Reasonable coaching hourly rates

- depends on the country (Eastern Europe coaches are generally less expensive).

I think you can't expect to get a good titled coach under 30$/hr. Then it's up to their reputation, but I think you can find good coaches in the 30-50$ range (I found a couple years ago). Above 50$/hr., I would expect the guy to be really exceptional and suited to your every needs.

Titled players under 30$/hr. are unlikely to put serious effort in their work, or not be very good at coaching. They will often show you canned material that you can find in books.

@NoobBatter

In an age when lessons no longer have to be conducted in person and when there is no dirth of titled and expert players residing in countries with very low cost of living indexes, I am convinced one can easily find a credible resource at a budget-friendly price. By retaining the services of such a person, you will have the added bonus of knowing the extra money you provide that person with will pack a powerful punch because revenue opportunities are often far more limited in those countries.

Chess has become my hobby of late but, though I am an attorney and earn a "better living" than the "average person", I would never consider speding 50-100 $/hr on a coach, perhaps because I come from modest circumstances and was dirt poor for an extended period of my adult life. Now, if I had been brought up under different material circumstances and money was not an object, I wouldn't hesitate to share the wealth with a chess coach charging 50+$/hr as the benefits of having a good one are real, immediate and of lasting value, I am sure. If I was without family obligations and intent upon becoming a chess professional or obtaining a title, I would also unhesitatingly make the sacrifices required to hire a coach, if only sporadically, for guidance as to my weaknesses and how best to address them and follow-up services to course-correct, if need be.

Regards,

Pix

I paid $75 hour for Yasser Seirawan for 2 hours. So $150 total. Then he showed up at the St.Louis club and we sent upstairs and talked for 3 hours!! We never played a single game. We drank coffee and he told he all about his matches with US championships, interzonals, playing Kasparov, Karpov, Shaq and Victor freaking Korchnoi. He showed me some games he played and explained his thoughts.

He is so nice and I think we both enjoyed our 3 hour talk. I never even asked to play just wanted to listen to all the history he was part of. I asked him what he thought about Karpov/Korchnoi drama and I got a first hand analysis of his game versus Tal. My time ran out and he said dont worry about it and he just kept talking another hour. I wouldn't have paid to talk to Fischer or Kasparov or probably Carlsen. But Yazz just doesnt seem like a stranger.

@Timegod I think your anecdote has provided those considering hiring a coach - and spending hard-earned cash to do so - with a valuable benchmark as to just what money can buy in terms of time with a respected chess professional. GM Seirawan is no slouch in the "effective teaching department" and those asking similar fees must be extraordinarily competent or, for one reason or another, in very high demand.

Hey you all. I am a chess coach from Chicago, working for the Chicago Chess Foundation. If anyone is interested in having me as a coach, you can contact me, and we can work out reasonable rates. I already have around 20 students that I have coached on lichess.org, the highest rated ones around 2250 or so, but I have had some as low as 700 (hope to keep on working with them to improve of course.)

I know that it's kind of hard to find a good coach for a reasonable price, so contact me, and we can discuss how to work to improve, and of course, try to be as fair as possible.

My brother earns 1500$/hour as a dentist...

@MissFortune I know kids living in remote Newcastle in Australia who teach math for over $100 an hour. And it's not even school math; it's high level olympiad math nobody uses for anything outside competitions. Plus all they do is give printouts and go through a few problems with their students.

Or if you think that's irrelevant, I know at least one IM who charges $100 an hour for chess coaching; Marc Esserman (MassterofMayhem)

It's an unfair world and some people do actually get $100 an hour even if they aren't "some enterpreteurs, or high skilled IT specialists".

@doctoracar get ready for ban cheater

is it just me or is #18 just super off topic

It's both, haha.

Anyways, once more, if you are all interested in being coached by me, let me know!