CNA938 Interview: Tutor Ms Chen Shares Why She Tutors

Many parents, when looking for a tuition teacher for their child, look out for specific criteria like teaching qualifications – in particular, NIE training and MOE teaching experience. But what does that really say about the tutors who come out to teach? Did they become tutors for the money, or because they ‘cannot make it’ in the formal education system? Or is there something else?

Recently, we had the honour of being invited to the CNA938 radio broadcast for an interview. Our Principal Tutor, Ms Yvonne Chen, shared her perspective as a MOE-teacher-turned-tutor – including her motivations for teaching, the challenges of being a tutor, and trends in the local education industry.

Flexibility as a key motivation

For Ms Chen, who had taught in schools like Nan Hua High School and Raffles Girls’ School, flexibility is a key motivation for making the foray into the tuition industry. She highlights how, as a tutor, she has more freedom to design her lessons in ways that will suit her students. Unconstrained by any schools’ curriculum or policies, she is able to exercise her professional abilities as an educator to tailor her classes to what she thinks is most effective for her students.

On a personal level, being a tuition teacher also provided Ms Chen with more flexible working hours – although this is not without its challenges. Given that most students attend tuition classes in the weekday evenings and weekends, this means that tutors have to work at unconventional hours as compared to most of their office-working peers.

Emphasis on teaching quality

A clear dedication towards her teaching craft is something that Ms Chen emphasises throughout the interview. She recounts how, as a teacher in an MOE school, her attention was divided across teaching, administrative and CCA commitments. This was not ideal for Ms Chen as she hoped to focus more on teaching, where her passion lies.

Now as a tutor who mainly teaches IP Math tuition, she is able to dedicate the bulk of her working time to actual classroom teaching, and further hone her skills as an educator. With this arrangement, Ms Chen derives more fulfilment from her job, which also translates to a better learning experience for her students.

Conclusion

While some tutors may treat tutoring like a side hustle, a backup job, or a way to earn quick bucks, it is apparent that Ms Chen sees it differently. To her, tutoring is an avenue for her to do what she does best – making complex concepts simple and motivating new generations of learners. And we are so humbled that year after year, students and parents refer us to their friends, trusting us for services ranging from our PSLE tuition to JC tuition in Singapore.

Once again, we are grateful to CNA938 for the opportunity to share our insights, recognising our tutor Ms Chen as a voice for educators and tutors in Singapore! To know more about our tuition classes or tutors, do drop us an enquiry to chat with us!

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