The tuition industry in Singapore has gotten more complex over time, and despite many having engaged tutors previously, few may truly understand the industry.

If you have any questions about the tuition industry in Singapore, let us help you answer them! This article was last updated on 19 July 2020.

1.0 Popular questions on tuition in Singapore
     1.1 Why do parents send their child to tuition?
     1.2 What is the tuition culture in Singapore?
     1.3 How much do tuition teachers earn?
2.0 Key tuition in Singapore statistics 2020
     2.1 Tuition in Singapore statistics
     2.2 Home Tuition statistics from SmileTutor
3.0 Opinion pieces on tuition in Singapore
     3.1 Is my child too young for tuition? Is there a right time to start tuition?
     3.2 How much tuition is too much?
     3.3 Is tuition necessary in Singapore?
     3.4 If Singapore’s education system is so good, why is tuition widely taken up?
4.0  Top considerations in choosing a private tutor/tuition centre
     4.1 Step 1: Comparing and choosing between private tuition vs group tuition
     4.2 Step 2: Finding a suitable home tutor type
     4.3 Step 3: What to look for in a private tutor
     4.4 Step 4: What to do during the first tutoring session

Popular Questions on Tuition in Singapore

It is no secret that tuition is widely taken up in Singapore. In fact, many students spend their time after school attending additional tuition or enrichment classes.

Here are some of the top questions our parents have.

1) Why do parents send their child to tuition?

Education Minister, Ong Ye Kung spoke of one of the key principles of our education system,  “lift the bottom, not cap the top”. MOE believes in providing additional support to weaker students instead of reducing the growth of top performing students.

The tuition industry supplements our local education system by ensuring that no child is left behind. Tuition helps weaker students, or students with special learning disabilities to help them keep up with their peers (source).

Parents consider private tuition to play a significant role in the overall success of students.
• 80% of parents see tuition as a way to improve their child’s grades
• 46% of Singaporeans consider tuition to be necessary for students to stay competitive
•  52% of parents see tuition as a means to help their child keep up with others

We believe that every parent simply wants the best for their child, and that pushes them to provide their child with all the resources they can afford.

2) What is the Tuition Culture in Singapore?

Singapore is definitely a tuition nation! As evidenced by the increasing number of tuition centres over the years. If you’ve gone through national exams in Singapore, you will definitely know how stressful they can get.

Much of the demand for tuition comes from those preparing for these exams. Peer pressure and competition between parents and students also serve to intensify the demand for tuition.

We all get a little comparative when it comes to grades.

The Singaporean culture of Kiasuism spurs parents provide additional support for their children, for fear of their child “losing out” to others. Some parents may also use tuition as a safety net for their children.

And when it comes to quality of a child’s education, parents are willing to give their child the best resources possible!

3) How much do Tuition Teachers earn?

Everyone seems to be interested in this figure. Tuition teachers recently made headlines when it was reported that super tutors in Singapore make more than $1 million a year.

And if you don’t already know, many local MOE teachers are also switching over to give private tuition as they command higher fees and get a better work-life balance.

The salary of a private tutor is dependent on:
• Where they teach – Private tutor or tutor at a tuition centre
• Number of students they have
• Level of qualification they have – Full-time tutor or MOE teacher

Tuition centre teacher salary
Private tutors make more than tutors at tuition centres, whose wages are determined by the tuition centre. According to salaries on Glassdoor, an average teacher at a top tuition centre would expect to earn about $4,000/month.

Tuition teacher salary in Singapore
According to the 2020 private tuition market rates, full-time tutors can rake in $35-$50/hour teaching primary school or secondary school students, and $50-80/hour teaching JC students.

Ex/current MOE teacher command a higher rate at $55-$80/hour for primary school or secondary school students, and $90-120/hour for JC students. Teachers from popular schools may even increase their rates.

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Key Tuition in Singapore Statistics 2020

How much do you know about tuition?

We’ve answered some top questions in the section above. And if you’re interested in facts and figures, we’re more than happy to share our knowledge with you! We’ve picked out some key statistics and interesting nuggets of knowledge to share.

Tuition in Singapore Statistics: 

1. Revenue of the Singapore tuition industry 
You may already know this one, Straits Times brought due attention to this a few years ago! The tuition industry has grown from $650 million (2008) to $820 million (2013) and is currently worth over $1.4 billion (2019).

2. Percentage of students having tuition in Singapore
Again, another easy one, as published in the 2015 Straits Times article, 70% of parents send their child for tuition. 8 in 10 Primary school students and 6 in 10 Secondary school students pay for private tuition.

