For instructors
Earnings & costs
What you can realistically earn, and the real costs behind it. Start with the calculator, then sanity-check against these indicative figures. Everything here is a guide, and before income tax.
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Indicative costs
- Lesson rate: around £40-60 an hour in London, more for experience, intensives or peak slots.
- Car fuel & maintenance: roughly £3,000-6,000 a year (lower for an EV you charge at home). You teach in your own car - we do not provide one.
- Instructor insurance: roughly £1,000-3,000 a year.
- Weekly running costs: around £100 a week - the blurred bucket covering sat nav, kit, SIM, tech and any school or franchise fee.
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Tax basics (2025/26)
- Take-home is roughly 70-80% of profit, a little less for higher earners.
- You get a £12,570 tax-free allowance, then pay 20% income tax and 6% Class 4 National Insurance on profit above it, and 40% over £50,270.
- Set aside about a quarter to a third of profit for the taxman. General information, not financial advice.
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Start with a first lesson.