The hidden costs of going back to school: up to €1,200 a year on private tuition and extracurricular activities

Sport, Music and the Arts are the most expensive categories, with median in-person rates of between 20 and 25 euros per hour. These are also the subjects where online tuition is significantly cheaper than face-to-face tuition, for obvious practical reasons. Foreign languages show a wide range of prices.

Rare or classical languages (Greek, Russian, German) command higher rates; the more widely spoken languages (English, Spanish) are more competitively priced due to the greater supply of teachers. Science subjects show an interesting pattern: online rates exceed face-to-face rates for almost all subjects, with Mathematics and Biology recording the most marked difference (+2 euros/hour). Computer Science stands out at 17 euro per hour, the highest rate amongst non-arts subjects. Law and Economics stand at 1.5 euro per hour, above the average for academic subjects. School tuition is the most affordable category. It is also the only category where online tuition is, on average, cheaper than face-to-face tuition, bucking the general trend. In recent years, online lessons have established themselves as a viable alternative to face-to-face lessons.

However, data from the LeTueLezioni 2026 Price Observatory debunk the myth that online automatically means cheaper. The median price for face-to-face lessons is 13 euros per hour, whilst that for online lessons is 15 euros per hour. In 14 of the 30 subjects analysed, online tuition is more expensive than face-to-face tuition. Home tuition also costs a median of 15 euros per hour, representing a premium of 2 euros compared to face-to-face tuition. The only exception where home tuition is cheaper is for school tutoring (Primary and Lower Secondary): €12 per hour compared to €13 per hour for face-to-face tuition. Conversely, the subjects where online tuition is cheaper than face-to-face tuition are school tutoring: Lower Secondary (€12 per hour online vs €13 per hour face-to-face, a difference of -€2) and Primary (€12 per hour online vs €13 per hour face-to-face, a difference of -€1). (€12/hour online vs €14/hour face-to-face, -€2) and Primary school tutoring (€12/hour online vs €13/hour face-to-face, -€1). For sports and music lessons, online tuition is cheaper than face-to-face lessons for obvious practical reasons (Football: 20 euros/hour online vs 25 euros/hour face-to-face).

Why are online lessons more expensive in Italia? The Italian situation is unique within the European context. Some possible explanations: online teachers reach a wider audience and can select students willing to pay higher fees. Demand for online lessons has grown significantly since 2020, but the supply of high-quality teachers for online teaching is still more limited than for face-to-face teaching. Face-to-face lessons remain the dominant format in terms of volume (56,277 listings versus 8,002 online): the greater supply of face-to-face lessons exerts downward pressure on prices. What factors determine a private tutor’s fee? Understanding the variables that influence price helps you make better choices when looking for a tutor. Two adverts for the same subject can have very different prices for specific reasons. University students offering tutoring typically charge between 10 and 15 euros per hour, as this is their entry point into the market. Teachers with a degree and teaching experience charge between 15 and 25 euros per hour, depending on the city and the subject. High-level specialists with extensive experience can charge over 30 euros per hour for more technical subjects. A comprehensive profile with positive reviews on platforms such as LeTueLezioni significantly increases visibility and allows tutors to set higher rates. The more advanced the level, the greater the expertise required of the tutor and the higher the rate. Technical subjects (computer science, physics, chemistry, law) command higher rates due to the relative scarcity of specialist teachers. Intensive tuition sessions ahead of A-level exams or university entrance exams may command above-average rates due to the urgency involved.

Home tuition lessons have a median price of 15 euros per hour – the highest, alongside online lessons – due to the teacher’s travel costs. Hourly packages (6, 12 or 24 hours) often offer more competitive rates than one-off lessons. Group lessons (2 or more pupils) cost between 8 and 10 euros per hour per pupil, which is much less than the 13–25 euros per hour charged for one-to-one lessons. Weekly attendance matters: some teachers offer discounts to pupils who attend lessons regularly.

The spread of artificial intelligence tools is changing the expectations of families and teachers, and is also beginning to influence the demand for private tuition. Data from the GoStudent Report on the Future of Education 2025 shows a paradigm shift underway: 47 per cent of parents believe that AI can offer their children a personalised learning experience tailored to their specific needs. 46 per cent of teachers believe that pupils without access to AI tools risk falling behind in their education. 56 per cent of teachers state that AI should be regarded as a basic resource in education, on a par with computers or the internet. 50 per cent of European children expect robots and AI to become a common feature in classrooms by 2030. As AI grows, so too do families’ expectations of the school system and the value of private tuition. 62 per cent of parents believe that new forms of student assessment will be needed, beyond traditional exams. 65 per cent of parents consider it more important for children to know how to access information than to memorise it. 59 per cent of parents believe that marks do not accurately reflect their children’s true abilities. Pupils’ confidence in their ability to navigate the technological world has fallen from 77 per cent in 2024 to 61 per cent in 2025, a sign that the demand for specialised support will continue to grow.

Data from the Observatory shows that the private tuition market in Italia is not static. The digitisation of teaching and changing expectations amongst families and students are transforming the sector. Sixty per cent of the adverts analysed relate to face-to-face tuition (56,277 out of a total of 94,274 adverts), confirming that face-to-face tuition remains the preferred method for Italian teachers. Online tuition accounts for only 8.5 per cent of the adverts (8,002), but commands higher average rates: 15 euros per hour compared with 13 euros per hour for face-to-face tuition. It remains a niche but high-value channel. Home tuition accounts for 9.3 per cent of the adverts (8,764): comparable to online tuition in terms of volume, but with different market characteristics. The main academic subjects (Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Latin) show a surprisingly uniform median rate for face-to-face tuition of 13–15 euros per hour. This indicates a highly competitive market with little price differentiation. The real price differentiation occurs in music and sports subjects, where supply is more limited and specialisation is greater. The North-South gap of 2 euros per hour (15 euros per hour in the North versus 13 euros per hour in the South) is real but smaller than one might expect, given the general economic differences between the country’s regions.

Is it worth investing in private tuition in 2026? The cost of private tuition in Italia ranges from 12 to 25 euros per hour for the most common academic and sporting subjects, with rates reaching up to 25 euros per hour for singing, football and musical instruments. The national median is 13 euros per hour for face-to-face lessons. The Italian market has some unique characteristics compared to the rest of Europe: online lessons are not cheaper than face-to-face ones; in fact, in many cases they cost more; home tuition commands a premium over classroom-based lessons; and the North-South gap, whilst real, is limited to 2 euros per hour.

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