A major piece of qualitative research commissioned by Supporting Education Group has found that parents’ appetites for spending on private tuition has not been shaken by the mounting cost of living crisis.

According to the research into the private tutoring market carried out by Cairneagle on behalf of SEG in January 2022, 90% of parents currently employing private tutoring services intend to continue doing so over the next year. 32% of this cohort intend to spend more, while only 9% are looking to cut back their tuition expenses.

This enduring demand is projected to translate into strong growth in the next few years. Cairneagle’s report forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 7% for the tutoring market until 2025.

Those parents looking to up their spend were most frequently motivated by a perception that education was becoming more important for their children’s life outcomes. Only 45% cited upcoming exams as their main incentive, giving the lie to the idea that tutoring is just a mechanism for cramming. Parents view tuition as a longer-term investment in their children’s futures – a priority that, just as in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, tends to remain unshaken by economic headwinds.

Predictably, the biggest obstacle for parents who aren’t pursuing private tutoring at all is the cost, plus perceptions of tutoring as an unnecessary luxury good that attaches a stigma to their child. The National Tutoring Programme should go some way in spreading the benefits of small-group and one-to-one tuition more equitably, with the research pointing to a potential increase in demand for private tutoring thanks to the scheme.

The report also sheds some light on the demographics of the UK private tutoring market. Echoing previous surveys, our research found that ethnic minorities are the most likely to procure private tutoring services. Londoners enjoy the highest number of hours of tutoring each year, while Scots take on the fewest. Tutoring spend is also directly correlated with household income.

Supporting Education Group has a significant presence in both the B2B schools’ tutoring market and the world of private tuition. Our tuition division, comprising Fleet Tutors, inTuition Clubs and TuitionWorks, offers a multi-channel private tuition model that can enrich every stage of a child’s education.

To date, our workforce resourcing companies, Teaching Personnel and Protocol Education, have delivered the lion’s share of targeted tuition in schools conducted through National Tutoring Programme’s Official Tuition Partner route.

Both wings of our tutoring operation are enhanced through our strategic investments in eLearning technology companies Bramble and EdPlace. These platforms make learning more engaging and intuitive, while streamlining assessment processes.

To find out more about how our tutoring services could work for you, get in touch today.