3. Number of tuition centres in Singapore
This one may be new to you, the number of tuition centres in Singapore has steadily grown, from a list of 700 MOE-registered tuition agencies in 2012, to 800 in 2013 and more than 1000 in 2020 (source).

We have more tuition centres than primary schools, secondary schools, JCs and universities combined!

4. Top tuition subjects in Singapore 
No surprises here, Maths and Science are the most sought after subjects for private tutoring (source: SmileTutor Tuition Agency). After all, Singapore ranks first for both these subjects in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

5. Average monthly expenditure of Singaporean parents on Tuition
If you’ve always wondered about how much we value quality education, this stat is for you!

Singaporeans spend a median monthly amount of $155-$255 on tuition (source). This amount varies from family to family, but 54% of Singaporean parents spend more than $500 per child. If that surprises you, consider the fact that Singaporeans also spend more than twice the global average on education.

6. Percentage of Singaporean parents who have paid for private tuition vs other regions
Turns out… we aren’t the most Kiasu. Although, we easy beat out our western counterparts when it comes to % of parents who have paid for private tuition, we lost to our regional neighbor, Indonesia!

% of parents who have paid for private tuition
Source: HSBC Value for Education Report 

7. Interest in private tuition
Most parents search online to find the best tutor for their kids, and Google searches for private tuition have increased by more than 25% in the past decade! Demand for tuition has been increasing steadily.

Google searches related to private tuition
Source: Google Trends
(Y axis is a measure of interest on the scale, not an absolute value)

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Home Tuition statistics from SmileTutor: 

We’ve covered some pretty common facts that have been published by newspapers and reports, but we want to share more. Here’s some SmileTutor insider information just for our readers.

1. Lower primary school students make up the bulk of our clientele
Although you may think that the amount of tuition a student receives should increase with level and difficulty of curriculum, that is not the case!  This may be because many regard PSLE to be the exam with the highest stake.

2. Primary school students request for more tuition than secondary students and JC students combined
Did you know, primary school students also have more tuition in terms of frequency and number of hours of tuition per week.

Breakdown of tuition requests per level
source: SmileTutor

3. More students engage tutors at the start of the year than before exams.
Were you a last-minute student? or a slow and steady learner? If you’re the latter, you’re a pretty typical student! (Yes, closest muggers skew our perception of reality)

There are 2 main periods in an academic year where tuition demand peaks.

Last-minute muggers focus on intensive cram sessions before their end of year exams or major exams. And for students who opt for the “slow and steady” approach, they use tuition consistently throughout the term.

Peak period or tuition requests
Source: SmileTutor

4. 2 out of 5 tutor requests are made by students themselves
Think parents are the only kiasu ones? Think again! We receive a significant number of tuition requests from students themselves (applicable for JC, Poly and University level).

5. 40% of clients specifically request only for female tutors
Most of our clients specify the gender of their tutors, with many parents opting for female tutors with reasons related to safety, certain characteristics/ traits associated with the gender, as well as how at ease their child would feel with a female tutor.

6. Tutors for Mother Tongue are mostly requested in lower primary as compared to higher levels
Singapore’s bilingual policy has resulted in more and more parents focusing on improving the language skills of their children, especially for families who are primarily English-speaking.

7. 40% of part-time tutors aren’t students
A common misconception many have is that part time tutors are students, that isn’t true! A part-time tutor is simply someone who gives tuition on the side. Some of our part-time tutors are lawyers, real estate agents, traders, stockbroker, or housewives.

8. 80% of our clients request for 2 or more tutors
Most of these clients are repeat clients looking for tutors for their other children, or with the aim of providing additional support for their child in the form of having tuition for multiple subjects for their child.

9. Science more requested than math
As most students consider Math to be the tougher subject, it may be surprising to know that the ratio of science tuition requests to math tuition requests is 6:4!

10. Trend for online tuition rising

There is a trend of more parents and requesting for online tuition in Singapore for reasons such as inconvenience in travelling or schedules being overly packed.

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Opinion Pieces on Tuition in Singapore

1) Is my child too young for tuition? Is there a right time to start tuition?

As a parent yourself, you may ask “Is my child too young for tuition?”

 But, how young is too young? Is there a right time for your child to start tuition?

 The observable trend is that more and more parents are sending their children for tuition classes even in pre-school and lower primary.

In fact, in a Blackbox tuition whitepaper, it was reported that 23% of parents feel that tuition should start in pre-school, while 37% of parents felt that tuition could start in primary school.

“Learning can happen at any age. It is unfair to say that a child cannot start learning until he/she is of a certain age”, says Anson Tan, a full-time private tutor with 15 years of tutoring experience.

“After all, we also have parents reading books to their child and teaching them simple math even at a young age.”

