Have you ever wondered what it is like to make a living as a home tuition teacher in Singapore? Giving home tuition in Singapore can be a great way to connect with children and guide them through their studies, while supplementing your income at the same time. Additionally, home tuition in Singapore often offers flexible working hours. If becoming a home tutor in Singapore is something that sounds appealing to you, read on to find out more about how you can embark on this rewarding journey.

What are the different types of home tutors in Singapore?

A number of aspects you should consider when first deciding to become a home tutor are:

–  The subjects you would teach

–  The levels you would teach (Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary or JC)

–  Whether you will be a full-time or part-time tutor

–  Whether you wish to sign on with a tuition centre or be an independent tutor

Most home tuition teachers start off with one or two subjects as their primary focus – this is usually the subject you feel most comfortable teaching. They also centre on a particular age group to teach. It is worth noting that the older your tutees, the more qualifications or track records you may be expected to have. Generally, grades quickly increase in importance and difficulty to achieve as you move up the levels, with many parents looking for a clean A* or A1 from as early as PSLE all the way through JC.

If you are changing jobs to become a home tuition teacher in Singapore, it may be a good idea to start off with part-time tutoring first. This allows you to adjust to the job and be sure that it is something you want to do. You can easily take on tutoring as a side job since each session is usually not longer than 2-3 hours. Part-time tutors are normally paid by the hour or by session, while full-time tutors may be also paid according to similar schemes, or they may have signed a contract with a tuition centre.

Lastly, as a new home tutor, it may be easier for you to get new clients by working at a tuition centre or with a tuition agency, which will help to source prospective clients for you. Independent tutors have the luxury of managing their own income, schedules, locations and clients, but if you do not have many connections yet, your best bet to get started may be with a tuition centre.

What are the requirements to become a home tuition teacher in Singapore?

Aside from experience and reputation, a lot of parents look at a prospective tutor’s educational qualifications. The minimum qualification required to become a home tutor in Singapore is at least an ‘A’-level certificate or a Diploma. A JC experience is usually favoured over polytechnic, since the JC subjects and syllabus are generally more aligned with the content required for school exams. Of course, if you are a degree holder in the field you are tutoring, such as English, Maths or one of the Sciences, you can expect to command a higher pay. The most sought-after tutors are former MOE school teachers.

While an official tutoring certificate is not required to be a home tutor, it certainly helps. You may be interested in pursuing the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from NIE, which will allow you to teach in MOE schools. Adding this certificate to your qualifications will definitely boost your credibility!

How can you gain experience as a home tuition teacher in Singapore?

Experience and testimonials from your past students is your number one advantage as a tuition teacher. The competitive home tuition world can be a daunting one, especially if you have no prior experience with giving home tuition in Singapore. Given that most tuition agencies and parents would want an experienced tutor who is able to deliver results, it can be difficult to find ample opportunities to get some experience in the field. Well, one of the ways to rectify this is to volunteer as a tutor in non-profit organisations. For instance, plenty of childcare centres, churches, and charitable organisations provide tutoring services to less privileged students. It is possible to offer your tutoring services to one of these organisations to get a feel for tutoring students and build up your resume. While you may not get paid much, if at all, doing a few hours of community tutoring a week can really expose you to the different types of students and common techniques to tutoring them.

Alternatively, you may also be able to sign on as an assistant tutor at a tuition centre. Some tuition centres may be looking for assistants to help their tutors, especially for larger class sizes. While you may not be doing the main tutoring, you will be able to observe how an experienced tutor conducts each class and get some opportunities to interact with the students.

Additional Mathematics (A-Maths) can be a difficult subject for many students in Singapore. It is an introduction to more complicated concepts within the mathematics realm, including pre-calculus, calculus, and similar elements, requiring a different approach and perspective to understanding the concepts. It is no wonder that many students struggle from the moment the subject is introduced in the curriculum in secondary school and may continue to do so without help.

