Home Tuition in Singapore – 5 Things You Must Know
It’s important to make the right choice when selecting a home tutor for your child. Getting the right person to give tuition in Singapore might make the difference between a great boost in grades or simply a big waste of money. Given that tuition is quite expensive in Singapore, it’s important to choose correctly. Here are 5 things you definitely want to take into consideration when hiring a tutor to give private home tuition in Singapore.
- Experience – It’s important to choose a tutor who is more experienced in giving tuition in Singapore. One common misconception is that a person who is highly qualified is able to teach well. This might not necessarily be the case. What’s important in looking for a good tutor is somebody who is experienced and can teach well. A good tutor is one who can communicate the academic ideas in a straightfoward and easy-to-understand manner.
- Familiarity with Syllabus – The syllabus provided by the Ministry of Education changes from time to time. It’s important that the person who gives tuition to your child is able to keep up with the latest changes. Many private tutors are school teachers, and that would be best.
- Cost – The cost of the tutor is usually dependent on the experience, track record, and qualifications of the tutor. Usually somebody who has the proper paper qualifications, is highly experienced and has a good track record of increasing the grades of his or her tutees will command a higher rate. Similarly certified and full-time teachers will be more expensive than an undergraduate. You have to consider carefully if it’s worth it.
- Location – Are you looking for somebody to come to your home to teach? Or will your child have to travel there? Either way, it’s often beneficial to pick a tutor who stays in the same vicinity as you for maximum convenience.
- Full-Time or Part Time – Some tutors give home tuition as a full-time job, others are students and undergraduates doing tuition only part-time. Overall I think this is the least important. As long as the tutor is competent and committed, having a part-time tutor isn’t necessarily worse than a full-time tutor.
How A Singapore Tuition Agency Can Help
If you are frustrated over finding the right tutor to give private tuition to your child, your problems can be solved if you just look a tuition agency to help. Any reputable Singapore tuition agency would have a wide range of tutors of all qualifications from all over the island. Here are some things you should be aware of:
Tuition Agency Budget
If you are on a budget, you would be happy to know that there is a wide range when it comes to pricing as well. The market rate usually depends on the experience and qualifications of the tutor. A tuition agency can help you match up the right tutor at the right price, based on your requirements. However, do note that the more experienced tutors usually charge more than the market rate.
Payment For Services
Using a Singapore tuition agency compared to looking for a tutor yourself costs you nothing. This is because the introduction/matching fee is usually taken from the tutor’s first month’s of wages, and the normal rate is 50%. So, if the agreed monthly tuition fee is $400, you’ll only need to pay the tutor $200 for the first month, and the rest goes to the tuition agency. Usually the parent will pay the tuition agency directly, but it’s best to check with the tuition agency in question.
Online/Offline Tuition Agency
There are several online tuition agencies which offer an online database of tutors for you to pick and choose from. This is often better than the usual offline agency which communicates largely by phone. For those with an online database, you’ll be able to request for tutors, and even read reviews of the tutors in the database. This is a step forward in the transparency for the tuition industry in Singapore. Using an online tuition agency, I believe, is the best way to get the most suitable candidate for giving tuition.
Is Tuition Vital In Singapore?
Singapore’s educational system is among the best in the world. Michael Gove, the British Educational Minister recently described the system as “world leading.” Singapore’s educational system has proudly evolved over years or careful planning and attention to detail.
For parents, the cost of living in Singapore often forces both parents to have jobs. Combining this fact with financial cuts to the educational system has greatly increased public and private school class sizes. Teachers have never been under more pressure.
An advanced private home tuition program has been developed to supplement the private and public school systems. Home tuition is an affordable solution to the expected superiority of the proud educational tradition in Singapore. Regardless of the student’s educational requirements, the one-on-one home tutor program is prepared to fill the need. Students from kindergarten age to college age are making use of the home tuition program.
When Singapore first launched its controversial Gifted Educational Programme in 1984, many schools adopted the challenging standards. By 2005, nine primary schools were pursuing the initiatives. Now, many of the public and private schools cannot provide the special training required by the program. Home tuition has helped to fill the void.
Primary Reasons Families Opt For Private Home Tuition
Singapore families who desire home schooling can apply for an exemption from the Ministry of Education. Otherwise, all children must be enrolled in a public or private school. Students receiving part-time tutoring through home tuition do not need an exemption.
Home tutors are scheduled to meet the student at the home at a time convenient to the family schedule. The tutors are experienced and possess verified resumes that families are welcome to review. Tutors are changed as the student’s educational needs change.
The primary reasons Singapore families use home tutors are:
- Dual careers that are demanding
- Home tuition is a cost-effective supplement to public schooling
- The student is not performing up to full capacity
- Public and private school budget cuts do not satisfy the student’s needs
- The school does not offer instruction in the field that interests the student
- The student needs help with study habits
The special relationship developed between the tutor and teacher is designed to be educationally supportive. The selected tutor often serves as a role model to the student. One reason the private tutors are so successful is that they have the time to listen to the student. This open line of communication is both re-assuring and challenging. With the increased class sizes in Singapore, this type special attention is not possible unless the private home tuition is used.
Learn More About Home Tuition
In Singapore, the home tuition has become an important part of the educational system. Families retaining tuition services pay anywhere from 100% to 150% the cost of the island’s school fees. But, users are not complaining and children of all ages and of varying learning abilities are achieving great success.
The reason is that the Singapore private tuition offers multi-dimensional solutions to learning challenges. Under the system, parents retain a tutor through a registered agency. Tutors are available for children in kindergarten and ranging through college. Home tuition offers great flexibility as areas of concentration can be tailored to specifically focus on the student’s most challenging areas of study or on something as simple as learning habits. Whatever the need, there is a private tutor available for the student.
In keeping with the flexible nature of the private home tuition, schedules are determined by the family to coincide with the student’s other demands. Of course, the tutor comes to the residence so there are no distractions to complicate the learning experience.
The tutors are carefully selected according to their field of expertise and the student’s needs. Many times the younger students need to learn the discipline required to study properly. Tutors are carefully trained to realize the importance of their role in the student’s academic experience.
Typically, Singapore classrooms are abuzz with activity. Often class sizes are detrimental to students who either want to move faster or for students who need extra attention. With private tuition, instruction is provided in one-on-one sessions, where there is the highest degree of interaction possible as well as a high degree of accountability. The excellent learning habits achieved in these sessions often lasts a lifetime.
The registered agencies draw from pools of tutors. The family describes their educational goals to the agency and then interviews the agency’s candidates to assure a harmonious relationship.
Oftentimes, the tutor can help ignite the flame that the student can then draw upon. Whether the tutor is an inspiring role model, a motivational learning force or an excellent communicator that has the time to get to the bottom of problems, students of every age have taken to this educational benefit.
Some Singapore tuition agencies have specific areas of concentration. One agency may only work with college-aged students while others offer a full range of tutors.
In selecting an agency, the family should discuss the long and short-term goals of the student. The student must be willing and eager to accept this form of private assistance. While usually a meaningful and productive investment, the system works best when the student participates in the formation of the plan. Private home tuition is based upon the theory that every motivated child can become a good student. Very often much time is spent developing well-structured study habits. After all, knowing how to study is often as important as knowing what to study.
Learn more about private home tuition in Singapore everything what you need to know about Singapore tuition. Visit TuitionExpert.sg now!
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