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    School Teachers Working as Tutors

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Academic Learning & Enrichment
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    • M Offline
      Mdm Koh
      last edited by

      tequila4360:
      Hi mummies,


      I'm a FTWM with two kids n just a mth ago, I've engaged a FT for my gal who is in P3 this yr when she drop from band 1/2 to lower 2/3. Cos, i really dont hv the time to sit down n teach her plus i still hv another boy who is only 5yo n of cos, with tons of use house work to do......sigh.... :snooze:

      According to my gal she is very quiet in class n she don't really talk or teach. She will sit there and watch my gal do her works and if there's any qns that my gal don't understand, she will fill her with the ans n tell her how she shd do it rather guide n explain
      :?: ... Just today, when I asked my gal what she does today, she told me the same thing, sit n watch, don't know give ans. When I talk to her, she don't really look into my eyes, she seem to be a very low esteem person.
      When I asked, how's my gal doing, she would like briefly tell me that, she is weak in problem sum n grammars..If I don't ask, she will not tell or talk to you. Since day one till now, she hv been using all my materials, when I asked her, do I nd to get any books for my gals, she said no need, she will use what I hv. What I hv is some assessment bk n passed year exam papers, will all these be good enough to teach? As I had told her that, my gals is weak in compre n compo...till now, don't really see any material from her teaching.....shd I give her another chance for another mth?...btw, how long shd we be able to know, whether the tutor is gd or not?..... :?: if to really ask the tutor to go seem to be very poor thing, cos the agency actually took 50% cut from the tutor when they had to teach for 8lessons. :?:
      Tell the tutor that you hope you can see more teaching? The exercises can be set as homework for your girl to try on her own. I think that if there's any area that your girl is particularly weak in, the tutor should supplement the assessment books and exam papers you have with her own teaching materials.

      From my point of view as a tutor, if the tutor is good, she will not mind if you let her go, because she can easily get other assignments. Some parents and tutors just don't feel comfortable with each other, and it's fine to terminate so that both you and your girl can find a more suitable tutor. The tutor can also find a more suitable student. It's a win-win situation. 😄

      If the tutor is no good, she might mind, but you should still let her go, because your girl needs to improve her grades. It's not a charity case, so don't feel bad. If you feel sorry for the tutor, you can call the tuition co-ordinator and ask her to give the tutor feedback so that she can improve on her teaching techniques.

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      • I Offline
        irishcream
        last edited by

        Ever engage a current school teacher for my kid but find that they are always in a rush and the quality is so so. Word of mouth referral is good but hard to come by. Thinking of enrolling my kid into a tution centre in the east that adverise on a magazine and run by super tutor that appeared on TV and newspaper , anyone have experience with this tuition centre , any feedback?

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        • S Offline
          sweetheart
          last edited by

          I am looking for a Chinese tutor to come over my place at toa payoh for my pri 4 boy next year (2012). He is a special need child ( the gifted spectrum)… Pls pm me if u r keen…thanks . he is doing higher Chinese .

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • P Offline
            paulineyeu
            last edited by

            A school teacher does not guarantee that he/she can definitely teach well. A lot of parents have the very wrong concept that people who can study well (degree holders, nie-trained) can teach well. I am not trying say that all school teachers are bad. There are also many passionate ones who go the extra mile to help the weaker students. But I also hear a fair share of stories from parents about the lack of responsibility of some school teachers.


            Seriously, you do not need a degree to teach primary levels. Even a secondary student can teach his younger primary level sibling. So it’s not about the degree but PASSION.

            To find a good tutor, try to go by recommendations. Tuition agencies do not guarantee the standard of their tutors. Even if they do, it’s based on their results, which I have mentioned earlier, does not necessarily mean that he/she can teach well.

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            • C Offline
              CuteMummy77
              last edited by

              I totally agree with KiasuNewbie. A school teacher doesnt mean he/she know how to teach. As in the school, it is classroom teaching with 30plus kids, it is so different from private tution or group tuition.