To that end, many parents look into A maths tuition in Singapore for their children. Whether it is individual tuition, group A level maths tuition, or even online lessons and aids, tuition is one of the few ways a student in Singapore can get help for maths if they are having difficulties. While the concept of tuition is prominent, many parents may find that their children’s tutors are not so easy to find a match for. So how can you find a great A maths tutor in Singapore?

What does a great A maths tutor in Singapore look like?

Most parents inadvertently recognise that there are generally two items a tutor must accomplish: first is to ensure that their student understands the concepts being taught, and the second is to make sure that their student is able to do well during tests. To that end, this means that good A maths tuition in Singapore needs not only to be able to teach well, but also needs an in-depth understanding and ability to teach test-taking skills whether at the O-Level or A-Level standards.

As cliché as it may sound, what a great tutor looks like will then vary based on your child’s individual needs. You will know this better than anyone else – your child’s studying habits, learning ability, and how they best absorb information will drastically affect what kind of tutor works best with them. A tutor who has a fantastic reputation for working with students who are known to study on their own may not be familiar with a student who does not, for instance. Some tutors also specialise in working with students who have specific needs. It is important to have a good grasp of your child’s needs so that you are able to make good decisions on which tutors to hire. You may even find that some students work better with less experienced and younger tutors, purely because they are closer in age and can approach problems and concepts from similar mindsets.

Tutors may change with time

A level maths tuition is very different from O-Level maths tuition for both A-Maths and E-Maths. Additionally, as your child develops their skills, they may find that they outgrow certain tutors, tutoring centres, or teaching styles. It is important to observe your children and how they respond to their tutors as well as how they are learning. If they are no longer responding well to their tutors and it is not a short-term or temporary issue, you may want to consider a different tutor. It is important to nip any issues in the bud quickly – as the Singaporean A maths curriculum moves very quickly, any delays may cause difficulties in keeping up.

Of course, you will need to balance it with some amount of familiarity. Too many changes is not good for students either, as the tutors will then need to spend time getting to know the children and their learning methods. This familiarity means that once the initial period of adjustment is completed, further subjects can be introduced or reviewed with these learning methods. On the other hand, if too many tutors are introduced, future concepts may be covered with unfamiliar learning styles. This may be confusing for the student and may be detrimental.

Tutors and tuition centres

One-on-one lessons are not always the best for your child when it comes to tuition. There are plenty of students who learn best in group-based settings, and fare much better in tuition centres. Some students, in fact, flourish when they provide tuition to their peers instead of getting tuition for themselves – they reinforce concepts while teaching them, and thus retain that information better. Over the course of your child’s education across multiple subjects, it is always important to allow them to explore various methods of learning, teaching, and absorption. A combination of methods will arise from these explorations – perhaps your child will come across a specific teaching style they like, a specific location they absorb information best in (libraries, cafes, at home), and specific music genres they listen to to absorb information better. Some children may not even need tutors and prefer to simply revise on their own.

Talk to your child about their preferences – after years of studying, they generally know best about their own preferred methods and likely have insight in what is needed. This will tell you better than anything else what kinds of tutors are the best for your child in A maths tuition in Singapore.

We frequently have parents asking us, “What makes your A-maths tuition in Singapore different from normal school classes?” Isn’t private tuition in Singapore just a fancy term for catch-up lessons if students are unable to keep up with their classes? Must private tuition really be the key ingredient to excelling in A-maths, or is it just for those who “can’t study”?

As it turns out, private tuition classes aren’t just for weaker students having trouble catching up. Instead of acting as a substitute for regular school lessons, private tutors in A maths tuition in Singapore go above and beyond to ensure that each student can thoroughly understand, apply, and appreciate every concept that is required for their A-maths examination. Sure, private tuition is often for students who find themselves lagging in class, but there are all kinds of students who attend private tuition and benefit from it. In fact, being competitive in the education system today requires a tremendous amount of effort, which most students tend to find taxing. To ease their burden, many students turn to private tuition in Singapore for the extra guidance and support in coping with their many subjects. Let’s see what private tuition does differently from regular classes at school.

