Setting up of tuition centre
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Every business is full of risks and it is because of the risks there is potentially high returns. There are two huge mistakes your friend made.
1. While she was passionate about teaching, she only went into it upon retrenchment from a managerial position. What does this mean for me? Before investing thousands of dollars into the tuition business, she was never a tutor/educator to begin with. She has completely no experience in the education industry. Most founders of successful businesses don’t dive straight into the water, they would have done extensive research or gathered experiences working for companies in similar industries.
2. She got partners she barely knew & there were no clear guidelines of the roles of every individual partners. Before the investment materialise, there should have been negotiations of the roles and responsibility of each partner (teaching, marketing, admin role) as well as what they can expected to receive from the business (% profits, fixed salary for teaching/admin work etc)
This led to many, many problems for her. Any teacher/tutor should be able to tell you endless tales misbehaviour, class disruption, truancy, vandalisation of the seemingly angelic children. Together with parents who have high expectations and endless demands, this is NORMAL. Be it a teacher teaching in a MOE school or a private home tutor, or tuition centres, they ALL face the same problem. The problem arise because she was never an educator or tutor before such things occurred.
There are also bad business decisions. Never let customers utilise all their security deposits. Its collected for a reason, so why are you using it to offset unpaid fees? If the parents don’t pay, you end the service. 1st reminder, 2nd reminder, last warning, Service terminated - parent & child blacklisted. Its the same with any other business - especially wholesale of products.
Conduct of remedial lessons should have been in the company policy, and provision of tuition agreement (usually signed before commence of tuition at the centre) would have spelled out clearly when and how remedial lessons are held. Different centres have different policies - some only accept MCs while others accept a madrid of reasons. Most centres throw the children into other classes or hold a remedial class at the end of the week for all students. This is again expected within the education industry and its quite common.
Refunds based on performance? Well, if it isn’t promised then don’t do it. Its a bad business decision to refund the customer just because she doesn’t want to confront them. Its an admission that her centre didn’t do a good job teaching the child. Its bad for the centre’s reputation and income.
Your friend obviously had a break-down in communication with parents - the customers.
Another error? Entering lease with the shopping mall. Shopping mall have high rental charges. New centre without student base will find it tough to survive. It makes a lot more sense to place the centre near schools or deep in HDB heartlands because that is where the students are.
The story that you have told us, isn’t about the education/tuition market being TOO competitive or violate. Like all other businesses, its tough to get going but its not a No-Go industry. In fact, it remains a lucrative industry. The story, sadly is about your friend making a series of business error that would have cost her regardless of the industry she entered. -
worrisome_dad:
I'm a private tutor. I do not agree that the tuition market is unstable and volatile. It is only unstable and volatile if you are not producing results. I went into tutoring with my eyes open. My own mum was worried when I chose to become a full time tutor after graduating from university. She questioned me how much I could earn during my first year as a full time tutor. She persuaded me to take up alternatives or join the biomedical sector since I was trained in the profession. After my first year, my mum stopped asking me if I am earning a decent income. I wasn't forced into tutoring because I have no choice. I think it's unfair that you are making such a sweeping statement.
To conclude, I find the tuition market to be very unstable and volatile one. Nobody would want to be in this trade if there is a better alternative. It is the same scenario for taxi drivers and insurance agents.
With stiff competition from tuition centers, I cannot tell whether they are good or bad for anyone to venture into if they do not understand the tuition market well. But then, if running a business is so easy, then anyone would be rich, simply by quitting their jobs to run their own tuition centers.
What is wrong with being a taxi driver or insurance agent? Do you despise them? Have you not heard of tutors or insurance agents who earn more than 10K a month? Give us proper respect. We are all making an honest living with the knowledge we have.
If anyone opens a tuition center without any prior teaching or business experience. They are setting themselves up for disappointment. -
TheAnswer:
Applaud 'TheAnswer'! Agree with you!
I'm a private tutor. I do not agree that the tuition market is unstable and volatile. It is only unstable and volatile if you are not producing results. I went into tutoring with my eyes open. My own mum was worried when I chose to become a full time tutor after graduating from university. She questioned me how much I could earn during my first year as a full time tutor. She persuaded me to take up alternatives or join the biomedical sector since I was trained in the profession. After my first year, my mum stopped asking me if I am earning a decent income. I wasn't forced into tutoring because I have no choice. I think it's unfair that you are making such a sweeping statement.
What is wrong with being a taxi driver or insurance agent? Do you despise them? Have you not heard of tutors or insurance agents who earn more than 10K a month? Give us proper respect. We are all making an honest living with the knowledge we have.
If anyone opens a tuition center without any prior teaching or business experience. They are setting themselves up for disappointment. -
meinteel:
Thanks meinteel! I find it weird that people parachute into a tutoring business and imagine that they can make it big.
Applaud 'TheAnswer'! Agree with you!TheAnswer:
I'm a private tutor. I do not agree that the tuition market is unstable and volatile. It is only unstable and volatile if you are not producing results. I went into tutoring with my eyes open. My own mum was worried when I chose to become a full time tutor after graduating from university. She questioned me how much I could earn during my first year as a full time tutor. She persuaded me to take up alternatives or join the biomedical sector since I was trained in the profession. After my first year, my mum stopped asking me if I am earning a decent income. I wasn't forced into tutoring because I have no choice. I think it's unfair that you are making such a sweeping statement.
