Guides · 7 min read
Private lesson software for solo teachers and instructors
Private lesson software is a tool that keeps each student’s details, weekly lessons, lesson notes and payments in one place. For a solo teacher or instructor, it should handle recurring one-to-one lessons, packages and parent contacts, without the staff rotas and room bookings built for schools.
The short answer
Software to manage private lessons should do five things: keep a record for each student, hold a weekly schedule of repeating lessons, store a note from every lesson, track what each family has paid, and give the student or parent a simple way to see what is coming up.
That applies whether you teach piano, tennis, maths, swimming, riding or singing. The lesson changes. The work around it stays the same: the same student at the same time each week, a note on what you covered, and a payment to keep track of.
Another Session is private lesson software built for that one-to-one work. Every feature is free for up to three clients, with no card and no time limit. Complete has unlimited clients with exactly the same features.
The three kinds of lesson software
Search for lesson software and you will find three different kinds of tool. They solve different problems.
The guide on studio software or coach software explains the difference in more detail.
Booking tools
A public calendar where anyone can pick a slot. Useful when new customers book one-off appointments. Less useful for private teaching, where most students keep the same weekly slot for months and the calendar rarely needs to be open to the public.
School and studio software
Built for music schools, academies and clubs with several teachers. It handles staff rotas, rooms, payroll and enrolment. A solo teacher pays for, and has to work around, features they will never use.
Software for a solo teacher’s own students
Built around the student rather than the calendar slot. Each student has a record with notes, lessons and payments together. This is the kind most independent teachers, tutors and coaches are looking for.
What a solo teacher needs it to do
A record for every student
Name, level, goals and, for younger students, the parent’s name, phone and email. One place to open before a lesson.
Repeating weekly lessons
Book the Tuesday 4pm lesson once and let it repeat. Move one week without rebuilding the rest of the term.
A note for each lesson
Two or three lines on what you covered and what to practise. Over a year, those notes show the student’s progress better than memory can.
Payments next to the lesson
Pay per lesson, by the month or with a prepaid package. You should see who is paid and who is behind without opening a spreadsheet.
Something to send the family
An invoice and a short summary of the month, so the parent knows what was covered and what is owed.
A phone that does the job
Most private teachers write notes between lessons, in a car park or on a train. The software has to work well on a phone.
What you can leave out
Most solo teachers do not need staff management, room booking, payroll, a website builder or a marketing suite. Each one adds screens to learn and usually adds to the monthly price.
A public booking page is optional too. If your students keep a regular weekly slot, you can agree the time with them and enter it once. Many teachers prefer to keep control of their own diary.
How Another Session manages private lessons
Another Session is built for teachers, tutors and coaches who work one to one, or with small groups, on their own.
Each client has a record with their contact details, a parent or guardian if needed, their lessons and every past note in order. Lessons can repeat weekly, and small group lessons keep a separate payment for each student.
You choose how each client pays: per lesson, hourly, by the month or with a prepaid package that counts down as lessons are completed. Share your payment link or bank details on invoices, and mark each payment as received. Monthly invoices and summaries can be prepared for you to check before they are sent.
Each client or parent gets a private link to see upcoming lessons and what is due, and your lessons can appear in the calendar on your phone. Another Session does not offer public self-booking. You agree lesson times with your students and add them yourself.
See pricing for the monthly price of Complete in your currency.
How to choose private lesson software
Before you move your students over, try the software with a real week of lessons.
Add three real students
Include one with a parent contact and one who pays with a package. If that takes more than a few minutes each, the software will slow you down every week.
Write a note on your phone
Do it straight after a lesson, as you would on a normal day.
Record a payment
Check that you can see at a glance who has paid this month.
Look at the monthly price for your full list
Some tools charge per student or per feature. Work out the cost at your current number of students, and at the number you hope to have next year.
Frequently asked questions
What is private lesson software?
Private lesson software is a tool for teachers, tutors and coaches who teach one to one. It keeps student records, a weekly lesson schedule, lesson notes and payments in one place.
What is the best software to manage private lessons?
For a solo teacher, the best fit is software built around individual students rather than a school timetable. Look for repeating weekly lessons, notes for each lesson, package and monthly billing, parent contacts and a good phone app.
Is there free private lesson software?
Yes. Another Session is free for up to three clients, with every feature included and no time limit. Every account starts with 30 days of unlimited clients, no card required.
Do I need a booking page for private lessons?
Not usually. Most private students keep the same weekly slot, so many teachers agree times directly and enter them once. A public booking page suits one-off appointments better than weekly lessons.
Can private lesson software handle packages of lessons?
Good private lesson software can. In Another Session, a prepaid package counts down as each lesson is completed, so you and the client can see how many lessons are left.
Does it work for music, sport and tutoring?
Yes. The admin around a private lesson is the same in every subject: a student record, a regular time, a note on each lesson and a payment. Another Session is built for music teachers, tutors and sports coaches alike.
Run your coaching, calmly
One calm place for clients, sessions, notes and payments. Free for up to three clients, no card needed.
Free for up to three clients. No card required.