Private Tuition is Personalised

How does a personalised curriculum that follows your own pace sound? While school teachers have to take the entire class of 30 or 40 students into account when designing their lesson plans, private tutors have no such restrictions. Tuition classes are typically conducted in small groups of a handful of students, or even one-to-one. This makes it much easier for tutors to identify their students’ weak points and tailor their lessons accordingly.

For example, a student who has difficulty wrapping their head around the concept of trigonometry may find themselves lagging behind the rest of their classmates when their teacher goes through the subject. It would be necessary for this student to catch up on the topic on their own time, which can be difficult and demoralising especially without guidance from a teacher. Some students may give up on the topic entirely because they feel that they are unable to catch up on their own.

A private tutor would be perfect for such a situation because unlike a classroom setting, private tuition allows the tutor to spend more time on the student’s weakest topics. The small number of students in a class also enables the tutor to spend more time with each student, fully catering to their individual needs.

Private Tuition is a Support System

Can your private tutor be more than a teacher? Of course! Not all students have the privilege of a support system with their parents at home. As teenagers go through secondary school life and the awkward years of growing up, they may encounter feelings of insecurity, friendship issues, or simply wonder about their direction in life. However, some parents may be working and have little time to talk to their children on these matters. As such, students can turn to their teachers and tutors instead for advice and support, or even if they just need someone to be their cheerleader for that project presentation next week. An amicable tutor can easily fit into a teen’s support network and help them figure out their next education route or career plan, a common question that many O-level students have. Tutors may even be the best people one can ask for career advice, because they have been there along with their previous students.

In group private tuition, a student’s classmates can also form part of that support network. Sometimes, a student’s closest friends may even come from their tuition class instead of their class at school! With private tuition being conducted in smaller settings, it can be a more comfortable learning environment for quieter students, allowing them to get closer to their tuition classmates. Who knows, lifelong friendships could be forged within a cosy tuition room.

Private Tuition Builds Confidence

While a school classroom is usually on a tight schedule, private tutors have a little more leeway to drill their students further and increase their confidence in tackling each question type. Without the administrative matters, disruptive students and homework-chasing to distract from lesson time, private tuition is often more productive than school classes, allowing students to fully focus on mastering each topic. Private tutors are also generally more experienced in ensuring that students of all levels of understanding can grasp the subject matter. From a shaky foundation dependent on model answers, private tutors excel in guiding each student to comprehend the reasoning behind each step of working. This builds firm confidence in students’ Maths prowess, enabling them to succeed.

Singapore is renowned for having one of the most demanding mathematics syllabi in the world, and its students have repeatedly demonstrated outstanding performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international maths studies.

However, maths can be challenging for some students who might struggle with exam revision. Math builds on several basic concepts, so students need a solid foundation to move on to more complex topics. When sitting for maths exams, students need to know how to approach and solve the questions under time pressure. A good maths tuition teacher can help students to devise a strategy for the exam and give them tips on how to succeed.

If you’re a student looking to do better on your next exams, here are five top maths exam tips to help you through your last-minute revision.

Prepare a Maths Exam Timetable

It’s repeated often but can never be overstated: preparation is vital for any math examination. But how do you go about preparing? The first thing to consider is knowing the syllabus content that will be tested. Often this involves familiarising yourself with the key topics and concepts such as vertices, inverse functions, probability, and linear equations. To determine which topics will be tested, refer to the exam schedule, textbook questions and lecture notes.

Once you know the math content that will be tested, planning a timetable and guidelines for getting through the material is best. This means picking out chunks of material that you need to revise (e.g., polynomials – Monday 2 pm, trigonometry Friday 4 pm) and scheduling them in order of most-to-least complex topics. Assign a reasonable amount for each subject area and aim to stick to that time limit throughout your preparation period.

Analyse Past Maths Exam Paper for Tips

Some students rely on sheer practice alone by going through maths ten-year series assessment books, with the mantra that ‘practice makes perfect.’ Many students fall into the trap of spending too much time going through endless similar questions without realising they can use their time more wisely.

