Why are Chess Lessons so overpriced?

I know I will get lots of hate comments in response to this, but from my point of view the prices of chess lessons are extremely inflated. Any normal middle class person would not be able to afford to pay the hourly wage of $50 an hour which is truly the minimum I have seen. You would have to be rich to afford that even in the U.S. where I am from, but I now live in Ecuador where the minimum wage is $364/month which would only be equivalent to just a few lessons! Not to mention that the chess coaches who are charging that high of an hourly wage, probably could not afford to pay that themselves... Or maybe they could? Also, the average wage of a teacher is $27/hour in the U.S., so chess coaches are making triple or quadruple that if not more and they have no teaching credentials or experience at all which is probably WAY more important than how good they are OTB. I am not accusing all chess coaches of charging too much, but I see that 99% of the coaches on Chess.com are charging outrageous prices. I would not argue that some masters should be charging these prices, because they have really earned it through building their reputations and just being gifted and passionate chess teachers who stick out far from the rest, but not just anyone can be a master coach. If I were in the business, I'd charge dramatically less than everyone else and dominate the market place! Make a good living for myself doing what I am passionate about and make it affordable for passionate individuals like myself to get better at chess. Other business opportunities would evolve as well with such a big following and reputation in return for charging more reasonable prices. Praveen Sagar is my chess coach and charges $10-$20 an hour. He works day in and day out at a Chess Academy in India and gives chess lessons via Skype. Most would be concerned that he is untitled, but I assure you that he knows his stuff and explains things very well. He will go out of his way and prep as needed for your classes so you get the most out of them. He's probably not the greatest OTB player in the world, but for any beginner or intermediate player (<1400 ELO FIDE) looking to improve their game and/or a clear direction or study plan to getting better at chess, look no further... Any thoughts or comments on the over inflated prices or why literally no one out there is offering chess lessons at a lower $ per hour? I don't understand why no one is competing with these inflated prices... Note that if you are a beginning or intermediate player, why would you need chess lessons from a chess master? Any good player/instructor will do the trick until you reach a higher level where you would need to upgrade your coach if he/she himself is not improving. All thoughts and comments appreciated. 

Im sure youll get some ridiculous comments, but my .02 cents is this.  You dont need to hire a titled player to coach you.  In fact i think a better way to start is with someone that is a rating class above you.  They will be familair with what youre experiencing, and paying them a few bucks benefits then and you.  

It also depends on what you want to get out of chess.  

Are you a very casual player?  I have a young lady thats in her mid 20's that just wants to be able to beat her boss.  I work with her for free, because its not requiring any serious prep, and we arent on a strict schedule.  

Are you a casual tournament player? The type of player that just plays in small local 1 day events?  You dont need a titled player here either.  Find a local club player, that you can pay a little bit for there time, and services.

Or are you serious about the game?  This is where you would want to make a serious investment in study, and coaching.

Hey GodsPawn2016, thank you for your response and comment. I just invited you to a correspondence chess game by the way. I agree with everything you said. My answer is, "yes", to all your questions, but I understand and every player should understand that there is no instant "become a chess master quick scheme". Becoming better at chess takes willpower, discipline and patience. Would you agree?

I think people can charge what they want it's up to people to decide if they value the services at those prices. I'd also say that titled players coaching is similar to academics- undergraduates and graduates may be able to teach the basics and some more advanced materials in a given subject, just like class players in chess, but the higher their ratings and titles the more advanced and greater depth of knowledge they have and skills they have. I think most doctorate level professionals make around $50/hour or more in the USA, similar to what many GM's here charge. But I knew an FM who charged only $8/hr a few years ago, so it's really up to the coaches and what they are needing out of it. I think untitled players coaching happens a lot but isn't as advertised and noticed. I think even finding a training buddy would help a lot of players improve but having someone who's above your abilities assisting you, paid or unpaid, can be a huge benefit and save unknown time and possibly money going at it alone.

Thanks candidate25 for your response . I agree with mostly what you are saying, but I think that the prices are overinflated and it's like the status quo to be charging these higher dollar amount per hour. It's like there is a monopoly on it and you would be surprised how unaccepting people are to take any kind of lessons or advice from untitled players. I would believe that there are lots of titled coaches as well who have no teaching experience whatsoever, so no matter how good or high their knowledge is, you are still not getting your money's worth. I think chess.com should have a $10-$15 an hour section for coaches. 

Coaches want money.

-Warren Buffett

I believe IM/GM coaches are worth what they charge, but most people don't need them. As a rule, you can learn everything you need to know from someone rated 300 points above you. Anything beyond that is likely to be a waste. It's like paying a GM to teach a novice how the pieces move, even though any 1200-rated player could teach that just as well.

