Pricing
One rate. No surprises.
I have tried to make this the least complicated pricing page you will read today.
That is the price for everybody. Seniors, kids, adults, in your home or at mine, weekday or Saturday.
- No call-out fee
- No minimum number of lessons
- No lock-in and no packages
- No charge for the initial phone call
Included
What you get for that.
- Travel to you anywhere in the service area
- Written notes in plain English, in large print, specific to your device
- Follow-up questions by phone or email between lessons, at no charge
- Honest advice on whether you should buy something, and what
- As many repetitions as you need, without being made to feel rushed
Not included
What I do not do.
- Hardware repairs, data recovery and virus removal as a service, though I will tell you honestly whether you need one and who to call
- Parts, software licences or subscriptions, which you buy directly so there is no markup
- Ongoing managed IT support for businesses, which is a different trade to teaching
- Anything I do not think you actually need
How long you will need
Most people need less than they expect.
People often ask how many lessons they should budget for, and worry that the honest answer is "lots". It usually is not.
- One specific problem, such as setting up video calls or sorting out a printer: usually one session.
- General confidence with a computer or iPad: often three or four sessions spread over a couple of months, so there is time to practise in between.
- School subject support: fortnightly through a term is typical, more often near a major project deadline.
- Building a home lab: three or four sessions gets something real running. After that most students carry on themselves and call when they get stuck.
The gaps between lessons matter more than the lessons. Practising badly on your own for a fortnight beats being shown perfectly twice in one week, every time.
Being straight with you
Why the rate is what it is.
$65 an hour sits at the lower end of what this work costs around Newcastle, and there is nothing added on top of it.
Independent tutors here commonly charge $70 to $110. Agencies charge more again and pay their tutor a fraction of it. Mobile computer help services usually add a call-out fee of $80 or more before the hourly rate even starts, which is why a twenty-minute job so often turns into a bill over a hundred dollars.
There is no call-out fee here, no minimum booking, no deposit and no lock-in, and I round the time in your favour. For a short job that difference matters more than the headline rate does.
The reason I started is unremarkable. Older members of my own family kept being talked down to, sold things they did not need, and charged heavily for it. Meanwhile there are teenagers around here who would be very good at this work and have no idea it is a career, because nobody in their life does it.
Both problems are fixable by someone with the right knowledge and enough patience to sit down for an hour. If cost is genuinely the thing standing between you and getting help, ring me and say so. Nobody gets turned away over money.
Straight answers
Questions about cost
Is $65 an hour really the whole price?
Yes. No call-out fee, no booking fee, no minimum number of sessions, no charge for travel within the service area. If a lesson runs 15 or 20 minutes over because we were nearly finished, I do not charge for the extra time.
How does $65 compare to other tutors?
It sits at the lower end of the market. Independent tutors around Newcastle commonly charge $70 to $110 an hour, agencies charge more again, and mobile computer help services usually add a call-out fee of $80 or more before the hourly rate starts. Because there is no call-out fee and no minimum booking here, a short job costs a good deal less than the same job elsewhere.
How do I pay?
Bank transfer or cash, after the session. No deposit, and nothing to pay up front. I will send an invoice if you would like one.
What if I need to cancel?
Just let me know. Life happens, and there is no cancellation fee. A bit of notice is appreciated so I can offer the slot to someone else, but you will never be charged for a lesson that did not happen.
Do you charge more for evenings or weekends?
No, and since I work in IT full time, evenings and weekends are the only times I run lessons. Weeknights are 4pm to 8pm and weekends are 8am to 3pm, all at the same rate. Weeknight slots go first, so weekends are usually easier to book at short notice.
Do you offer any concessions?
There is no separate published concession rate, because one clear number is simpler than a list of exceptions. That said, if cost is genuinely the thing standing between you and getting help, ring me and say so. We will sort something out, and nobody gets turned away over money.