You can improve your maths exam performance by being more strategic: look for commonly tested topics and try to predict the type of questions you might see.

Look through the ten-year series or past exam papers and start analysing them. Start to classify the questions into topics by making a note or highlighting them in different colours based on your classification. There is no need to attempt every single question; instead, prioritise understanding the questions and familiarising yourself with how to solve them; use the answer sheet to help you.

A good maths tutor will typically be able to spot these questions with high accuracy and confidence because of their teaching experience.

Use Mind Maps to Memorise Maths Concepts

Another excellent maths exam tip is Mind Mapping. Mindmapping is a great maths revision tool that can help structure and visualise your knowledge. It’s a graphical representation of your thoughts and ideas that can be used to break down complex topics. For instance, if revising for a maths exam on Geometry, you start by writing the word Geometry at the center, then draw lines connecting it to the different concepts, such as “Triangle Hypotenuse” or “Circumference.” Underneath each idea, you can add more detail through diagrams, definitions, or notes.

A mindmap should only include essential concepts a student needs to know to grasp the main topic. Mind mapping is an effective exam preparation technique because it allows you to revisit and reinforce your existing math knowledge while allowing you to review unfamiliar concepts. This can significantly improve your overall understanding of the materials.

Decide on the Order to Answer Maths Exam Questions

One maths exam tip often overlooked is deciding on the order to answer questions. If you’re faced with a paper that contains more than one section, would you answer the more straightforward questions first or start with the tougher ones?

In reality, this depends on your learning style and skills. Some students prefer to quickly answer the more straightforward questions, giving them a sense of accomplishment and improving their motivation for tackling more complex questions. For others, tackling the hard questions from the beginning can be better, so they’re not left struggling for time.

Whichever approach you decide on, it’s essential to stick with it throughout the paper and makes sure you check your answers before submitting. This is a straightforward maths exam tip but could make all the difference in performance. If you have 30 minutes or so at the end, it’s a good idea to go back and double-check your answers.

Once you clearly understand what you need to do, prepare your answer by working out the solution on a separate empty sheet – this will help ensure accuracy and minimise errors. After completing your calculations, write down the key steps and double-check them before writing your answer on the exam paper.

Pacing Yourself Well

Time management is a critical factor in any exam, including maths exams. It’s important to pace yourself during the paper and leave enough time to check your answers at the end. The simplest way to do this is by allocating specific time for each question or section (depending on the difficulty). If there are twenty separate questions, you could divide the total time by 20 and attempt each question within that allotted timeframe.

If you run out of time towards the end of a paper, skip some questions and return to them later if you have spare minutes. Don’t waste too much time on one question – move on, and you can always return to it if you have extra time.

Conclusion

These maths exam tips will help you to prepare for your exams in  . Remember, with the proper techniques and preparation; you can excel in your exams. Start early and not scramble for last-minute maths tips, which will cause more stress and anxiety, negatively impacting your exam performance.

Selecting a home tuition agency in Singapore for A-level Maths tuition can be a headache, with the numerous options available these days. One-on-one classes, small groups, virtual lessons, you name it – whatever your preferences are, you will almost certainly be able to find a tuition agency offering them. It is easy to feel lost in the sea of tutors available today. Well, if you have decided to get an A-level maths tutor, it helps to narrow down the search before diving in.

Class Size

The size of each class can be major consideration for some. Generally, the smaller the class, the more time each student gets with the tutor. This can be a great help to those who are feeling left behind in their school classes, as they will be able to get more one-to-one attention from their tutors. On the other hand, while larger class sizes may be more affordable, it typically limits the time a tutor has with each student since they will have more students vying for their attention. There is no right class size for everyone – it all comes down to what you want out of your tuition class.

Consider why you are looking into getting A-level maths tuition. Do you find the classes at school too large or overwhelming? Is the teacher progressing at a pace too fast or too slow? If so, you may want to go for a smaller class size for A-level maths tuition – you would not want to sign up for tuition to escape classroom confines, only to find that the classroom-style is no different from that of school!

