Question 1

How does Learnmate work?

Accepted Answer

Learnmate is an online marketplace that connects families and students with 700+ independent tutors and coaches across 110+ subjects in Australia. Unlike tutoring agencies, tutors on Learnmate set their own rates and deliver lessons directly to you. You can search tutors using filters for subject, year level, curriculum, location, budget and qualifications, or post a job on the Jobs Board and let interested tutors apply to you. Schedule lessons through the platform and start learning — online or in-person, anywhere in Australia.

Question 2

How much does private tutoring cost in Australia?

Accepted Answer

Tutors on Learnmate set their own hourly rates, starting from just $30/hr + GST — up to 50% cheaper than tutoring agencies. Average rates in 2025: Primary School $42/hour, Years 7-10 $57/hour, Year 11-12 $68/hour, overall average $64/hour. Learnmate is more affordable because tutors keep 70-77% of their earnings compared to 35-60% at agencies. There are no lock-in contracts and optional prepaid packages are available for additional savings.

Question 3

How is Learnmate different from tutoring agencies?

Accepted Answer

Learnmate is a marketplace, not an agency. You choose your tutor, see their full profile including credentials, experience, ratings and reviews, and pay fair rates with no lock-in contracts. Tutors keep 70-77% of their earnings (compared to 35-60% at agencies), meaning better rates without compromising tutor quality. Learnmate offers a 100% Good Fit Guarantee — switch tutors anytime or pause lessons without penalty. Parents also receive lesson digests after each session.

Question 4

What subjects and curricula do Learnmate tutors cover?

Accepted Answer

Learnmate tutors cover 110+ subjects across every major Australian curriculum including VCE, HSC, IB, QCE, WACE, SACE and TCE — from ELC and primary school through to Year 12 and beyond. Subjects include English, Maths, Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Economics, Accounting, Legal Studies, Psychology and more. Additional offerings include test preparation (ATAR, UCAT, GAMSAT), languages (French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Japanese), musical instruments (Piano, Guitar, Violin), technology (coding, AI, web development) and business and life coaching.

Question 5

Is tutoring on Learnmate in-person or online?

Accepted Answer

Both. Tutors on Learnmate are available online and in-person across Australia including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and regional areas. Use the location filter to find in-person tutors near you, or search for online tutors to access the full range Australia-wide. Research from Evidence for Learning and Learnmate's own data confirm that online tutoring delivers broadly similar results to in-person sessions.

Question 6

Are Learnmate tutors qualified and safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All tutors must meet strict minimum standards before being approved to list on Learnmate, and all tutors working with students under 18 are required to hold a current Working with Children Check. The tutor community includes qualified teachers (VIT registered), 99+ ATAR graduates, Premier's Award recipients, university students from Medicine, Law, Engineering and Science, industry professionals, and UCAT 99th percentilers. Use the 'Qualified Teacher' and 'Special Needs Experience' filters when searching.

Question 7

Can I try a tutor before committing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Learnmate offers a 100% Good Fit Guarantee with no lock-in contracts or fixed terms — you can switch tutors anytime or pause lessons without penalty. Many tutors also offer a free first lesson or discounted trial; check individual tutor profiles for their policies. There's no minimum number of lessons to purchase and no commitment beyond each individual session.

Question 8

Is online tutoring as effective as in-person?

Accepted Answer

Research from Evidence for Learning found that studies involving digital technology show broadly similar effects to in-person tuition. Online tutoring offers practical benefits including greater scheduling flexibility, access to a wider pool of tutors regardless of location in Australia, no travel time and the ability to record sessions for revision. Many families find that students who may be shy in person engage more comfortably in an online setting.

Question 9

How do I pay for lessons on Learnmate?

Accepted Answer

Learnmate is a cashless platform. Payment is automatically processed from your linked credit or debit card 24 hours after each lesson via Stripe, one of the world's most trusted payment providers (also used by Airbnb, Amazon, Shopify and Zoom). Learnmate does not store or have visibility over your payment details. Cash payments and direct transfers are not accepted.

Question 10

How do I schedule a lesson with my tutor?

Accepted Answer

There are two ways to get started. Click 'Contact tutor' on any tutor's profile to message them directly and discuss your requirements, or click 'Request lesson' to submit your preferred day, time and tutoring needs. Once your tutor schedules a lesson, you'll receive a notification and it will appear in your Learnmate calendar. For your first lesson, we recommend starting online to increase scheduling flexibility.

Question 11

How often should tutoring lessons be?

Accepted Answer

Research from Evidence for Learning shows that one-to-one tuition delivers an average of five additional months of academic progress, with primary school students benefiting even more (+6 months) compared to secondary students (+4 months). For optimum results, the evidence recommends short, regular sessions of roughly 30 minutes, 3-5 times per week over a set period for primary students, and longer sessions of 1-1.5 hours, 1-2 times per week for Year 11-12 students. Tutoring works best when it's additional to and explicitly linked with normal classroom lessons. Beyond academic progress, studies also found that one-to-one tutoring benefits students' confidence, motivation and emotional wellbeing.

Question 12

How can tutoring help my child succeed academically?

Accepted Answer

Research from Evidence for Learning found that one-to-one tuition provides an average of five additional months of academic progress. The impact is even greater for primary school students (+6 months), students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those with low prior attainment. For Year 11 and 12 students, Learnmate's research shows that 70% of students who achieve ATARs of 99+ engage one or more tutors. Learnmate has the largest network of senior secondary tutors in Australia, including 99+ ATAR achievers, perfect study scorers, Premier's Award recipients and qualified teachers covering VCE, HSC, IB, QCE, WACE, SACE and TCE subjects. Online tutoring delivers broadly similar results to in-person, so location is no barrier to getting started.

Category: UCAT/GAMSAT