Early childhood senior lecturer at SIM University, Sirene Lim says that four to six is a good age to begin enrichment classes as long as what is taught is appropriate for that stage of their child’s development.

Experts believe that tuition can be beneficial from a very young age. Bernice Lee, a pre-school teacher, says “I have always felt that tutors aim to build up a child’s foundation to allow them to better understand the school curriculum. “

“Some parents view tuition in a negative light because they think that having tutors for young children can stress out their children. But we actually aim to alleviate their stress levels”.

Nowadays, tuition teachers that teach kids as young as 3 focus on making lessons fun, engaging, and interesting. Helping kids learn basic skills like math and phonics. In a way, these tutors are no different from private nursery/kindergarten teachers.

Director of Flipside Education Hub, Isaac Neo, feels that “it is hard for us to simply look at a child’s age to judge if they are suitable or unsuitable for tuition. There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay ahead of the education race”

However, he cautions that there must be a balance struck. Some parents overload their child with music, swimming and tuition classes, depriving them from a proper childhood.

“If our team feels that a child is overwhelmed or does not really need tuition, we would turn down these students”.

Another concern that parents have would be “When is the right time to start tuition?”

You may ask, should I send my child for tuition when he/she is getting B? Or C? But what if I want my child to maintain his/her A?

If you’re looking for a recommended time or situation to send your child for tuition, it seems our interviewed experts have a consensus: There is no right time.

“Keep an eye on your child’s progress and use your personal judgement to determine if it is a good time”, says Bernice.

Isaac also chimes in. “If your child is doing badly in school, or has seen friends who have benefit from tuition or wish to keep their grades up, there is nothing wrong with seeking extra help”

As school becomes tougher, not all parents are able to teach their children. It is also unfair to judge anyone for sending their child for tuition as each child has their own time and pace.

In an ideal world, the “right time” for tuition is when the child himself/herself wants tuition.

Anson strongly believes that as long as the child doesn’t feel overwhelmed and truly enjoys the lessons, there is nothing wrong with having tuition.

“Instead of looking at tuition as an unnecessary burden, we can look to tuition as a means to lend our children a helping hand in their studies”

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2) How much tuition is too much?

The bigger question we hope to tackle is “When is tuition too much?”.

 Many parents are concerned about the level of stress their child may face in school and whether tuition would negatively add to that, on top of school work and extra-curricular activities.

Parents should make sure they are not overburdening their child with too much pressure, be it through expectations or forced tuition lessons, Bernice advices.

“You may wish to check that your child is not overly dependent on tuition, and that your tutor is not spoon-feeding answers to your child without focusing on learning.”

Isaac agrees that the essential aim of tuition is to supplement a child’s learning, and not be the centerpiece of his education.

“If it reaches a point that the student’s life revolves around tuition and he/she spends an overwhelming amount of time on tuition, it becomes too much.”

Michelle Ang, editor of The New Age Parents, notes that tuition can be considered to be too much when the student is no longer absorbing anything during class or dreads going for tuition.

 In short: Tuition is too much when it stops being beneficial.

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3) Is tuition necessary in Singapore?

“Schools have numerous resources to help and guide students along in and outside of classes”. Dr Kaur, a professor in NIE says that she has always felt that the school “has done enough for its students”.

Bernice shares the same viewpoint: “Tuition is not a need; however, it is a want that is driven by parents and students themselves”

Our education system has come a long way from older generations. The current syllabus is even 3 years ahead of what was taught to pupils 30 years ago!

It is common knowledge that Singapore places a great focus on academics. Students go through multiple major national exams that filter them into different schools and streams.

“Parents are afraid of letting their child lag behind their peers as that may mean having limited school choices or job prospects in the future”, says Anson.

Natalie Yap, a recent NUS graduate, mentions that, for slower learners like herself, she would not have been able to get into her dream course in NUS without the help of tuition.

“Students don’t need tuition just to cope with the school curriculum, they need it to get ahead and progress in life.”

She shared that many of her friends ensured that they had good results before pursuing alternative careers in sports or the Arts as it gave them an option of falling back on traditional private/public sector jobs should they not succeed.

Isaac acknowledges that “a student’s self-esteem can be disproportionately damaged if they under perform in academics, which may lead to a dislike for learning”.

“Furthermore, the current state of the education system leaves more to be desired. Our teachers are over stretched and, the class sizes are too big for the current speed of teaching and there is an over emphasis on rote learning.”

He feels that until positive changes are made in the education system in Singapore, the tuition industry has done well to provide additional support for students that require it.

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4) If Singapore’s education system is so good, why is tuition widely taken up?

You may wonder why is tuition so common in Singapore when we have a world-class education system.

