Speak Better Spanish is better if you want a plan before you pay, three coaches, a recording and notes after every session, and email support, at $81 to $90 an hour. A private tutor can be a great fit if you find the right person and may cost less, but what comes with the hour is up to each tutor. See all our comparisons, or read Speak Better Spanish vs Local Spanish Classes.
Speak Better Spanish vs a Private Spanish Tutor at a glance
| Private tutor | Speak Better Spanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Set by each tutor. | $90 for a 60-minute coaching session or $50 for 30 minutes. Packages of 12, 24 or 48 hours bring it down to $85.50, $83.25 or $81 an hour. |
| Format | One-to-one lessons, in person or online. | Live one-to-one coaching on Zoom: 60-minute coaching sessions or 30-minute Spanish-only conversation sessions. |
| Approach | Tutoring. Many tutors work through material with you, or help with what you bring to each lesson. | Coaching. A free Roadmap Session sets your plan before you pay, every session has a job, and the same three coaches get to know you. |
| Who teaches | One person. Quality depends on who you find. | A small team of three coaches: Hannah (19+ years teaching), Arturo and Jacky. Package hours work with any of them. |
| Notes and recordings | Up to the tutor. | A recording, notes and practice after every session, plus email support between sessions. |
| Guarantee | Up to the tutor. | Full refund if you are not fully satisfied, as long as you tell us within 28 days. |
| Scheduling | Up to the tutor. | Pick a coach and a time in the booking calendar. Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead, with one free pass for emergencies. |
| Plan before you pay | Up to the tutor. | Yes. A free Roadmap Session maps your goals, your level and what holds you back, and your written plan comes by email the same day. No payment info needed. |
| Same coaches who know you | Yes, if you stay with one tutor. Switching means starting over with someone new. | Yes. Hannah, Arturo and Jacky, so you hear more than one accent without starting over with a stranger. |
| Support between sessions | Up to the tutor. | Yes. Email a question or something you wrote, and we correct it. |
| Immersion trips | Up to the tutor. | Yes. Small-group trips in Mexico hosted by Hannah, where you use Spanish in real situations every day. |
| Included with packages | Up to the tutor. | The recording, your notes and your practice after every session, email support between sessions, certificates as your sessions add up, and a free workbook. 24-hour and 48-hour packages also get a free 30-minute session in your birthday month. The 48-hour package also gets 10% off immersion trips, group workshops and add-ons. |
| 30-minute conversation sessions | Sometimes. It depends on the tutor, and so do recordings and notes. | Yes. 30 minutes in Spanish with Hannah, Arturo or Jacky, and you get the recording and your notes after. Sessions use the same package hours as coaching. We have held more than 1,000 since 2017. |
| Best for | Help with homework, grammar questions or a specific exam. | Adults who want to actually speak Spanish, with a plan, the same small team of coaches and help between sessions. |
This page describes private tutors in general, so it quotes no outside prices or policies. Prices, schedules and policies vary, so check with the tutor before you pay. Our prices are on the pricing page.
Is a private tutor the same as a coach?
Not quite. A tutor usually helps with what you bring to each lesson: homework, grammar questions, practice. A coach looks at the whole picture, your goals and what is blocking you, and builds a plan. Tutoring answers questions. Coaching gives you direction and someone who keeps you on track.
A small team instead of one person
With one tutor, everything rides on that person. With us you work with Hannah, Arturo and Jacky, so you hear more than one accent and a new speaker does not throw you. Package hours work with any of them, so switching coaches does not mean starting over.
What working with Speak Better Spanish looks like
- You book a free Roadmap Session on Zoom. There is no payment info and no commitment. We look at your goals, your level and what is holding you back.
- Your written plan comes by email the same day. It shows where you are, where you are going and the best next step. Some people take the plan and keep going on their own, and that is fine.
- If you go ahead, you pick a coach and a time: a 60-minute coaching session built around a topic you choose, or a 30-minute Spanish-only conversation session.
- Every session starts with something you are celebrating, and you speak from the first session. Your coach corrects you in the moment and tells you why.
- After every session you get the recording, your notes, the vocabulary from your own conversation and your practice for the week, by email.
- Between sessions you can email a question or something you wrote, and we correct it.
- You keep working with the same three coaches, and every session is recorded and written up, so nobody starts from zero and nothing you learn gets lost.
