S’pore tutor quits, questions nature of tuition industry after manager asks about charging student for extra help
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After seven years at a tuition centre, one tutor decided it was time to leave following a disagreement over something he thought came naturally with the job — helping a student who was struggling.
The 33-year-old tutor, who asked to remain anonymous, told Stomp that the incident made him question the increasingly commercial nature of the tuition industry.
He had been teaching at a tuition centre in central Singapore when a parent emailed on Mar 3, asking for additional help for her child, who was struggling with Physics.
The tutor had a 30-minute gap after the student’s Math class and offered to let him stay back so he could help with Physics.
“I have a half-hour gap after Math, in which I can help him with his Physics if required,” he wrote in a message to his manager, seen by Stomp.
However, the arrangement prompted a series of questions from his manager.
Screenshots seen by Stomp show the manager asking whether the admissions team had been informed, how long the arrangement would last and whether there was a need to charge the student for three 30-minute, private one-to-one lessons.
The tutor replied that he had been thinking of giving the student “a bit of a lifeline” because he was failing Physics, describing it as extra help after his usual class.
‘It felt like a demotion’
Looking back, the tutor acknowledged that his manager may have had legitimate reasons to question an informal arrangement that had not been communicated to the administrative team.
His contract also did not specifically address short consultations after lessons.
But after seven years with the centre, he felt the way the issue was handled was disproportionate.
“I was a seven-year employee who contributed much to the company and ran large classes before, only to be scolded by a new manager over something extremely small,” he said.
“It felt like a demotion. And to some extent, petty.”
What particularly bothered him was the suggestion that the additional 30 minutes could instead be charged as a private lesson.
“He might technically be in the right, but I think it’s greedy of the centre to try to earn as much as possible,” he said.
The tutor resigned that same day.
He stressed that the disagreement was not the sole reason for his departure, saying he had already been unhappy and was considering a change.
‘It’s a business’
The tutor, who holds a Physics degree from a local university, has since joined another tuition chain.
He has been there for about two months and said his new role comes with lower pay and seniority, although he enjoys greater autonomy.
He believes his experience highlights a tension in Singapore’s private tuition industry: educators may want the freedom to give students additional help, but they are ultimately working within businesses with their own administrative procedures and commercial considerations.
“There is no clear pathway in the private sector,” he said.
“It’s a business. Students and peers can like or dislike you. It’s a free market.”
Still, he questions where the line should be drawn.
Should a tutor be able to spend an occasional half-hour helping a struggling student without turning it into a paid lesson?
Or was his manager simply doing the job of ensuring that teaching arrangements were properly accounted for?
For him, the episode was enough to make him move on.
He hopes sharing his experience will prompt others to consider how tuition centres should balance their commercial interests with what educators believe is best for their students.
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