Are you looking for extra teaching assistance for your children in Singapore?
As a solution to this, hiring a private tutor or sending them to a tuition centre must be on your mind right?
While these are popular after-school coaching options in Singapore, there are other forms academic assistance that exist, though it may not be so prevalent or popular among students.
Have you ever heard about study camps? What about enrichment classes? Should you hire a study coach?
To provide clarification, here we have broken down each option so that you can familiarize yourself with them and then make an informed decision.
What is a Tuition Centre?
Tuition centres are just like a school-after-school as they lessons are conducted in a typical classroom environment. Students are taught in groups and each batch has its own timing. Such tuition system is not anything new; it is seen everywhere around us, in malls and under HDB blocks. Singapore has the most brimming tuition industry in the world, thanks to the increasing competition and the typical “kiasu” factor we are all aware of. It is a billion dollar industry and families are spending nearly $ 1.1 billion on tuition fees for their children, given that it is almost essential to perform well academically in schools.
Pros:
- Your kids will study with the company of others just like them; who need the extra push and motivation to excel in their studies.
- You can choose the tutor according to the student’s requirements.
- The rates are comparatively affordable.
Cons:
- They may not be able to provide personal attention to each student due to the large student strength in the classroom.
- Customized teaching is not possible.
- Kids are required to travel every day.
Who are Private Tutors?
Another popular option of tutoring in Singapore!
Like tuition centres, private tutoring is offered mostly at the student’s home. Private tutor can take up all sizes of the class, from a single student to a batch of 5-6 students. It depends on the students and the tutor’s convenience.
Pros:
- Private tutors generally teach at a student’s place, thereby eliminating the need of daily commuting for students.
- They that ensure personal attention is given; teaching is more customised to meet the needs of the students. Kids be more familiarised with their tutor’s teaching methods and academic expectations. They can also ask their query without hesitation, request their tutor to teach a topic once again though they may have been gone through it previously. Tutor can point out the areas of improvement to their students and work together with them on it to see them improve over time gradually.
Cons:
- The rate is fixed by private tutors according to their tutoring experience. So, they may be more expensive than tuition centres. For example, they charge SGD 40-45 per hour for primary school while the average rate of a tuition centre is nearly SGD 30 per hour.
- Consistency is another concern as the tutor may not be able to continue the classes if he falls ill or gets stuck with some sort of emergency personal commitments (unlike a tuition centre because that has backup facilities for such scenario).
Why Enrichment Classes?
These classes are focused on the grooming of the non-academic skills like music, dance, speech, art, robotics, drama, sports and cooking. You can hire a coach for them or send your kids to a dedicated institute.
What are Study Camps?
These are offered during school holidays for both academic and non-academic categories. However, they are more fun to learn as they focus on converting theory-based learning into hands-on activities.
Who is a Study Coach?
Also known as an academic coaching, this form of coaching teaches students to become more effective learners.
A study or academic coach teaches skills and strategies that apply to all classes and helps them to become confident and effective learners, no matter what subject they are dealing with.
For example, a private tutor can assist with homework but a study coach can teach him how to priorities homework or allocate the time appropriately for it. A study coach teaches students how to study for exams while a private tutor prepares students for exams; teaching them exam techniques and helping them master each and every topic. This way, they support and strengthen the learning of the students.
This is difference between an academic coach and a private tutor!
So you must have understood the various coaching options other than school. Think about your kid’s educational necessities and requirements to figure out the right option for them.