- If it is not right for you, tell us within 28 days for a full refund.
Hannah founded Speak Better Spanish, and she is not a native speaker. She learned Spanish herself, first in school and then by living in Spain and Mexico, so she has been where you are. In her words: “I’m a non-native Spanish speaker who started from scratch.” (Hannah, on our YouTube channel)
Our 30-minute conversation sessions
Most intermediate adults understand more Spanish than they can say. Our 30-minute conversation sessions are for that gap. You talk with Hannah, Arturo or Jacky in Spanish about your own life: your week, a trip, your work, your family. Your coach keeps you talking, helps when you get stuck and corrects the mistakes that matter, without turning it into a grammar class. You get the recording and your notes afterward. Sessions use the same package hours as 60-minute coaching, so many students take a coaching hour one week and a conversation session the next. We have held more than 1,000 of these sessions since 2017. A session is $50 on its own, and less with a package. See how conversation sessions work.
What you only get at Speak Better Spanish
- Three ways to practice with the same coaches: 60-minute coaching, 30-minute Spanish-only conversation sessions (free-flowing or themed, with one small thing to practice and nothing to hand in), and small group conversation classes on Zoom with at most 8 students. Each series has one topic, Mexican culture is part of every class, and every class is recorded.
- Coaches based in Mexico who teach the Spanish people there speak every day. The whole team is bilingual: Hannah, Arturo and Jacky all speak English and Spanish, so beginners can ask questions in English.
- Immersion trips in Mexico hosted by Hannah, like the La Paz trip, where you use your Spanish in real situations every day.
- A free library for the days between sessions, made by the same team: our blog, YouTube channel, podcast and free Spanish Starter Pack.
- Research from our own lessons. Our study of 1,896 one-to-one lessons found that the first class decides most of it: 13.4% of adults never took a second class, and 77.1% of those who reached a fifth went on to ten or more.
Why the cheaper option can cost more
A lower hourly rate is real savings, and some tutors are excellent. The risk is in what the rate leaves out. Hours can go to chats with no plan, to explaining your level again each time you try someone new, and to forgetting what came up because nothing was written down. If an hour does not help you speak better, a low rate does not make it a good deal.
What our students say
“I’m making steady progress without the frustration I’ve had with other tutors.”
Donna Templeton, Google review
“…she was quick to draft a plan to address what I want to accomplish as a Spanish learner.”
Jeanne Chutuape, Google review
Who should choose a private tutor
- You found a tutor you trust and like working with.
- You need help with schoolwork, grammar questions or an exam.
- You want lessons in person, in your town.
Who should choose Speak Better Spanish
- You have tried tutors before and still freeze when a real conversation starts.
- You want the same small team of coaches who get to know you.
- You want a plan before you pay, from a free Roadmap Session.
- You want a recording, notes and practice after every session, and someone to email between sessions.
See how our coaching works, read what students say (19+ years teaching, founded in 2014, 3,300+ live sessions coached, 5.0 on Google), or read Spanish tutor vs Spanish coach.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Spanish tutor and a Spanish coach?
A tutor usually helps with what you bring to each lesson, like homework or grammar questions. A coach looks at your goals and what is blocking you, builds a plan and guides real conversation practice.
Is a private tutor cheaper than Speak Better Spanish?
Often, yes. Each tutor sets their own price. Speak Better Spanish costs $90 for a 60-minute coaching session or $50 for 30 minutes, and packages bring it down to $81 to $85.50 an hour.
Is Speak Better Spanish coaching or tutoring?
Coaching. You start with a free Roadmap Session, every session has a job, and you get the recording, notes and practice afterward, plus email support between sessions.
What if I do not like it?
Tell us within 28 days for a full refund. You can also start with a free Roadmap Session before you pay anything.
Which is better for a nervous adult learner?
It depends on the tutor you find. Our coaching is built for adults who feel nervous speaking: mistakes are expected, nobody puts you on the spot, and the free Roadmap Session sets a plan before you spend anything.
Start with a free Roadmap Session
If your goal is to speak Spanish, this is the place to start. Book a free Roadmap Session. In one Zoom call we look at your goals, your level and what is holding you back, and your written plan comes by email the same day. It is free, with no commitment and no payment info. You leave with a plan, even if that plan is to keep your tutor.
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