How Much Do Private Tutors Earn in Saudi Arabia? And How to Price Your Lessons
29 Oct 2026
If you are a private tutor or thinking of starting, it is natural to ask: how much does a private tutor earn in Saudi Arabia? The most realistic answer is that no single figure applies to every tutor and every lesson. Income depends on the price you set, the number of lessons that actually happen, your preparation and travel time, and any commission or cost tied to how you work.
So we will not present any figure as a national average. This guide helps you work out your likely income more clearly and choose a price that suits your time and costs, without promising a set number of students or lessons.
If you want the wider picture of starting out, read our guide to becoming a private tutor in Saudi Arabia. Here we focus on calculating income and choosing a lesson price.
What do we mean by a private tutor's income?
Before calculating, separate three things: the price shown for a lesson, the total value of completed lessons, and the amount left after commission and costs. The price in your profile is not your monthly income; the number of completed lessons changes, and you may carry preparation time, travel or teaching materials that belong in your calculation.
The phrase "private tutor salary" can suggest a fixed monthly amount. But independent tutoring by the lesson does not give you a guaranteed salary. If your work is based on separate sessions, your income depends on the number of completed sessions, the agreed price, and the terms of the app or organisation you work with. So do not plan your month as if all your free time will turn into bookings.
Which factors shape your lesson price?
No single formula suits everyone, but these factors help you build a decision instead of picking a random number.
Subject and stage. Some subjects or stages need different preparation, wider review or closer follow-up. Estimate the actual effort involved, not the subject name alone.
Lesson length and what it includes. Make clear whether the price covers a lesson of a set length, and whether it includes reviewing homework or notes after the lesson. Do not leave the scope of the service vague.
Preparation and follow-up time. Your time does not start and end with the explanation. Set aside time to prepare, understand the student's level, organise materials and handle any follow-up included in the service.
Lesson location. A lesson at the student's home differs from a lesson elsewhere in time and requirements. If travel is involved, include its time and cost in your decision.
One to one or group. One-to-one and group lessons are not the same service. Decide the number of students, how you split your time, and what each student gets before you set the price.
A realistic number of completed lessons. Use a cautious estimate. An enquiry or provisional booking is not always a completed lesson, so do not build your budget on the best case.
How do you price private lessons in a practical way?
Start from the service you can deliver consistently, then work out its time and cost. Ask yourself: how many minutes do I teach? How long do I need to prepare? Do I travel? Do I send follow-up? And how many lessons can I complete in a week without the quality of my teaching slipping? Once the answers are clear, your lesson price becomes a decision based on how you work, not a number you saw in an advert.
Next, set a target net amount per lesson, add your direct costs, and factor in any commission that applies to the service. If you work through an app or an intermediary, read how the commission is calculated and when it applies. Do not assume the displayed price equals the amount that reaches you.
It also helps to write a clear description of what the price includes: the stage or skill, the session length, whether it is one to one or group, and any extra follow-up. Clarity from the start helps both sides share the same expectations. To see the factors families see in prices, read our guide to private tutoring prices in Saudi Arabia 2026.
A worked example, not a suggested price
Suppose, purely for illustration, that you choose 150 riyals per lesson and complete 12 lessons in a month. The total before commission is 1,800 riyals. Mualimi takes a 30% commission on each completed session; in this example the commission is 540 riyals, leaving you 1,260 riyals before your other costs.
This example does not mean 150 riyals is a suitable or common price, and it does not predict that you will get 12 lessons. Put in your own price and number of lessons, then subtract whatever applies to you in preparation time, travel or materials. The point is to calculate what may be left after deductions, not to confuse the lesson price with your monthly income.
As a general rule, when the commission is 30% of the price of a completed lesson, you keep 70% before your other costs. To estimate a price that reaches a target net amount, divide the amount you want to keep by 0.70, then add the direct cost of the lesson if it is not already included. So if you want to keep 105 riyals from a lesson, the price is 150 riyals.
On the Mualimi app: the difference between price and net
On the Mualimi app, you set the price you offer for a lesson, and Mualimi takes a 30% commission on each completed session. So when you compare a lesson price with your income, calculate the commission first and then subtract your costs. Payout requests go through a review, so do not rely on a fixed payment date unless the current terms in the app state one.
This information is specific to Mualimi's model; it is not a rule for every tutoring app or every tutor in the Kingdom. Nor does this guide promise bookings, a number of lessons or a monthly amount; the outcome depends on the number of completed sessions and on how you work.
Steps to help you settle on your price
- Define your service. Write down the subject or skill, the stage, the lesson length and where it takes place.
- Count your full time. Add preparation, follow-up and travel, not just teaching time.
- Estimate completed lessons realistically. Use a cautious scenario, and do not count every open slot in your schedule as a confirmed booking.
- Calculate commission and costs. Use the app's current terms, then subtract the direct costs you carry.
- Review your experience. After a period of work, review your actual time, requests and costs. Adjust your price or the scope of your service if the effort does not match the return, and make any change clear before agreeing a new lesson.
If you want to compare published offers in your city, treat them as a small sample only. Compare lesson length, stage, location and whether follow-up is included. Do not combine numbers from different sources and call them a general average; the services may not match, and the prices may be out of date or tied to a specific programme.
Common pricing mistakes
- Choosing a competitive price without counting preparation and travel.
- Assuming all your available hours will become completed lessons.
- Treating total lesson value as net income before commission and costs.
- Adding follow-up or materials without saying whether the price covers them.
- Treating an old news item or a single post as an official rate for every city and subject.
The safest approach is to explain what you offer, know how your net per lesson is calculated, and choose a price you can stick to without lowering the quality of your teaching.
Start with a realistic calculation, then try it
No single number answers the income question, but there is a clear way to calculate it: a price you can explain, a realistic number of lessons, and commission and costs counted from the start. That way your decision rests on your own numbers, not on a general figure that does not fit your situation.
Start today by creating your profile on the Mualimi app; you know the commission from the start, before you accept any lesson. Write down your specialisation, the stages you teach, the lesson length and what your service includes.
Frequently asked questions
There is no single national figure documented in the official sources we reviewed. The amount varies with the price the tutor sets, the number of completed lessons, the way they work, and commissions and costs. Use the calculation in this guide rather than relying on an undocumented general figure.
If you tutor independently by the lesson, do not assume a fixed monthly salary. Many people search for "private tutor salary", but actual income depends on lessons, price and the agreed arrangement. A salary under an employment contract is set by the terms of that contract.
Start with the lesson length and what it includes, then count preparation, follow-up, travel and direct costs. Next, check any commission that applies to you, and estimate realistically how many lessons you can complete. Do not treat a published figure on its own as a final benchmark.
No. The figure in the example is hypothetical, used only to explain the calculation; it is not a recommended price, an average or a promise of what you can earn. Replace it with your own price and a cautious estimate of your completed lessons.
Mualimi takes a 30% commission on each completed session. Check the terms shown in the app before relying on the figure, because service details can change.
Bookings and income cannot be guaranteed. Nor is there a fixed payout date we can state here; payout requests go through a review, and the reference is the current payout policy inside the app.
Mualimi29 Oct 2026
