Tutors – MOE Teachers, Full-Time Tutors or Undergrads?

What type of tutors will best suit your children? Should you get MOE Teachers, Full-Time Tutors or Undergrad Tutors? Based on their usual charges that you see below, you can firstly get a sense of what you are paying for when you engage a particular type of private tutor. Furthermore based on our observations in the past 5 years, we have compiled a list of pros and cons for each type of tutor. Do note that these descriptions apply only to the average tutor in the category. We do have exceptional tutors around who defy these standards.

Estimated Hourly Rates - Full Table

	Undergrads	Graduate Part-Time Tutors	NIE Trainees / Full-time Tutors	Ex/Current MOE Teachers
Lower Primary	$17-22	$25-30	$25-35	$35-45
Upper Primary	$19-25	$25-35	$30-40	$40-60
Lower Sec	$25-35	$30-40	$30-50	$45-60
Upper Sec	$30-40	$35-45	$35-60	$50-70
Junior College	$35-45	$40-50	$40-70	$70-120

Undergraduate Tutors

Pros

• Because they are students themselves, these tutors are able to relate better to the students they teach.
  
• Coming fresh from JC, tutors are more in touch with recent syllabus changes at secondary or JC levels.
  
• Able to teach on weekday afternoons or mornings, which MOE Teachers and Part-Time tutors are not able to.

Cons

• Tutors may not be able to commit more than a year. Some undergrads from NUS, NTU or SMU may have projects or may go on overseas student exchange program, causing the tuition to be disrupted.
  
• Generally have less experience than full-time tutors or MOE teachers.

Graduate Part-Time Tutors

Pros

• Generally charge lower than the full-time tutors.
  
• Could have vast tutoring experience during their undergraduate days.
  
• Some of these tutors have very rich experience outside of academia, and this can serve to provide interesting alternative perspectives for students.

Cons

• Timings are usually limited to after-work hours. Most Graduate part-time tutors work the regular office hours, so these will be out of bounds for home tuition.
  
• Tutoring experience may not match up to those of full-time tutors.
  
• May not be as up-to-date with regard to the curriculum as compared to full-time tutors. Most part-time tutors will have at most 2-3 students at any point in time.

Full-Time Tutors

Pros

• Tutors are very flexible with their timings. Good for parents who may want lessons on weekday mornings or afternoons.
  
• Teaching experience are generally richer compared to part-timer tutors, since full-time tutors are dedicated to the line of work.
  
• May be able to provide better or customised notes for students, especially notes that cater to the learning style of the student.

Cons

• May not be as familiar with the syllabus as MOE Teachers.

Current MOE Teachers

Pros

• Most are very experienced and are able to spot and correct the mistakes of students very quickly.
  
• Know the school syllabus extremely well, since they are tasked to set school papers.
  
• Normally able to plan lessons effectively for students and teach according to level of understanding.

Cons

• MOE Teachers may charge 20-100% higher than Graduate full-time tutors.
  
• Timings are limited to only weekday evenings and weekends.
  
• Normally take much longer for a student to find an MOE Teacher. Teachers have very limited time outside of work.

Ex MOE Teachers

Ex MOE Teachers may carry on tutoring on a part-time or full-time basis after they leave public service. Their efficacy in teaching is therefore dependent on their current occupation, and on how long they have left school teaching. The charges of Ex MOE Teachers are closely pegged to those of current teachers.



The hourly rates of MOE Teachers are highest, followed by full-time tutors, graduate part-time tutors, and undergraduates. Depending on your budget and your requirements, we can shortlist a number of tutors from each category for your selection.



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