Say you want to give basic sewing lessons on an individual basis. The student will come to your house and you’ll teach simple techniques, not tailoring or anything really complex. Your student may be a kid of 10 or more, or an adult. What would you expect to charge per hour for your expertise and time?
(I’m not actually thinking of doing this right now, I have too much on my plate, but I do know some people interested in taking lessons and wondering about how much it might reasonably cost.)
I think it depends on your local economy and materials. If they are bringing the fabric and your area isn’t a market with lots of discretionary spending, then you’ll charge less.
My kneejerk reaction is that I would pay $20 an hour for techniques lessons/tutoring from an experienced seamstress. In my area though, people don’t have a lot of money, so $35 is a fee for a 6 hour workshop here…so I suppose I would expect to see $10 an hour for individual tutoring, but that seems low, given how intensive a well-planned and executed lesson can be, exhaustive and exhausting for student and teacher.
When I lived in San Diego, I taught spinning and knitting. For spinning classes where I provided the materials, I charged $30 for the first hour, $20 for each hour after. $20 an hour for knitting. Really, you can learn/teach a lot in an hour if you can keep the student focused and lesson directed.
When I worked at the fabric store (until March) we charged $60 for a series of four lessons, two hours apiece. They were group lessons, not individual, and the woman who taught them was basically a contractor, not an employee. Students were required to bring their own machines and provide all their own materials. They could purchase what they needed on class night if they wanted, at a discount.
Thanks. I do think that ‘real lessons’ would cost ~$20/hour. If it was a friend or out of the kindness of my heart, I might do $10. The only person I know who teaches sewing charges $40/month, and it’s a two-hour lesson once a week! She must be a very generous person.