jedamum:My boy used to be under a private swim coach before i signed him up for swim school. Currently, I am sticking to the school coz he was assigned a great coach - i just don't like it when it rain cos parents don't get compensated/replacement lessons when it rain.Was actually toying with going back to private coaching (easier to cancel/reschedule lessons), but was wondering, can a regular private coach efficiently teach 2 students of very different abilities (ie one is beginner preschooler, one is intermediate primary schooler)? And also, I had this suspicion that private coaches need to 'entertain' the parents' (ie to keep them 'happy' to maintain the enrolment) while it is the administrator's job when it comes to swim school. Another issue is, we got a 'scare' when the 'agency' that assigned us the private swim coach told us that we should not pay upfront a month's school fees just after we paid the coach - and coincidentally, the coach thereafter can't be contacted via phone and eventually told us he can't commit for the next 2 weeks :P. We are lucky that we eventually utilised the 1 month fees.The coach is actually the most important element. It is not that important whether it is a private swim coach or from a swim school. What is important is that your kids are familar with the coach. Every coach have their own teaching style. There is no perfect style, just look for the one that suits your kids! Great to know that you have found a good coach. For group class, the market norm is that it is still charged if the lessons had commenced or if the coach has reached the place. However, certain coaches do have slight variation. Swim schools are more rigid in their admin but they usually have a system for progression in place.