Common Myths about Home Tuition in Singapore

It has become commonplace for parents to sign their children up for tuition, regardless of their age, academic background, grades, or schools. In modern times, almost every student is expected to be attending tuition and enrichment classes – not just for one subject, but multiple subjects. In many ways, Singapore is truly a “tuition nation”.

With the rapid rise of tuition comes a divergence: while some prefer tuition classes at a centre, others stand by home tuition. Well, what is the difference and why are some parents not so keen on home tuition for their children? Let us dispel some common myths keeping some parents from allowing their children to reap the full benefits of home tuition.

Myth #1: Home Tuition is Expensive

A common sentiment among parents is that classes at tuition centres are much more affordable than hiring a home tutor. This can be due to several reasons, such as the home tutor usually teaching in smaller groups, being more flexible with time, and going to your home or opening their own. Home tutors generally also name their own prices, as opposed to tuition centres having standard prices for most classes.

The rates of home tuition largely depend on the tutor’s qualifications and teaching experience. While it is true that more experienced and qualified home tutors usually command premium rates, there are also home tutors with affordable prices who may be slightly less specialised but are still more than capable of tutoring students.

Myth #2: Home Tuition is Outdated

The syllabus dictated by the Ministry of Education (MOE) frequently gets updated, with new and revised content coming out in examinations. For example, the difficulty level of the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) has been rising over the years, due to these syllabus revisions that step up the learning curve through the generations. While registered teachers at MOE are aware of such syllabus changes and can prepare their lesson material better in anticipation, some home tutors are working on their own, unaffiliated with MOE – which could raise the concern of whether these home tutors are teaching the latest syllabus. As such, it is understandable that parents may place less trust in home tuition, instead believing that tuition centres are more likely to provide reliable and up-to-date content.

However, you can rest easy knowing that home tutors can be just as qualified as tutors at tuition centres! Aside from many of them being former or current MOE-registered educators, most top home tutors keep themselves updated with the latest syllabus and answering techniques, which is available from MOE. They also frequently make use of the recent past year papers and ten-year-series practices from top schools all over Singapore. Since home tutors aim to help their students achieve good grades, it is in their best interests to get on top of any new updates to the MOE syllabus or examination formats.

If you are still in doubt, go for the home tutors who are currently tutoring other students on the same subject of the same level. This ensures that the tutor is up to date with the latest syllabus for the appropriate level.

Myth #3: Home Tuition is Only Necessary Near Examination Periods

Some parents may believe that students only require home tuition when their examination period is approaching, which is a common misconception. In fact, students can benefit from home tuition at any time! It is best to start tuition early in the academic year, when the student has just started the subject. This ensures that they will receive ample coaching and reinforcement every step of the way as the amount of content slowly builds up, as opposed to starting tuition towards the end of the year and having to revise everything from the top.

Additionally, tuition teachers may pave the way for their students to excel, but it ultimately falls to the student to keep revising along the way instead of holding everything off to the last minute. If a student has any questions while they are studying the earlier foundations, it is much easier for a home tutor to clarify their doubts before the student progresses on to later content that builds on these foundations. Thus, we highly recommend engaging a home tutor as early as possible to facilitate progressive learning.

Any Time is a Great Time to Begin Home Tuition

As we have seen, home tuition can be a great enrichment addition for students of any level. What is even better is it being never too early or late to get started on home tuition! Whether you are looking for maths, languages, sciences or GP tuition in Singapore, we have you covered. Our handpicked selection of tuition teachers contains both current and former school teachers who have been working in the school system for many years. Finding the perfect home tutor for any subject has never been easier!