What is wrong with being a taxi driver or insurance agent? Do you despise them? Have you not heard of tutors or insurance agents who earn more than 10K a month? Give us proper respect. We are all making an honest living with the knowledge we have.
If anyone opens a tuition center without any prior teaching or business experience. They are setting themselves up for disappointment.
If anyone is interested in setting up a tuition center, your partners must be able to do some teaching as well. If tutors want to set up a tuition business, we will look for people who can teach and/or have a sound business plan. If the business owner can teach, the tutors will also think twice before doing anything silly because the tutors will be easily replaced.
All the problems stated above are faced by other tuition centers but they do not bow down to the demands of the unreasonable parents. If you bow down once, they will definitely step all over you. The problems are not new at all. -
补习中心成功与否，在于老师的专业知识和爱心，缺一不可。
只有知识，心中没爱，学生迟早会发现，跟着渐渐讨厌你，成绩肯定提升不起。
只有爱心，没有专业知识，只会像无头苍蝇，毫无章法，要怎么提升成绩？
对我而言，补习中心绝对值得投资，前提是你必须具备以上两点。
目前我所经营的补习中心，虽不能和其他大集团补习中心相提并论，但每当看到学生逐渐进步时，满足感便油然而生。
我爱这个行业，准备做一辈子！ -
Thetrees123:
Well said :rahrah: My sentiments exactly :hi5: :celebrate:补习中心成功与否，在于老师的专业知识和爱心，缺一不可。
只有知识，心中没爱，学生迟早会发现，跟着渐渐讨厌你，成绩肯定提升不起。
只有爱心，没有专业知识，只会像无头苍蝇，毫无章法，要怎么提升成绩？
对我而言，补习中心绝对值得投资，前提是你必须具备以上两点。
目前我所经营的补习中心，虽不能和其他大集团补习中心相提并论，但每当看到学生逐渐进步时，满足感便油然而生。
我爱这个行业，准备做一辈子！ -
Thetrees123:
May I know where is yr tuition centre? Do u teach o level higher chinese?补习中心成功与否，在于老师的专业知识和爱心，缺一不可。
只有知识，心中没爱，学生迟早会发现，跟着渐渐讨厌你，成绩肯定提升不起。
只有爱心，没有专业知识，只会像无头苍蝇，毫无章法，要怎么提升成绩？
对我而言，补习中心绝对值得投资，前提是你必须具备以上两点。
目前我所经营的补习中心，虽不能和其他大集团补习中心相提并论，但每当看到学生逐渐进步时，满足感便油然而生。
我爱这个行业，准备做一辈子！ -
PiggyLalala:
You have PM
May I know where is yr tuition centre? Do u teach o level higher chinese?Thetrees123:
补习中心成功与否，在于老师的专业知识和爱心，缺一不可。
只有知识，心中没爱，学生迟早会发现，跟着渐渐讨厌你，成绩肯定提升不起。
只有爱心，没有专业知识，只会像无头苍蝇，毫无章法，要怎么提升成绩？
对我而言，补习中心绝对值得投资，前提是你必须具备以上两点。
目前我所经营的补习中心，虽不能和其他大集团补习中心相提并论，但每当看到学生逐渐进步时，满足感便油然而生。
我爱这个行业，准备做一辈子！ -
I had said and I quote "to conclude, I find the tuition market to be very unstable and volatile one" and i explain all these in the context of my friend. And these are my personal opinion. Everyone was entitled to it. Secondly I wasn’t refer to tutoring but the setting up of the tuition centres in the context of a friend. I hope someone had read this with an open mind in this open country and do not insinuate that I am making this very personal in spreading "despise" message in this forum. I had wished this had been an open adult discussion & sharing. Everyone is free to share their perspectives and experiences. Some may share very good and some bad…we are all here to learn, no flaming each other?
What with this "What is wrong with being a taxi driver or insurance agent? Do you despise them? Have you not heard of tutors or insurance agents who earn more than 10K a month? Give us proper respect. We are all making an honest living with the knowledge we have." Anything wrong personally from me? There is nothing wrong with being a tutor or insurance agents. In fact in my opening context, i quote "It may be true only for the very successful enrichment centre who found their niche in this market. It is a fallacy that tuition Centre was anything but easy."
I think this is absurd for somebody to totally take me out of context! How do you want me to answer your question or i would call allegation that i cannot absolve myself from blame but to totally provide evidence to prove my innocence? "Give us proper respect. We are all making an honest living with the knowledge we have. " Did i say you are not making an honest living. I am merely sharing my friend’s experiences and i got flamed. What a forum!!! The next, I may be getting threats as I have already gotten in another forum. I don’t intend anyone to read beyond what I wrote, but obviously someone did…and i was mortified and ashamed of being part of this discussion!! -
Worrisome,
All of us who have been contributing to forums for a number of years have learnt that being misunderstood and misquoted is very, very common in any forum. Unlike face-to-face meetings, there are no visual or auditory cues as to the intent of the person, and the anonymity of the internet means we assume many things about ourselves and the other person.
As long as we explain our position and ourselves, being misunderstood and misquoted should not be issues with our being useful members of this community.
I have friends who succeeded, who failed and who are struggling in the tuition centre business. Like any business, the risk of failure is always there.
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