Horror Stories - Tutor Recommendation Agencies

[senseimichael]

starzest:

Lastly, unless you have personally dealt with Starzest tuition agency, please refrain from putting down my comments just like that. It is a free forum, isnt it? What is wrong with educating other tutors on Starzest unethical practices?

It is precisely because these are free forums, that you get what you got: anyone who has had experience with forums questions anyone who parachutes in to comment on a business. If you have been participating here a long time, and have already built up a modicum of trust in the community, that you do not get questioned so easily.

I have seen too many of such things in many forums I have participated in, especially when I was in the expatriate forums when overseas.

There is nothing wrong with educating other tutors on unethical practices, and I am sure many tutors who could not be bothered to question further will simply believe. No, what you have done is similar to a stranger barging into a town and blaring out \"The Blacksmith is Evil! Run!\" Hence the reaction you got, \"Who is this fellow to tell us about the Blacksmith? I may not know him at all, but I know this stranger even less!\"

Yes, you have made the police report, you have given us an avenue to verify your story, which is good. I have simply pointed out that you are a stranger to us, and to warn those of us who are probably more gullible to think more critically.

[SarChar]

i just want to share my story. My mum's friend recommended a tutor (man) to my classmate and I during Sec 1 level. My parents were home during the weekly tuition. But we only had tuition with him for less than 2 months.


On his last lesson, he told my classmate and I that he had plans to open a pub. We were too young to understand pub but I did ask if pub is \"disco-like\".

Then he also told us that he had just been released from prision after serving 3 yrs 8 months for manslaughter! He had killed a elder man at a coffee shop with a western food cutting knife :siam: .....of course my mum and her friend were no longer friends after this incident! :slapshead:

[jusfunsg]

Omg.. This is quite horrifying!

Luckily for me, my experiences with coordinators and agencies are largely positive

[Mdm Koh]

I guess the tutor felt aggrieved? I worked with this agency a couple of years back and its conduct was very unprofessional. Although the owner of the agency paid me eventually, the experience was unpleasant and I never took another assignment from him again. Has anyone had a positive experience with this agency?

[senseimichael]

Mdm Koh:

I guess the tutor felt aggrieved? I worked with this agency a couple of years back and its conduct was very unprofessional. Although the owner of the agency paid me eventually, the experience was unpleasant and I never took another assignment from him again. Has anyone had a positive experience with this agency?

I can feel his anger and frustration in his post. Unethical businesses are everywhere, and this largely unregulated industry has no watchdog to keep it ethical.

From your experience, I find it really amazing that a business has been operating a few years back, have yet to change their unethical conduct, and still be in business. Are we Singaporeans suckers or what?

[mathtuition88]

For Tuition Agencies, it is very essential to find a Tuition Agency that verifies the tutor’s certificates before displaying them on the website. Otherwise, fraudsters can just type their education credentials as they wish.


I do have contacts for a very highly recommended Tuition Agency, do PM me for more details. (Not suitable to post the link here, as it may be misunderstood as advertising).

[White_Gale]

wow…that was scary…to hire someone with such background.

[eatpraystudy]

Has anyone else came across TxxTutor and their dishonesty (especially J and Ms Kxx)?


They have scammed parents of money previously. Now, it seems like they are profiting off tuition coordinators. The terms of the tuition coordinators’ contracts for service are onerous - everything is tilted in their favour. They find ways to promise us that they have some 8,000 tutors in their database. But in reality, it seems like they have closer to 80 tutors (let alone 8,000!), many of whom are inactive. They have induced many people to pay $2,000 upfront, for use of their tutor database. I have spoken to a few fellow tuition coordinators, none of whom apparently have found students (let alone be paid by TxxTutor for their services). I did a quick ACRA search for Txx Training (because no one really knows their official name) and Txx Training Centre Pte Ltd is apparently a company which is gazetted to be struck off?! They have previously been terminated. Right now there are other entitles on ACRA with similar names e.g. Txx Training Centre etcetc. It seems like, when they get into trouble with the law, they face some legal action, but then set up another company with the same name and UEN number, so they still can continue to run their business. Lousy scammy company.

May the law catch up with them soon.

EDIT: I did further research on the Txx Training companies on ACRA and it seems like they may not be related - they have different directors. Nonetheless it still looks very fishy!

[zhixia83]

i sign up with them TxxTutor so far i am doin pretty well ler… oh well not all is perfect thou often you meet unreasonable parents or tutors. Your statement seem biased and hopefully will not get you into any trouble.

[michaeldey75]

Got a tutor from TxxTutor, had to say i am very satisfied with the tutor’s chinese teaching. My kids love it.