Track Record and Recommendations

Before signing up for any tuition class, you will want to make sure that the tutor can deliver results. One good way to check this is to see the exam results of your prospective tutor’s past students. Most tuition agencies tend to display their top scorers, but are these representatives of their student majority? It is important to do some extra digging and research to look into your desired tutor’s track record before agreeing to go with them.

If you are on the fence between multiple tutors, you could try looking for recommendations from friends who score well in A-level maths, especially those with similar learning styles. A tutor may produce great results, but they may not vibe with you personally – perhaps they have a teaching style you are not used to, or you find it difficult to understand how they speak. Chances are if a tutor works for someone with a similar personality and style, they will work for you too.

Pricing

Tuition prices vary greatly per tutor and agency. Even so, home tuition is well-known for being expensive – you can expect to pay up to hundreds per session, especially if your tutor has good qualifications. Group tuition will of course be cheaper than individual tuition since you are splitting the cost amongst multiple students, but it results in less one-on-one time with the tutor. It comes down to whether you think the tutor is worth the fee they command.

Tutor Qualifications

You will also want to make sure the tutor is qualified enough to teach you. Some tutors make this information readily available, while you may have to ask others to show you their qualifications. A good tutor should not only be academically qualified in the subject they are teaching, but also in experience teaching students of similar level. If you feel that you only need classes to touch up on some concepts, it may be possible to go for a lower cost but less experienced tutor.

Any Strings Attached?

While some tutors are happy with being paid their fees on a regular schedule, others may have different practices. Some tuition services, particularly those from tuition agencies, may require an upfront deposit to be paid before you can enrol into a class. Usually, this deposit can be forfeited if you decide to change tuition centres without providing prior notice or in the middle of the course, thus aiming to lock people in to sticking with that tuition agency. Be sure to ask beforehand if you are expected to pay any deposit fees, and if so, how much the amount is and the conditions you should meet to get it back. If you do not feel comfortable with this option, there is nothing wrong with choosing a different tuition agency.

Some tutors also offer free trial lessons before you decide to commit to their classes. If you are not fully sure about a tutor, ask if they are willing to give you a trial so that you can gauge whether you are a good fit for each other. If they do provide trial lessons, that is great! Ask the agency if they have any conditions for the trial and how many sessions it lasts for.

While in the past, tuition may be seen as additional help for students who are struggling, there has been an increased demand in them over the years. Recently, having tuition has been viewed as a necessity for students to be able to do well in school.

Having tuition has its benefits, one of which is to help students have a better understanding of a subject and prepare them for their exams.

If you are considering giving your child A Maths tuition to prepare them for their exams, here are some things you should look out for and some benefits of tuition.

Benefits of Tuition

Private tuition is known to be the most popular tuition option which is considered by parents. This is because 1-to-1 tuitions allows for personalised and focused attention during the sessions. This means that tutors can have 100% attention on their students and help them understand concepts on a deeper level.

Tuition can help to supplement schoolwork, giving students additional resources to help get better grades. This also means that they have more work and questions to help them practice — this forces memory retention and helps to enforce concepts into them.

The advantage of a private home tutor is its convenience. Your child would not need to spend time travelling for lessons. When having tuition at home, your child will also get to learn in the comforts of their own home — further giving them flexibility to decide their preferred tuition timings.

Another advantage of a tutor is that your child would be able to get personalised attention. This means that your child will be able to ask more questions and be able to learn concepts more in depth as tutors are able to have focus entirely on one child at a time. Home tuitions can help students to correct answers at every step, unlike in class where teachers may be unable to brush up all the faulty areas of each of their students.

With a private home tutor, your child will be able to learn at their own pace. Tutors can adapt to both fast and slow learners, and the way they learn. If your child learns fast, they can have the opportunity to learn concepts before they are taught in school. This can aid students in revising their topics and get to know the basics of new ones in advance. While if your child is a slow learner, tutors can take more time to explain concepts to them to help them understand better.

Tips to Consider When Choosing an A Maths Tutor

There are multiple factors you should consider when hiring an A Maths tutor — depending on what result you are looking for.