              However, like wat KiasuNewbie had mentioned, not all school teachers are bad.
              Qualification is not the determining factor, a tutor who knows the tactics to teach and responsible is much more important.
              Besides, I believe that the determining factor is the kid himself, whether he is self-motivated. A kid who is not motivated at all, will not do well even if you let him know what are the questions that will come out in exams.

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              • A Offline
                AceTutors123
                last edited by

                SengkangMum:
                Thank you for your feedback. I do agree with atutor also it doesn't matter whether is a school teacher or full time tutor. Quality of teaching is very important. My requirement for a Teacher is very direct and simple. So long teacher CAN TEACH and is responsible. And my kids don't feel bored throughout the 2 hours lesson.


                I do share the same sentiment with littlewoman too!. Words of recommendation is also important. At least, you know the teacher profile through someone you are familiar with. And getting positive review from parents about the Teacher can be a great help to us too! Not just a stranger that walks into your house. I believe there are still good tutors and school teachers around. Just that we have not bounce into them. So parents out there, your valuable feedback and recommendation will be greatly appreciated and seriously considered.
                Hm there is much on my mind regarding this whole big picture of private tutors. I definitely agree with SengkangMum and littlewoman about the importance of word-of-mouth recommendation. One of the best indicators will be the passion to teach, although other factors like reliability (turning up for lessons) and rapport with student do contribute to the overall tuition experience.

                To redeem the tuition agencies a bit, one good way to save time from picking the right tutor will be to look at the comments from other parents about the tutor. You can normally find this in the profile of tutors, if any are listed on the tuition agencies' website.

                If no comments are available, yet you trust the tutor's own description of his/her experience in their profile, the next step may be to have a phone interview with the tutor. Ask them for their experience, their track record. Describe your situation to the tutor and ask what strategy will they take to help your child.

                If you're still not fully convinced after the phone interview but will like to give the tutor a try, ask for 1 trial lesson from the tuition agency. You normally pay for only 1 lesson's worth, so it protects you from any serious monetary commitment. The problem with trial lessons and in all other classes though, is that results can rarely be seen in just 1 lesson. It normally takes at least 1-3months of lessons to observe differences in grades. That said, the passion of the tutor to teach and the rapport with student are still the most important factors for results.

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                • 3 Offline
                  365psych
                  last edited by

                  If teachers cannot teach in school, they should not be allowed to tutor!

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                  • I Offline
                    iamamummy
                    last edited by

                    Original Title: current school teachers moonlighting at tuition centres


                    realized that many current school teachers are moonlighting at tuition centers in singapore. the tuition centers advertise them as top school teachers... they are earning big bucks.. shouldn't they be teaching in school and helping the weaker students instead? heard teachers can teach for certain number of hours.. any teachers can shed some light on the regulation?

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                    • L Offline
                      lapapillion
                      last edited by

                      iamamummy:
                      realized that many current school teachers are moonlighting at tuition centers in singapore. the tuition centers advertise them as top school teachers... they are earning big bucks.. shouldn't they be teaching in school and helping the weaker students instead? heard teachers can teach for certain number of hours.. any teachers can shed some light on the regulation?

                      I heard from a teacher friend that the rules depends on the principal. Officially they are not allowed to moonlight. This will be especially troublesome if the student comes from the same school as the teacher. There's a conflict of interest here. According to my friend, who does outside tuition besides his full time teaching, it can be done. Just don't teach students from the same sch. And don't kena complain, haha

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                      • V Offline
                        verykiasumummy
                        last edited by

                        i dont think it depends on principal… u can actually chk on the moe website if i’m not wrong… a moe teacher can tutor students outside for not more than 8hrs weekly… but that will be upon the approval of their application to teach outside school… for what i know, it is not illegal for them to do that… just that have to apply prior to teaching… not too sure if students can be from same school…

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