All About Market Rates of Private Tutors

[jedamum]

protutor:

Seeking all the parents' advice here, does a charge of $25/h for PSLE student from a tutor with 3+ years experience in private tutoring and in tuition centre sound acceptable to you all (I am an A Level Grad)? I have 3 PSLE students paying that price, but when I quote this price to agency, they told me it was too high and that was only for Uni Grad. They even claimed that I should ask for $15/h instead. So, do parents look more into experience or academic qualifications while choosing a tutor?

you should get your PSLE students parents to help you spread through word of mouth if you want to get that kind of price as their kids have tried and tested your teachings and hence new parents may be more willing to pay that kind of price (as 3+yrs experience is not really very experienced and A level grad is not very high qualification too; so u need word of mouth as testimonial of how good you are).

[vinegar]

hi,

i recently engaged a tutor,who is ex-teacher for abt 3years.She is now teaching tuition as part time n only 25yrs old.I pay for S$45 per hr for teaching english for my P3 son.

can I chk:
1) Is this a normal rate?

2) Agent says no need to chk the tutor certificates,etc…asked her how she knew if the tutor really a ex-teacher,she said if happen to know tutor lies,they’ll blacklist them.
So parents don’t nid to chk.

3) She normally just grabs a assessment book fr. the bookshelf n teach my son.There is structure in her teaching.

4) She makes my son copies the composition from the assessment book,gave him lot of times homework such as comprehension & grammar.I’ve to struggle to teach my son how to complete the homework given by her n fr. school.

5) She always wears "homebased" type clothes(cartoon T-shirt n shorts).She also nvr greet me b4. Came in straight away sit down.Try to ask her few questions but she always seems to be impatient.

Shld I continue to engage her?

[Dreamgear]

Just to share, there are a few adverts here which claim that the tutors are current teachers… I happen to come across one of the name claiming to be a current teacher at my DD school… I did a check and there was no such teacher in the school at all…

[vinegar]

sorry,typo error.There is no structure in her teaching.Is it norm?


the agent said it is normal that tutor doesn’t hv teaching outlines or structure,unlike those in the tuition centre.

[vinegar]

The agent told me that she is teaching in New Town Primary school,when i chk,there is no such teacher.When I asked the agent,she said she might hv quit.


I asked the agent to get her to bring her certificates on the 1st day,she didn’t bring,claimed that she is in the mid of shifting to new home,misplaced her cert.

[iLoveChubby]

Hi vinegar

From what you have described, i seriously doubt the credentials of this teacher.
Really thk you shd check her certs and some kind of proof that she was indeed an ex-teacher before for a couple of years.
Grab any assessment book and ask your son to do?... Seriously?... I thk we mummies can do that for FREE since answer sheets are readily available!!

Better ask your frens for recommendations for a more reliable and proven good tutor.

[vinegar]

hi ilovechubby,

ya, u r right.I can also do the same for my son.Grab the assessment books to teach him.However,the agent told me it is like that. In fact, there was a tutor asked me to get all the assessment books ready before she came.Agent said she is good,coz not all tutor makes sure the parents hv assessment book ready b4 the tutor comes.

Pls give me ur POV,

[vinegar]

Does the tutor bring their own teaching materials? Do we parents hv to make sure all the assessment books r ready?pls share wf me what kinda teaching material they use?

[Lynn2010]

Hi Vinegar, how many lessons have your son had?


I dislike teachers asking student to copy composition. I know there are school teacher or enrichment doing that. Did the tutor teach "how to write a good compo"?

Ask the tutor what she thinks of your son. What is her plan to help him?

Honestly, i’ll sack her. Not all school teachers are good and of course you have good ones. You just have to observe yourself.

I had this one, a current school teacher. Apparently English teacher but full mouthful of Singlish. Her teaching is fine but she will come for lessons, talk and talk but doesnt give much work. She will only give work on the spot. First few lessons, keep on smsing or twitter i dont know. I can hear the ‘tring tring’ sound the whole lesson. After about 2 lessons, i cant take it anymore and i told her i dislike it.

Next, she is a clock watcher. She will blah blah blah… and half way through a sentence, she will say "time’s up". Then pack in less than 30 sec and out she goes. She is always late. We had only about 6 to 8 lessons. She already using our fridge (that is put things in there), which is fine. Using our microwave to warm up things before leaving for her party. Owing 5 minutes or 10 minutes each lesson. Borrowing umbrellas but never return. 4 of my umbrellas are still with her. Tragic!!

Of course I have more good school teachers tutoring my kids than bad ones.

As far as i know, a current primary sch teacher commands $50 to $60 per hour. Ex sch teacher may be $40 to $50. Apparently sch teachers who teach in one of the top schools command a higher rate than neighbourhood school.

Hope this helps.

[vinegar]

hi Lynn,

Thanks for sharing ur experience! haha,ur english tutor sound very funny.I can’t imagine a tutor uses my fridge or microwave.Afterall,their focus is come to teach.I assume she is a young teacher??
I always ask her for feedback.She criticized my son,said he is stubborn,slow,not independent enough,as compared her nephew who is in the same school as my son.A bit ya ya ,right? She always very rushing…coz she has a tuition centre to run or nid to rush to give tuition later.So she didn’t hv time to discuss.
last wk,she msg me at 2pm n said she couldn’t come coz she was sick.The tuition suppose to start at 2:30pm.I rushed my son to finish lunch n bath,then she told me so last minute that she couldn’t make it.

Till now,she has given 3 lessons.She always goes off on the dot.

Now,I realise why she always holds her handbag(putting it on her laps) whenever she gives tuition to my son.I asked her to leave it on the chair given to her,but she was still holding it.She could be checking her h/phone while coaching my son.She also chk the desk calender which we indicated our events.