Report: Every fourth Estonian parent has hired a private tutor for their child
Twenty-eight percent of parents have hired private tutors to support their children's schoolwork, most often in Ida-Viru, Harju and Tartu counties.
The greatest need for academic support emerges in grades 7–9, peaking in grade 9 where students most often seek help in mathematics, Estonian and English, according to a report by the Foresight Center, which commissioned the survey.
The survey, the first of its kind conducted in Estonia, shows that private tutors are used most often in Ida-Viru County (46 percent), Harju County (36 percent) and Tartu County (24 percent). In Tallinn, 39 percent of parents have hired a private tutor at some point during their child's schooling.
In Ida-Viru County and parts of Harju County, the use of private tutors can be explained by the need to support students transitioning to Estonian-language instruction. In Harju and Tartu counties, the trend is linked to higher average household incomes, which enable families to afford paid academic support.
The average hourly rate for a private tutor is between €20 and €29. Among families who have used private tutoring, 45 percent spent €100–€499 during their child's highest-need year, 21 percent spent €500–€999 and 23 percent spent €1,000 or more.
The Foresight Center notes in its brief report that the use of private tutors may also be driven by teacher shortages and broader shortcomings within the school system.
"Private tutors are often hired to help students prepare for exams and boost their confidence in certain subjects. At the same time, in many parts of Estonia, there is a shortage of subject teachers and support specialists, which may result in students not getting the help they need at school. In such cases, families turn to private tutors," said Eneli Kindsiko, an expert at the Foresight Center, adding that the private tutoring market reveals two conflicting trends.
"On the one hand, private tutors are used to compensate for deficiencies in the school system. On the other, parents feel social pressure to turn their children into more competitive students and tutoring is more often about maintaining advantage than addressing genuine learning difficulties," Kindsiko explained.
Survey results indicate that private tutoring is generally effective and can significantly improve a child's academic performance.
The Foresight Center also warns that the widespread use of private instruction could deepen educational inequality, particularly when tutoring is used to make up for gaps in the public school system. Students whose families can afford private tutoring gain a competitive edge, making educational opportunities increasingly dependent not only on the school itself, but also on a family's financial resources.
The survey was conducted by Norstat on behalf of the Foresight Center. A total of 2,000 parents with at least one child between the ages of 6 and 19 responded. The online survey was carried out in both Estonian and Russian.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
