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How much does a DJ course cost in the UK? (honest numbers from someone who teaches one)

By Omar Meho, 8 November 2026

Omar Meho DJing with headphones on, mixing on a club mixer

I teach a DJ course, so you'd expect me to tell you mine is the one to buy. I'd rather give you the real numbers for every option, including the free one, and let you pick what fits your life and your budget. These are the prices I see in the UK right now, and what you actually get for the money.

Short version: a DJ course in the UK costs anywhere from nothing to a few thousand pounds, depending on whether you learn from videos, from a person in a room, or from a person on your own. Here's the full breakdown.

How much does a DJ course cost? The short answer

Free DJ lessons and YouTube: £0, if you can put your own order on it.
Online DJ courses: typically £50 to £500 one off, or a monthly subscription.
1 to 1 DJ lessons: typically £40 to £150 an hour across the UK. Mine are £120.
In person DJ academies and schools: typically several hundred pounds for a short course, up to a few thousand for a long programme.

The ranges are wide because "course" covers everything from a two hour video to a year of evening classes. So let's go through each one.

1 to 1 DJ lessons: typically £40 to £150 an hour

This is the fastest way to fix a specific thing. A teacher watches your hands, hears your mix as it happens and corrects a habit before it sets. An hour of that is worth a lot of hours of guessing.

The catch is that it adds up. Ten lessons at the middle of that range is serious money, and most of what you need in the first few months (counting, beatmatching, EQ, phrasing) is the same for everyone. Paying by the hour for what a teacher tells every beginner is an expensive way to get the basics.

My own 1 to 1 lessons are £120 an hour. Most people who book them have already done a course and want to polish something: playing on CDJs for the first time, mixing a genre they're new to, or getting a set ready for a booking. That's where 1 to 1 earns its price.

Best for: a gig coming up, a specific problem, or someone who learns best with a person in the room.

In person DJ academies and schools: several hundred to a few thousand pounds

You get club standard gear, a room, a timetable, classmates and sometimes a showcase night at the end. For some people the structure is the whole point. If you know you won't practise unless you've paid to turn up on a Tuesday, an academy might be the right call.

You're paying for the building and the gear as much as the teaching, though. Sessions are at fixed times, and if you miss one it's gone. Because you're learning on their decks, you still need something at home to practise on or the skills fade between classes. Check how many hours of actual tuition you get, how many students share a set of decks, and whether the teachers still play out.

Best for: people who need accountability, live near a good one and have the budget.

Online DJ courses: typically £50 to £500

This is the biggest range, because the quality varies the most. At the bottom end you get a couple of hours of video and nothing else. At the top you get a full curriculum from your first mix to getting booked, feedback on your mixes, a community of other students and updates for life.

Things I'd check before paying for any online DJ course, including mine:

How many hours of lessons, and are they in a sensible order?
Does it teach on the gear you actually own, and on club gear?
Can you send a mix and get honest feedback from a real DJ?
Is it lifetime access or a subscription? A subscription looks cheap, but 18 months of a monthly fee is usually more than a one off course.
Is there a money back guarantee?
Has the person teaching it actually played out, and recently?

Best for: anyone who wants to learn properly at home, in their own time, without paying for a building.

Free DJ lessons on YouTube: £0, with a catch

The Music Workflow Academy YouTube channel has over 900,000 subscribers, so I'm the last person who'll tell you YouTube is useless. You can learn a huge amount for free.

The catch is order and feedback. YouTube serves you what's popular, not what you need next, so people spend months collecting tips and still can't mix a full set. And nobody ever hears your mixes and tells you what's wrong with them.

My fix for that is my free DJ lessons: a short series in the right order, on a real controller, for nothing. If money is tight, start there. If you're not sure you'll stick with DJing, start there too. There's more free material on the free course page.

What my DJ Course costs and what you get

Since you're reading this on my site, here are my numbers in the same plain terms.

£197, paid once. No subscription.
155 lessons, from your first mix to set building, performance and getting booked.
Lifetime access, including every update I add.
CPD accredited.
A 30 day money back guarantee. If it's not for you, you get your money back.
A 1 to 1 call with me, feedback on your mixes and a private student community.
Rated 4.7 on Trustpilot from 35 reviews, every one of them 5 stars.

If you also want to make your own tracks, the Ableton Course and the DJ Course together are £297. Everything is on the courses page, with what's inside each one.

The way I think about the price: £197 is less than two hours of my 1 to 1 time, and it covers everything I've learned in 12 years of gigs, six Ibiza seasons and a lot of early mornings. That's the honest comparison, and it's why I priced it there.

Which DJ course is worth the money for you?

No budget at all: free DJ lessons plus YouTube, in that order. Give it a month and see if you love it.
Want to learn properly at home: an online course with feedback, lifetime access and a guarantee.
Need someone to make you turn up: an in person academy, if there's a good one near you.
Have a gig booked or one stubborn problem: a few 1 to 1 lessons on top of whatever you've already done.

Whatever you pick, the course is the smaller cost. The bigger one is your time, so pick the option you'll actually finish.

The other costs of learning to DJ

A few things people forget to budget for, course or no course:

A controller. A beginner two channel controller is typically a couple of hundred pounds. My guide to the best DJ controller for beginners goes through the options.
Headphones. Closed back, so you can hear your cue over the speakers. You don't need expensive ones to start.
Music. Buying tracks properly, or a DJ streaming subscription. Budget something every month.
Software. Usually included with the controller, so this is often free.

If you've already got a laptop and headphones, you can be mixing for the price of a controller and a course. For how I'd structure the first few weeks, read how to learn to DJ at home.

Where to start

Start free. Take the free DJ lessons, see if you like how I teach, and if you do, the full DJ Course is £197 for 155 lessons, with lifetime access and 30 days to change your mind. No pressure either way. The best DJ course is the one you finish.

DJ course costs: quick answers

Is a DJ course worth it?

If it saves you months of guessing and gets you mixing cleanly, yes. A good course gives you order and feedback, which are the two things free videos don't. If you're not sure, start with free lessons and only pay once you know you'll stick with it.

Can I learn to DJ for free?

You can learn a lot for free, especially the basics. My free DJ lessons and the Music Workflow Academy YouTube channel are a good start. What's hard to get for free is a sensible order and someone listening to your mixes.

How long does a DJ course take?

It depends on the course and on you. An online course with lifetime access can be done in a few weeks of evenings or spread over a year. In person courses usually run on a fixed timetable, typically a set number of weeks.

Do I need my own decks to do a DJ course?

For an online course, yes, you'll need a controller to practise on. For an academy you use theirs in class, but you'll still want something at home so the skills stick between sessions.