is strong in math, likes it, and kills standard tests. But, I have avoided AOPS because he is no Einstein.  Since we are using a standard calculus text, we are about to use a group tutor (10 students) for $13/hr.  From what I understand about AOPS calculus, it is about college level, but has  it is its own process and way of thinking. I suspect you are going to need someone who has gone through AOPS calculus. Otherwise, a good part of your money is going to be wasted on that person working the problem out the AOPS way as well.  Does AOPS have a message board? Maybe, you could find someone there.

[JoJosMom 28,199]

Thank you, all, for your replies. I appreciate the input. I think I need to ponder this a bit.

[MamaSprout 1,324]

We have a tutor who can teach calc, but not always AoPS, although I find that's what her and dd are working on when I wander over, even if that's not exactly what was planned. She's only charging us $20/ hour, but we're in a low COL area and we've done some in-kind stuff for each other. I probably should pay her more though after reading this thread!

[MamaSprout 1,324]

On 9/18/2019 at 5:00 AM, gstharr said:

My 9th grader is taking college calc 1 , with very  little difficulty. The kid is strong in math, likes it, and kills standard tests. But, I have avoided AOPS because he is no Einstein.  Since we are using a standard calculus text, we are about to use a group tutor (10 students) for $13/hr.  From what I understand about AOPS calculus, it is about college level, but has  it is its own process and way of thinking. I suspect you are going to need someone who has gone through AOPS calculus. Otherwise, a good part of your money is going to be wasted on that person working the problem out the AOPS way as well.  Does AOPS have a message board? Maybe, you could find someone there.

Most of the 9th graders I know who are doing calc.... are PG, lol. That doesn't mean AoPS is the right math for every gifted kid, though.

[lewelma 13,931]

Great news!  DS says he can put 2 hours to tutoring this term, if your dd wants to work with him again. I told him you would pay him 🙂 I'll PM you. 

 

[JoJosMom 28,199]

7 hours ago, lewelma said:

Great news!  DS says he can put 2 hours to tutoring this term, if your dd wants to work with him again. I told him you would pay him 🙂 I'll PM you. 

 

 

Hallelujah!

[plansrme 8,334]

Sounds like you may have found someone, but I have two Ph.D. students tutoring my sophomore in AP Calculus.  I pay them $60 for the first hour and $40 for each additional hour.   One of them actually told me $25-$35, and I told her that wasn't enough.   It is hard enough to find a tutor with enough calculus knowledge to tutor regular AP calc; I would think AOPS would be even more difficult, but a lot of math Ph.D. students have backgrounds in contest math and might be suitable.   I found our two by emailing the T.A. coordinator in the math department at their university; she sent out an email to her T.A.s, and they responded directly to me.  Still waiting on a couple of big test grades, but his grades on what has been graded have gone up significantly since we found these guys ("guys" generally; one is actually a woman).  We tried out two with the thinking that one or the other would be a better fit, but we've ended up liking them both for different reasons:  one is a little better teacher; the other has a car,  will come to our house and has more time (and is really pretty, which I'm sure he hasn't noticed. . ..).  Between the two, I'm spending a boatload of money, but it's working.