Any good home tutor English to recommend?

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:08:10 GMT

bibolim — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:08:10 GMT

Looking for a eng tutor for my P3 and p5 boy at upper Thomson area

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Thu, 15 Oct 2015 02:02:58 GMT

Joy of Learning 111 — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 02:02:58 GMT

mummyxoxo:
zbear:
[quote=\"Moomin study\"]Try calling up teacher jeremy at 83374438 for help. Though he charges $60 per hour, you are assured that he is good.

$60 per hour for Primary School English? This is very expensive. Can guarantee A* for PSLE?

:evil:

Wow $60/hr. Which parent actually hires him? Also, just like to clarify, how do you \"assure\" that he is good?[/quote]$60 per hour for lower primary is not that expensive if the tutor is a university graduate with extensive experience and highly developed interpersonal skills who treats teaching/tutoring as a profession. There are several tutors who earn this and more. There are many professionals in other industries who earn substantially more – very substantially more - than this.

I am amused by zbear’s question whether such a tutor can guarantee A* in the PSLE. I presume that is a tongue-in-cheek comment. Nobody can guarantee an A*. Securing an A* depends upon several factors, including the intrinsic intellectual ability of the child; the personality traits of the child, for example being hardworking and receptive to instruction; the educational experience in school; the calibre of the private tutor; and, sad to say, luck on the day (all the best laid plans go awry if the child is not feeling well or gets flustered during the examination). Also be mindful that the tutor might only see the child for 1.5 hours per week. At best, the tutor increases the probability of an A*.

How to assure a tutor is good? See my earlier lengthier posting. But we have to be careful about ‘good’. A tutor who can help a struggling child to achieve a B when previously the child was in danger of failing is as good as one who can help an already high-achieving child retain A scores.

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Thu, 15 Oct 2015 01:19:58 GMT

mummyxoxo — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 01:19:58 GMT

bbsin:
Hi,

No luck yet.. have you ?? let me know too
notabox:
Hi bbsin, any luck in finding a EL home tutor? Also looking for one in the same area for my P3 boy.
Much prefer to enagage one from word of mouth so appreciate recommedation from parents in this forum. TIA!

Hi, just a recommendation. Do both of you want to have 1-2 tuition together instead? Think it will be more \"attractive\" to the tutor and more beneficial to both of you as well.

Good luck in finding the right tutor

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Thu, 15 Oct 2015 01:18:12 GMT

mummyxoxo — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 01:18:12 GMT

zbear:
Moomin study:
Try calling up teacher jeremy at 83374438 for help. Though he charges $60 per hour, you are assured that he is good.

$60 per hour for Primary School English? This is very expensive. Can guarantee A* for PSLE?

:evil:

Wow $60/hr. Which parent actually hires him? Also, just like to clarify, how do you \"assure\" that he is good?

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Wed, 14 Oct 2015 01:28:53 GMT

Joy of Learning 111 — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 01:28:53 GMT

I notice a lot of parents asking for recommendations for English tutors.

Here are some opinionated thoughts.

Definitely word-of-mouth recommendation is a sensible strategy, but it is not as compelling, in my opinion, as some might believe. What works for one child might not work for another: there are many variables to consider, including personality traits, starting position and expectations of the respective parties. And how do you know that the recommendation from a KSP is bona fide? You should only accept recommendations from KSPs who are well-established and active on the forums. For new tutors, someone has got to give them the chance in the first place so that they can be subsequently recommended. For existing tutors, you could ask a prospective tutor to supply a reference from an existing client.

1.\tFull-time or part-time tutor?

If you want a current MOE teacher, remember that he/she will definitely be part-time and is limited to tutoring for a small number of hours (used to be six hours; might still be). The life of an MOE teacher is a busy one, so be prepared for limited time-slots and the possibility of last minute cancellations.

The big advantage of an MOE teacher is that they will be familiar and up-to-date with the syllabus. They also have plenty of in-service training.

A disadvantage of an MOE teacher, in my opinion, is that their skills tend to be geared towards large group teaching. Their school class teaching in done against a disciplinary and highly structured background. This might mean that they have less developed interpersonal skills for one-to-one teaching.

The preceding largely applies to ex-MOE teachers. However, ex-MOE teachers have probably made a positive choice to make tutoring their full-time occupation and, with experience, have excellent prospects of developing that individualised touch.

There are full-time tutors who do part-time teaching at enrichment centres. These tutors are a good alternative to MOE teachers. Possibly you can go to an enrichment centre and see the prospective tutor in action or ask the parents there?

A full-time tutor who has been tutoring for more than five years is also desirable.

2.\tLocal or native speaker?

There are plenty of Singaporeans who are ‘native-speakers’ or near enough in their competence of the language, so the ‘local versus native speaker’ dichotomy is probably a false one. Still, native-speakers who are full-time tutors often have specialist or higher qualifications or experience, and this may be especially relevant for teaching secondary level.

3.\tAcademic Qualification

In my opinion, ‘A’ levels or polytechnic diploma is a minimum for teaching primary children, and a first degree or higher is better for secondary. Ask to see your prospective tutor’s qualifications at the trial lesson.