The Tutor

One of the main things that parents and students should look out for is the tutor themselves. As A Maths is demanding, you should consider tutors with enough teaching experience and are well versed in A Maths.

Also depending on how your child students, the tutor should be able to adapt their teaching style to suit their students’ needs. This will then help them excel in this subject.

The tutors should be able to adapt their teaching style to suit their students’ needs. Reliable tutors should also be transparent in their students’ learning progress.

Up to Date on Syllabus

When considering a tutor, you should look out for their framework of the syllabus to ensure that they are up to date on the latest MOE syllabus. A Math tutors should be designing their lesson plan according to the latest syllabus and be constantly updated on it.

Tuition Rates

As rates are different with different tutors, do look out for their individual rates. Remember that higher rates do not necessarily mean better results. Look at individual reviews on the particular tutor to get a better idea of how they teach.

Overall Thoughts

If you are considering A Math tuition for your child, there are multiple factors which you should look out for before hiring a tutor. It is also important that your child can work together with the tutor to get the best results.

Private tutors can give your child flexibility in how they learn and improve. Tutors should be able to adapt their teaching styles to suit the needs of their individual students. With private tutors, students can get a personal 1-to-1 attention to help them succeed in their exams.

Home tuition agencies such as Edu Aid can help you find a suitable tutor for your child that is reliable, efficient and customer oriented.

No matter where you study around the globe, Maths is one of the most important classes you will ever take. It teaches you the fundamental mathematical skills you will need throughout your life and is something that should be practised after you have finished school. However, it certainly is not an easy subject, especially when studying for higher qualifications. As a result, A level Maths tuition is often required for students looking to achieve those higher grades. Even the most naturally talented students may struggle to achieve those top grades without extra support. So, what should you look for in a Maths tutor in Singapore? How do you know who is the right tutor for you or your child? Here are some of the key characteristics you should look for in a Maths tutor in Singapore.

Trust

One of the key traits of any good tutor is trust. Both you and your child must trust that the tutor can truly help with your child’s Maths. Any good tutor will instill trust right from the onset, ensuring that you feel confident in their ability. The more your child trusts the tutor they work with, the more they will achieve throughout their examinations. They will begin to feel confident around the tutor, which will help them to ask better questions and be honest when they do not quite understand a particular topic. Trust is something that is often built up over time when it comes to children and teenagers. The more time they spend working with the tutor, the more they will begin to trust them.

Flexibility

When it comes to finding A Maths tutor in Singapore, you must make sure your tutor is able to adapt to changes. Whether this be changes in teaching, changes in schedule or any additional changes that may occur. There is no predetermined formula when it comes to a teaching approach and thus the approach used should be in alignment with your child’s learning method. For example, if your child learns through completing equations, then the teaching approach should be styled towards practicality and answering questions. Over time, the tutor you use will begin to evaluate the teaching method they are using, which will help your child to progress further the more they work with them. Many may also choose to create a new action plan altogether, as this will help to tackle any key problems your child is encountering. Being flexible is truly the key to finding a great Maths tutor.

Energy and Motivation

Maths is a difficult subject, there is no way around that. To take on something difficult, you must be motivated and energised, otherwise, you will fall at the first hurdle. Your tutor’s energy will carry over to your child. If they are extremely motivated, excited, and energetic, this will influence your child to become the same. However, if they lack energy and are simply there for the money, it is likely that they will not be a good match. Even if your child has been discouraged by their current grades, the tutor can work as a model for them to work towards. Always make sure the tutor in question has a passion for what they do. This will certainly pay off in the long run.

Openness

Although the tutor is there to help your child learn, they must also have the listening skills to better understand your child’s needs. You want to look for A level Maths tuition that is provided in a comfortable environment in which your child can be open about how they feel. For example, if they want to inquire about the context of a question, they should feel comfortable doing so. At the same time, if they do not fully understand the form of teaching being used, then an open environment will allow them to say so. The tutor’s openness must demonstrate both their involvement and accessibility. You want your tutor to be interested in your child’s learning as much as you are, as this will make sure they pull their all into helping.

