Tuition is one of the largest discretionary costs a family in the Emirates carries, and one of the least transparent. Rates are quoted by the hour, by the subject, and rarely in writing. This guide sets out quotes reported between 2024 and 2026, alongside 2026 Dubai benchmarks, so you can judge whether your own arrangement is fair.
What UAE families are quoted
In short: 2026 Dubai benchmarks put one-to-one tutoring at about AED 60 to 150 an hour for budget or online help, AED 150 to 300 for a qualified subject tutor, and AED 200 to 450 or more for an exam-year specialist. The table below shows where each figure comes from.
| Type | Typical quote | Class size | Live teaching? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private tutor at home, Dubai | AED 180 to 350 per hour, including travel | 1 | Yes | 1 |
| Qualified subject tutor | AED 150 to 300 per hour (Dubai benchmark) | 1 | Yes | 1 |
| Tuition centre or tutorial club | AED 100 to 200 per session, as reported by parents | Varies by centre | Yes | 2, 3 |
| Budget or online one-to-one tutor | AED 60 to 150 per hour (Dubai benchmark) | 1 | Yes | 1 |
| Exam-year specialist (IB, IGCSE, A-Level, CBSE) | AED 200 to 450+ per hour (Dubai benchmark) | 1 | Yes | 1, 4 |
Compare these rates with Progmetics fees: AED 450 a month for five subjects, excl. 5% VAT, for Grades 3 to 10. Class 11 and 12 have their own prices: see Class 11 and 12 fees. For what changes beyond the price when a tutor comes to your home, see online or home tuition.
Sources
- Bestimate, Tutoring Cost Dubai 2026, updated 23 September 2026.
- Khaleej Times, UAE work permit for private tuitions makes at-home studies more affordable for parents, 6 February 2025. A parent was quoted AED 200 per subject for a 45-minute session at a tutorial club, and pays AED 100 a class per subject on a term package at a JLT centre (classes of 45 minutes to about an hour).
- Khaleej Times, Online tutorials from Dh30, 6 February 2024. An Abu Dhabi parent put a tutorial club at about AED 150 to 180 a session.
- The National, Private tutoring could put school pupils’ mental health at risk, experts say, 13 January 2026. An Abu Dhabi parent was asked AED 500 an hour for A-Level maths and chemistry and negotiated it to AED 350.
What pushes a tuition rate up
The sources do not show CBSE tutors charging less as a rule. Bestimate’s Dubai benchmarks put an exam-year specialist, whether IB, IGCSE, A-Level or CBSE, at AED 200 to 450 or more an hour, against AED 60 to 150 for budget or online help. The highest single quote above came from one Abu Dhabi parent, asked AED 500 an hour for A-Level maths and chemistry, which she negotiated down to AED 350.
The calculation most families never do
Hourly pricing hides the annual figure. Work it through for a Grade 8 child taking three subjects at AED 120 an hour, near the top of the AED 60 to 150 Dubai benchmark for budget or online help, once a week each:
- 3 subjects × 4.33 weeks × AED 120 = AED 1,559 per month
- Across a ten-month academic year: AED 15,590
- For two children: AED 31,180 a year
That is a school fee in itself, and it buys three hours of teaching a week.
Five questions worth asking any provider
- How many children are in the class? Six is attention. Thirty is a lecture. There is no version of “small group” that includes twenty-five.
- Is it live, and are cameras on? A recording cannot notice that your child stopped following.
- What is the all-in monthly figure for every subject we need? Not the hourly rate. The monthly total.
- Can I sit in on a class? Any provider who hesitates has answered a different question.
- What happens if we want to stop? Notice periods and annual lock-ins tell you how confident they are in the teaching.
What a fair price looks like
There is no single right number, but there is a right ratio: what you pay should track how much of a teacher’s attention your child actually receives. Bestimate’s Dubai benchmark of AED 150 to 300 an hour for a qualified subject tutor buys one child that tutor’s full attention. When a centre quotes per class, as one parent’s JLT centre did at AED 100 a class per subject, ask how many children share that class before you compare it with a one-to-one rate.
Figures come from the sources listed above and were last checked on 22 October 2026. They vary by emirate, subject and grade, so treat them as a range, not a quotation.
Written by the academic team at Progmetics Education. Book a free demo class to see how we work.
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