4.\tAge and gender

You should decide in advance the age range and gender you are looking for or whether you are indifferent.

5.\tLocation

Do you want the tutor to come to your place or are you prepared to travel to the tutor’s place? Usually there will be a cost advantage to going to the tutor’s place.

6.\tPersonality

I think the personality of the tutor is key. A trial lesson is very advantageous in helping to assess how well the tutor and your child will get along. Subject technical competence is important, of course, but ultimately you want a tutor who can help fire up your child’s enthusiasm and enable him/her to develop self-motivation. It is not necessarily a reflection on the tutor if it he/she and your child do not fit together; people have different personalities.

Personally, I prize calmness. A tutor who is always calm and polite is someone who is likely to provide a conducive learning session for a child. It is inexcusable for a tutor to lose his/her temper or shout. Shouting is not an effective teaching tool: it is a reflection of lack of emotional control. It is bad enough if your child hears shouting at school; even worse if your child comes home to receive it too.

7.\tPayment

Decide your budget and frequency of payment. Be wary of tutors who demand considerable payment in advance. Be wary of tutors who regularly ask for extra payment to cover materials.

8.\tAttitude

A tutor who is regularly late, cancelling or changing timings is not worth the hassle. Ultimately, you are paying good money for a professional service.

9.\tTuition agencies

I have no strong thoughts about them. Some of the claims made by some of them seem a bit far-fetched, for example in terms of number and quality of tutors on their books. I always feel that if an agency has to repeatedly advertise how good it is, then it probably isn’t good. As always, let the buyer beware.

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Sat, 03 Oct 2015 04:50:59 GMT

bbsin — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 04:50:59 GMT

Hi,

No luck yet.. have you ?? let me know too

notabox:
Hi bbsin, any luck in finding a EL home tutor? Also looking for one in the same area for my P3 boy.
Much prefer to enagage one from word of mouth so appreciate recommedation from parents in this forum. TIA!

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Thu, 21 May 2015 13:33:08 GMT

concern — Thu, 21 May 2015 13:33:08 GMT

Hi,

Any good English tutor to recommend at Sengkang area to teach upper primary? Must be familiar with the new exam format and syllabus.
Thanks.

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Tue, 19 May 2015 07:23:50 GMT

momkiasu — Tue, 19 May 2015 07:23:50 GMT

Hi bbsin, I wish to help you as I am a full time tutor myself that teaches Maths, English and Mandarin. However, as most of my students are following me through this academic year, i am unable to take in anymore students for this year.

Below are some of the tuition agencies that I used to take students from, (not sure if they are still in operation) but you may wish to check them out and do a comparison on your own.

ChampionTutor - Very fast and efficient. However their coordinators are not based in office and mainly working from home.
Tel: 91220236

MyTuitionClub - Operates as a home tuition agency & learning centre. I used to relief teach at one of their tuition centres years ago. They are stringent with their tutors and take actions against problematic tutors. Tuition rates are relatively lower compared to other agencies.
Tel: 67864588

Nanyang Tuition - Most of the students that i took from them, are foreign students preparing for entry examination AEIS etc etc so i think they are an agency that caters mainly to foreigners and expats. Rates are very good, writing from a tutor’s point of view.
Tel: 6787 9759

Hope the above helps!

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Fri, 24 Apr 2015 06:01:46 GMT

notabox — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 06:01:46 GMT

Hi bbsin, any luck in finding a EL home tutor? Also looking for one in the same area for my P3 boy.

Much prefer to enagage one from word of mouth so appreciate recommedation from parents in this forum. TIA!

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:01:58 GMT

janet88 — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:01:58 GMT

TheAnswer:
Moomin study:
Try calling up teacher jeremy at 83374438 for help. Though he charges $60 per hour, you are assured that he is good.

Prove of current student's results?

$60 an hour? Primary school level? Every child is different. If child is weak or slow, is tutor experienced and patient?

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Sun, 19 Apr 2015 13:39:55 GMT

TheAnswer — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 13:39:55 GMT

Moomin study:
Try calling up teacher jeremy at 83374438 for help. Though he charges $60 per hour, you are assured that he is good.

Prove of current student's results?

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Sun, 19 Apr 2015 11:29:46 GMT

zbear — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 11:29:46 GMT

Moomin study:
Try calling up teacher jeremy at 83374438 for help. Though he charges $60 per hour, you are assured that he is good.

$60 per hour for Primary School English? This is very expensive. Can guarantee A* for PSLE?

:evil:

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Sun, 19 Apr 2015 05:57:06 GMT

tsh0202 — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 05:57:06 GMT

Hi,

I’m also looking for a good tutor especially for Composition writing. Any recommendation?
Staying in Yew Tee.

Reply to Any good home tutor English to recommend? on Sun, 19 Apr 2015 05:39:16 GMT

Moomin study — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 05:39:16 GMT

Try calling up teacher jeremy at 83374438 for help. Though he charges $60 per hour, you are assured that he is good.