Makes great sense Bramblyspam .

"Better at chess" is relative.  I have students that arent serious about the game.  I have students that only play once a month in 1 day tournaments, and i have students that do take it serious.  They all want to get "better", and they all have differing ideas of what better is.

Yeah, I guess they do! How do we know one coach is better than another if they all charge the same? Hey, I live in Ecuador and am friends with Warren Buffet's Vice President back in the day. She lives in Ecuador... Cool, eh?

True dat! 

Just get a coach above your level for few classes till you reach till his level then hire other coach. 

Or just take few classes with higher player for a systematic training approach with they could help you with. This would help you

This kind of goes back to supply and demand. Good coaches may start out under $15/hour, but then as they get recognized for their prices and quality of services they begin to get swamped with student and can't take anymore on. Sometimes they'll raise their prices then. Other times you have coaches who live in higher priced areas of the world, so they charge rates which reflect their area, whilst many don't live in such high priced areas and therefore can't afford their services. At the end of the day you just have to do your own research and make a decision how much you can afford to pay for coaching. I think many people shun untitled coaches because it's harder to verify they can teach. At least titled players have verified they have knowledge to teach in chess, whether they can effectively or not is up to them to show.

Do chess coaches charge to much? That depends how many are purchasing their services and if the coaches are happy with that amount. It appears most coaches are satisfied because many charge over $20/hour that I've seen. If the demand became to low coaches would have to lower their rates if they wanted students.

I think you 'll find that the pricing for one on one lessons with a competent teacher are about the same in other fields too , like music for example . It is very expensive but on the other hand I guess you wouldn't want lessons to be too frequent as you need time in between them to review them on your own . And probably from a teacher's point of view the price needs to cover all the expenses and taxes that come with self employment . But that's just my assumption

The average teacher may me making $27/hr but the average teacher also gets insurance, retirement, vacation, disability, etc. 

The average chess coach that is doing it as their primary means of income gets none of that on top of the $50 and also has to pay both the employee and the employer FICA taxes so take an additional 7.65% off the top so that $50 is really $46.18. The coach also only gets paid when he is actively working with a student. He doesn't get paid when he is between students(even 10 minutes adds up over time) and if a student drops that income is just gone. He also doesn't get paid while he is preparing lessons(an argument that could probably be made for teachers but many get a planning period during the day).

As already mentioned, a GM coach is the equivalent of a doctorate or even a post-doctorate as far as educational attainment is concerned. A NM coach or lower generally does cost less. I know of one who charges $28/hr.

None of this is meant to denigrate teachers in anyway but the comparison is not apples to apples at all.

Partly,because, we live in a 'dog-eat-dog'/ every 'man' looking out, for himself, world ! .. Ie. Why was my 'side order' of 'hash browns' so pitifully small, at a restaurant, the other day ? ..Ie. Could've been a managerial 'directive'.. to 'increase profit margins'.. through 'skimping' on quantity!?

Umm, because chess coaches are severely underfunded.

Coaches have spent many years acquiring the knowledge they have, and gaining the experience to prepare lessons and teach effectively.

Also, there is a HUGE price difference when it comes to online lessons versus going to a student's home. I go to my students' homes (this is how lessons are nearly always given in New York City) which requires a great deal of time and expense. Parents understand this, and on the flip side of paying for the convenience of not having to travel anywhere for the lesson.

With most children, personal interaction with the coach is important, so online or skype lessons are out of the question. Such students would not take lessons at all if they couldn't get a coach to come to their home.

In short, there are many "non-chess" considerations, not even getting into some of the issues mentioned in previous posts.

Add it all up, and that is why I (and basically any teacher in NYC worth their salt) charges what we do ($100+ per hour).

Here's an experiment:

See how much it costs to get a reading, music, or SAT teacher to come to your home. If I could teach the SAT, I would make a hell of a lot more money than I do teaching chess.

Hmmm...A good coach spends at least 50% of time preparing for lessons, so let's see what $50/year translates into a yearly salary...

8 hours per day, 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year. That is 2000 hours per year, only which 1000 would be billable time. That is $50,000 per year, assuming that teaching chess is the person's full time job.

There are areas of the world where this is a good income. I can tell you that where I live in the United States, this would barely cover the bills for one person, and you could not raise a family on this. After the cost of healthcare, this would be considered poverty.

The cost of living is much higher here than in Ecuador, so please understand, KingNick, that economies are relative to each other. What sounds like a fortune to a person in one country would not be a livable wage in another.

It is pretty much the same in any service or consulting field. Most coaches are likely not working 40 hours a week, every week, and need to cover their expenses and be able to weather slow periods when they might not have many students. 

 

You are paying for expertise and as others have posted, you can find less expensive options.