Humility

It is not uncommon for a tutor to believe they know every possible thing about a subject. However, the reality is a tutor should be always willing to learn more. It is almost impossible to know everything about a particular subject. If a tutor does not know the answer to a question this is not something to be afraid of. Any good tutor will go away and learn the topic again so they can make sure your child has a full understanding. Make sure that the tutor you choose is willing to own up for any mistakes they make, as this will certainly help in the long run. Give them a chance to go back on a particular topic if needed, after all, A level Maths tuition can be extremely complex.

When it comes to value for money, education must be a top priority. The best education at a young age can put your child years ahead academically, allowing them to achieve from the very early stages of life. Setting them up in the right way will allow your child to get a better job in the future, as well as be happier in their non-work life. However, some children though intelligent, may struggle with the school system.

The system is not for everyone, which is why some children exceed their learning potential, whilst others struggle. One way to help your child is by using a home tuition agency in Singapore. Home tuition is a great way to teach your child, as lessons can be carefully tailored to their learning preferences. Whether your child wants to learn math tuition in Singapore or they would like help with their sciences, there are many benefits of home tuition. Here are some of the key benefits that we recognise.

Improved Confidence

If your child isn’t doing the best at school, it can really damage their confidence. If this is not tended to, your child may begin to hate school as it becomes a place where they no longer feel comfortable. Using a private tutor can often provide students with the confidence boost they need to succeed. Due to the one to one nature of home tuition, tutors can identify key areas in which students can improve. Often, the student will not recognise this themselves, even though it may be damaging them. By gaining extra confidence a tutor can identify what areas the student is struggling and make suggestions as to how they can improve.

Developing Exam Technique

Although exam technique is taught within schools, it can be difficult to pick up for some students. As a result, they may know everything they need to for an exam but cannot successfully express their knowledge in their answers. A home tutor can help teach your child the correct exam technique, ensuring that they are able to perform when it comes to exams. Often, children will require trial exam practice in order to do well in exams. With a tutor helping them throughout the process, they can begin to spot and understand the many traps set in the examinations, as well as develop their time management.

Tailored Sessions

Every individual will have their own preferred way of learning and working. Whether this involves talking to others in order to express their ideas, or writing down their thoughts onto paper, no one technique works for everyone. Whilst good classroom sessions make use of different learning styles, it isn’t always possible to cater to all. A home tutor will tailor the students learning program around the individual themself. This allows them to unlock their full learning potential. In addition to this, your child will also begin to understand the ways in which they learn best, which can significantly improve classroom performance.

Renewed Interest

Unfortunately, many school curriculums are restricted to certain schemes of work. This can prevent some students from effectively engaging in the topics that they are studying. As this goes on, they may begin to disengage which will impact their overall ability to achieve. A home tutor can help inject new enthusiasm into a subject in order to appear more appealing to your child. For example, a ‘boring’ subject such as Math, could be linked to businesses that your child finds interesting. Reading comprehension in literacy could be developed through reading fiction books about space or adventure. It is always possible to link your child’s passion with a subject at school in order to develop interest.

Improved Organization

By having regular lessons with a home tutor, a child can begin to focus on their work which will allow them to become more organized. They will begin to feel responsible for their next lesson, which will allow them to prepare for the class. Once momentum builds up over time, your child will begin to enjoy lessons rather than feel anxious. This is because they understand the topic at hand and are making progress within the class.

Singapore’s PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations), a national exam for Primary 6 (12 years old) children in Singapore is finally over for this year. However, the Math paper became the spotlight when a concerned mummy wrote an open letter to the Minister of Education, complaining that the paper was too difficult and in her words “The 2019 Math PSLE Exam held last Friday was so harrowing and so devastating that our 11 and 12 year olds came out of it defeated, crushed and utterly demoralized”.  If you are a foreigner parent and have not experienced the PSLE at all before, this issue may throw you off and get you all panicky. Before you start thinking of getting your child out of the Singapore education system, let’s do some fact-check to understand Singapore’s PSLE system better, and then learn how to help our children approach it with ease.