Does this mean that our education system is flawed? Our respondents say: No.

“The difficulty of the curriculum is not the main reason tuition is highly demanded. The tuition culture is simply side effect.”

Many organizations, including government agencies focus on academic qualifications as an important hiring criterion, hence good grades become associated with having a good future, says Isaac.

“Parents simply aim to achieve the best outcomes for their children, hence the emphasis on tuition stems from the hope that it would allow their child to have a better future”.

“Kiasu-ism” is also the main contributing factor, not the curriculum or schools, says Natalie. Singaporeans are perpetually afraid of losing out.

“In JC, all my friends, even the smart ones went for tuition, it made me feel like I would drop in class rank if I didn’t try to improve my grades”.

Everyone wants more assurances for their grades. And anything less than 100% confidence in that coveted A grade is met with tuition classes as a “safety net”.

Michelle adds that a parent’s idea of success plays a huge part in shaping their child’s life. The fact that many parents perceive success to be good grades, motivates them to find more ways to help their child to do well academically.

“The quality of teachers, and their teaching method is also another factor”.

Some teachers may be negative, harsh and strict, killing a student’s interest and motivation to learn the subject, if that is the case, students may turn to tutors who are able to cajole, inspire and share.

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Top Considerations in Choosing a Private Tutor/Tuition Centre

First time getting tuition for your child? Unsure of whether private tuition or group tuition is suitable for your child?

Many parents send their children to tuition, but not all see results! Did you know, only 30% of parents see a significant improvement in grades. Not all tuition is equal and not all forms of tuition are suitable for all students. Do not make the mistake of looking only at cost to make your decision.

There is a right way to use tuition and a wrong way. 

We know that finding the best tuition agency or tuition centre in Singapore is difficult, but we have outlined 4 important steps to winning at tuition.

Step 1: Comparing and choosing between private tuition vs group tuition

Beyond cost and level of  personalized attention, there are other factors you can take into account:
• How well your child learns in a group?
• How easily distracted they are?
• How much they require the tuition class to follow their school syllabus?

Consistency is key! Know that improvements in results are not visible immediately, and sometimes it takes 1-3 months of weekly lessons before a change in understanding/ attitude is seen.

Common misconception: Private tuition is always more expensive than group tuition! 

If you’re going to be spending money on tuition, make sure you spend it wisely. Ensure that your child is using the type of tuition that best suits their needs.

We’ve listed some considerations you may have in the table below!

For more information on group tuition vs private tuition, click here.

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Step 2: Finding a suitable home tutor type

Great, you’ve decided on private tutoring! There are quite a few categories of private tutors you can proceed to look at.

General guidelines:
• The early bird gets the worm! It is more difficult to find a good tutor just before exams.
• It is more difficult to find an experienced tutor at a higher level i.e. JC vs Primary school
• Don’t expect a master of all! It is difficult to find tutors that teach multiple subjects/ contrasting subjects i.e. English and Mother Tongue

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Step 3: What to look for in a private tutor

Now that you’ve chosen which tutor type is most suitable for your child, we could move on to choose THE tutor!

We encourage parents to have a phone interview with the shortlisted tutor to ensure that the tutor is suitable. Ensure that you speak to your child prior to the phone interview to fully understand the struggles they are having with the subject.

Just to clear up some common misconceptions:
•  All part-time tutors are inexperienced: FALSE
Some have been tutoring for years and come with numerous recommendations and referrals.
•  If a tutor did not get an A for the subject they are teaching, they cannot the subject well: FALSE
This should only be consideration when the tutor is inexperienced and is unable to prove their teaching track record in other ways i.e. grades of their students.

Here are some questions you could ask the prospective tutor!

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Step 4: What to do during the first tutoring session

Found THE tutor? We aren’t done just yet!

It is important to follow up and observe the lessons after hiring the tutor. Check that the tutor is getting along well with you child and is able to answer all of your child’s questions.

During the lesson – Observe the lesson:
• How well is your child getting along with the tutor?
• Is the tutor able to answer the questions asked by your child?
• Is your child focusing during the lesson?
• Was the tutor serious during the lesson?

Post-lesson – Follow up with your child:
• How did he/she find the lessons?
• Was the tutor able to explain concepts in an easy to understand way?
• Does he/want want to continue the lessons?
• Were the lessons personalized? Did the tutor check on their progress in school and match the topics covered?
• Did the tutor seem familiar with the syllabus?
• Was the tutor patient? Or did they rush through answers?

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That’s it! We hope that you enjoyed reading the article. If you liked what you read, please share this with anyone who is interested to learn more about tuition in Singapore.

Have we missed anything out? Let us know in the comments below!