You know what you charge a student in your centre group. The moment lessons go online, the question changes. Do you charge the same? Monthly or for the whole term? What about the student who only wants the revision for one chapter?
Get it wrong and you either leave money on the table or push away students who would have paid happily. Most teachers copy whatever a colleague does, and a colleague's model may not fit your subject, your students or your calendar.
This guide walks through the four common models, when each one works, and how to set a price you can defend.
The four pricing models at a glance
| Model | Works best for | Main strength | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | Secondary school, year-long subjects | Predictable monthly income | Students pause in exam months or holidays |
| Per term or full year | Committed students, parents who prefer one payment | Cash upfront, fewer drop-outs | Refund requests; harder for families to pay at once |
| Per lesson or per chapter | Revisions, weak spots, students catching up | Low barrier, easy first purchase | Income is unpredictable; many small payments to manage |
| Per course | Languages, skills, university subjects | Clear value and clear end | Needs a steady flow of new students |
Monthly subscription
This is the closest to how centre groups already work, so students and parents understand it immediately. Access opens when they pay and closes when the month ends.
It fits a physics or chemistry teacher running a full-year secondary-school course. Income is steady, and you can plan assistants and content around it.
Watch the calendar. Students often pause around exam periods or holidays, and some will subscribe only in the months with the hardest chapters. A platform that closes access automatically at the end of each month keeps this fair without you chasing anyone.
Per term or full-year package
Here the student pays once for a term or a year, usually at a discount compared with paying monthly.
It works well for parents who prefer to pay once and forget about it, and for your cash flow at the start of the year. Students who have paid for a whole term also tend to stay.
The risk is refunds. Decide the rule before you sell, write it on the payment page, and apply it the same way for everyone. For example: a full refund within the first week, nothing after that. Also consider that many families cannot pay a full term at once, so keep a monthly option beside it.
Per lesson or per chapter
Selling single lessons or chapters lowers the barrier. A student who is weak in one chapter, or who joined late, can buy just what they need.
This is also the best format for revision. A "final revision for chapter 3" or an "exam night" session sells well on its own, even to students who are not your regular subscribers.
The downside is that income depends on every small purchase, and managing many small payments by hand is painful. Prepaid codes help here: a student buys a code at the centre or from an assistant and uses it to open a specific lesson.
Per course
For English, German, programming, or a university subject with a clear syllabus, a fixed price for the whole course makes sense. The student knows what they get and when it ends.
This model needs a steady stream of new students, because each one pays once. It pairs naturally with a follow-up course, such as level 2 after level 1. If you are building that stream, see getting your first 100 students onto your platform.
How to set the actual number
There is no correct price that fits every teacher, but there is a sensible way to reach yours.
- Start from your centre price. Online students often accept a similar or slightly lower price, since they save on transport and time.
- List your real monthly costs: platform, video streaming, assistants, payment fees and your own preparation time.
- Decide how many paying students you realistically expect, not how many you hope for.
- Set the main price, then create at most one or two alternatives, such as a term discount or a single-chapter price.
- Review after one term using real numbers: renewals, drop-outs and which option students actually chose.
Centre students and online students together
If you run centre groups and online students, decide early whether centre students get the recordings included or as a small add-on. Either works if the rule is clear and written down. A practical option: include recordings for centre students so they can catch up on missed sessions, and sell them to online students as a full subscription.
Pricing for Gulf students
If you teach students in Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Oman, you can set separate prices in their currency rather than converting your Egyptian price. Students there compare you with local options, not with Egyptian centres. Make sure your platform and payment provider support the currencies you plan to use.
Payments, codes and fees
How students pay affects which models work. Monthly subscriptions work best when renewal is easy. Single lessons work best when paying takes seconds.
- Mobile wallets and InstaPay are common in Egypt, but you need a clear way to match each transfer to a student, such as a reference number or a confirmation step.
- Cards through a payment gateway can open access automatically.
- Prepaid codes let you sell through your centre, bookshops and assistants, and suit students without cards. Each code should be single-use and tied to the account that uses it.
Payment gateways charge fees that vary by provider, plan and payment method, so ask each one for its current rate sheet and include the fee in your price calculation. For a full overview, read accepting online payments in Egypt.
Common pricing mistakes
- Too many options. Five packages confuse parents. Two or three is plenty.
- Underpricing online content. Recorded lessons can be watched again and again. They are not worth less than a live group.
- Permanent discounts. A discount that never ends becomes the real price. Use clear deadlines, such as early payment before the term starts.
- No refund rule. Decide it, write it down, and apply it consistently.
- Ignoring payment fees. On small single-lesson payments, a fixed fee can take a noticeable share.
- Forgetting students without cards. If renewal needs a card, you lose students every month. Keep wallets, InstaPay and codes available for every model.
- Changing prices mid-term. Change them between terms, and tell current students early.
Questions people ask
Should online students pay less than centre students?
Often a little less, because they save on transport and time. But good recordings with exams and follow-up are worth a fair price. Do not discount by habit.
Should I offer a free trial lesson?
One free lesson per subject works well. It lets students and parents judge your teaching and your platform before paying. Avoid free weeks, which attract people who never intend to pay.
Can I sell monthly and per chapter at the same time?
Yes, and many teachers do. Make sure subscribers already get every chapter included, so nobody pays twice for the same content.
How do I handle siblings or group discounts?
A small, clear discount for a second sibling is common and builds loyalty. Set it as a fixed rule on the platform, not a private deal on WhatsApp.
When should I raise my prices?
Between terms, after you have added real value such as a question bank, better exams or parent reports. Announce it early and keep the old price for students who renew before a set date.
Where to start
Pick one main model that matches how your course runs, add at most one alternative, and write your refund rule on the payment page. After one term, let the real numbers guide the next change.
If you want a platform that handles subscriptions, terms, single lessons and codes in one place, read your own e-learning platform as a teacher or book a meeting to talk it through.