Singapore’s PSLE – high stakes exams?

 The purpose of having PSLE for our 12 years olds is to differentiate the children in terms of their academic capabilities. The education system in Singapore is fair, based on meritocracy. The students who perform better will get to enter the schools who accept those with higher scores. This works well for everyone because each school can cater their curriculum and activities to the academic readiness of their students. However, there are parents who believe that this means that PSLE has become a “high-stakes exams”, because they assume that getting to a “bad Secondary school” sets the path for failure for their children.

Many Singaporeans who had scored badly in their PSLE have proven to us today that this is definitely not the case. In fact, many would be quick to share that early failures in life made them all the more resilient and humble – necessary recipe for their success today. Therefore, as a parent, there is no need at all to be too anxious about your child’s PSLE results. Allow the results to help your child get to the right Secondary school that can help him develop at his own pace. If he happens to have anxiety or mental block during the exams and get to a Secondary school he finds undesirable for his standard, he may still blossom in that school with his capability. It is not the end of the world. Your child definitely still has a hope and future in Singapore.

Approach the PSLE with a right attitude

While the PSLE is definitely not a high-stakes examination, we should still help our children to realize their full potential in this national examination. We should approach this national examination with a serious attitude, and encourage our children to do so too. This is because studying for the exams can help our children learn how to be more disciplined and focused. These traits that our children build up while mugging for major examinations will train them to keep focused when faced with stressful situations at work when they grow up.

Hiring a home tuition teacher in Singapore

While tuition is not absolutely necessary to score well in PSLE, we will recommend it if you are not familiar with Singapore’s education curriculum. Getting a home tuition teacher in Singapore is almost a norm. Some of the reasons why parents choose to hire home tuition teachers in Singapore would be:

• Challenging the child to improve from B grade to A grade
• Keeping the child mentally challenged to stay in A grade
• Helping a struggling child to at least hit a pass with practice over practice
• Helping a struggling parent to understand how the child learns

The last reason is not conventional, but getting more common. Parents begin to realise there are different ways different children learn. There is no stupid child, only wrong teaching methods. If a parent or school teacher cannot engage a child with their teaching method, tutors will need to come into the picture to understand the child’s learning style and find a teaching method that can help the child to cognitively engage.

Get the right tutor from a tuition agency in Singapore

 You may have received advertisements of individual tutors from leaflets that got to your doorstep, or pasted at bus stops. We recommend you look for a suitable tutor through a tuition agency in Singapore. Testing tutors come with high cost. Parents should try their best to hit jackpot at the very first tutor – find someone your child is comfortable with and can help your child realize his full potential. It is not easy, and one should never take the risk to just try tutors randomly. Some tutors may totally kill any interest your child has in the subject on their very first visit. Use a trusted tuition agency that can provide you the best match according to their experience.

Conclusion: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

 If you have had the time to check out the 3 most challenging questions in this year’s PSLE Math paper, you would be quite surprised to know they are actually not that challenging really. We become perplexed as to why people will find them much more difficult than previous years questions, when in fact, there are even more questions that feel totally impossible in past year papers. The difference is this – this year’s difficult questions are not the same type of difficult questions that students practiced from past year papers. These are not the type of questions they expected, and had practiced over and over again before. Therefore, these questions threw them off even though they were obviously much easier than the really tough ones they practiced hard for. In fact, we observe that this is where the direction is moving for our PSLE Math papers. There will be interesting questions that students do not expect. These questions may in fact favour students with richer life experiences, like calculating discounts while shopping online, determining if an egg is heavier or an orange is heavier. One day in the future, some parent may just write in to the Minister of Education because the textbooks do not teach about the weight of eggs and oranges! Brace yourself. Do not end up getting mad with the system just because you made your child study at home all day. Let him have a life too. A relaxed brain makes a better learner.

We wish your child all the best! Once again, remember – the PSLE is not the be all and end all. Try your best and allow your child to blossom at his own time.