How to Become a Tutor and Work for Yourself

With the education syllabus getting more and more difficult, students are continuously seeking personalised guidance for help with advanced studies. Thanks to the internet, students now have access to the tailored help they need and score well in their exams.

In a similar vein, tutors get access to a wide pool of students irrespective of nationality. With these new online platforms, tutors across all subjects can now more easily achieve their goal of sharing knowledge and becoming tutors in Singapore.

Do you know you can now tutor in countless subjects? From maths tutors to reading tutors to video game tutors (yep, it's a thing!), there are always passionate tutoring enthusiasts to help you out.

Whether you are an online tutor or want to teach in person, tutoring has many advantages to offer. You can design your own schedule, set your own rates, and choose who you work with. It is a fantastic way to take control of your work and be successful!

Essentially, tutoring in Singapore is not simply to way to earn extra income — it’s the path to a flourishing career, while at the same time being a personally fulfilling choice.

Tutor jobs are a great way of earning money, but they are even more rewarding as a personal accomplishment.

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Why Should You Become a Tutor

There are many reasons to consider becoming a tutor. Probably, you are attracted by the potential for a high income or the appeal of a better work-life balance. Regardless, here are some of the main reasons to pursue tutoring:

• Flexible Schedule – When you become a private tutor, you can set your own rates, choose the number of students to take on, and teach alongside your studies or other commitments.
• Personal fulfilment – When you help a student understand a concept, it is deeply rewarding and gives you a sense of fulfilment.
• High earning potential – Tutors with years of experience have the potential to earn more, going up to $100+. Super tutors earn infinitely more.
• Diverse opportunities – Tutors have the opportunity to specialise in a variety of subjects and adapt to different learning styles.
• Professional growth – Tutoring improves your communication and problem-solving skills—qualities that contribute to greater growth in your career.

Here is a quick checklist for you to consider before deciding to become a tutor.

Types of Tutoring Jobs You Can Do in Singapore

Now that you know the tuition rates, let us discuss the types of tutor professions you can choose.

Part-Time Tutor

Part-time tutors are individuals who have a full-time job and work as tutors to earn an extra income. Since part-time tutoring requires minimal experience, the pay is usually lower than that of a full-time tutor. Depending upon the students you teach, your pay could be in the range of $25 to $40 per hour.

Full-Time Tutor

For full-time tutors, tutoring is the main profession. This means you would be working for a minimum of 8 hours a day. Depending upon what you choose to teach, you could easily earn in the range of $50 to $70 per hour. This will easily amount to an average of $7500 a month.

College Tutor

College tutors are tutors who hold degrees or certifications in teaching. As per the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore, accepted degrees or diplomas include:

College tutors with MOE-approved degrees have extensive experience and often charge more for tutoring.

Here is a comparison table between the three

How Much Does a Private Tutor Earn in Singapore?

Are you planning to become a tutor? The tutoring industry is very lucrative in Singapore, with a growing breed of "super tutors" earning up to $1 million a year.

Of course, as a tutor, you have to be very good at what you do to be able to earn this much. These earnings are far from typical. On a more realistic level, as reported on Indeed, the average tutor salary in Singapore is $5,341. However, earnings for private tutors in Singapore will vary widely depending on the subject and experience of the tutor. On average, the rate will range from SGD $25 to $100 per hour.

Here is a tabular representation of the rates that tutors charge on average in Singapore.

Education Level	Part-Time Tutors	Full-Time Tutors
Primary	$30-$40	$45-$60
Secondary	$35-$50	$50-$70
JC	$50-$60	$70-$90

Job Expectations as a Tutor

As a tutor, you are expected to:

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How to Become a Tutor in Singapore—A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re thinking of beginning a tutoring career in Singapore but are unsure where to begin, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to become a tutor successfully.

Step 1 – Identify the Subject You Want to Teach

Begin by identifying the subject you want to teach or have a degree in. You don’t have to be a certified teacher, but you do need to have strong subject knowledge and a degree or certification to prove the same. Ideally, you should have a bachelor’s degree, excellent communication skills, and familiarity with the Singapore education system to become a successful tutor in Singapore.

Step 2 – Choose Between Online or Home Tutoring

Once you have decided that you want to become a tutor, choose between the modes of conducting lessons. You could either conduct online lessons or teach students in person. While online tutoring gives you much-needed flexibility and convenience, home tutoring allows for stronger personal connections.

Step 3 – Build a Professional Tutor Profile

If you are a tutor in Singapore, you must choose the right platform. That’s why creating a tutor profile on platforms like Superprof Singapore is recommended. Superprof is a reputable online teaching platform that offers a wide range of opportunities for aspiring tutors. To improve your chances of becoming a successful full-time tutor in Singapore, remember to include your educational background, subject preference, and teaching style.

Step 4 – Set Your Rates

If you want to make a stable career out of tutoring, you need to be aware of the rates that you should set. They should neither be too much nor too less than the current market rates and what tutors of your experience are charging. Check out the average tutor rates for your subject and experience level. You can begin with a discount to attract the first batch of students, after which you can increase your rates as your name and fame grow.

Step 5 – Expand Your Client Base

Once you have established yourself as a tutor in Singapore, now is the time to expand your client base either through word of mouth or platforms like Superprof. Maintain a professional approach. After building a good rapport with your students and achieving successful outcomes, you can also ask them to give you favourable reviews. Your students will gladly give you favourable reviews if you show up well-prepared and help your students see real progress.

Reveal the Tutor in You

More often than not, people who provide academic support in their free time are not full-time teachers.

They usually have an uninteresting day job that does little for them on a personal level, but it pays the bills.

Just like Clark Kent in the world of journalism and Peter Parker as a photographer, their job defines the way they fit into the world of work.

And, just like these superheroes, they usually much prefer their second job, working independently as a tutor - and it's not hard to understand why.

Become a math tutor and help your tutee in areas such as algebra and geometry for test preparation.

See the beauty in sharing your knowledge and becoming the French tutor someone needs to pass their homework assignment, or the reading tutor that helps a child improve their fluency.

Even if their outfits aren't as colourful and they bear absolutely no resemblance to Clark Kent or Peter Parker, private tutors and superheroes have one thing in common: to complete the missions that are dear to their hearts!

Guiding students along the path the academic achievement, whilst being a good role model, reveals a person's true character, maybe that's why so many tutors love their job.

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

Albert Einstein

This is true for many second jobs. The waitress who spends the day counting down until 5 pm might be a phenomenal singer who expresses her passion through performing in the evenings.

Being a personal tutor is, above all, about the joy of sharing your passion!

The Joy of Teaching

Maybe you spent your school days watching your teachers like fish in a bowl while they paced around the classroom full of children, all sitting in silence in terror of being asked to answer the next question.

Perhaps your memories of school include handing in your neat work only to have it return covered in illegible red scribbles.

Or maybe you enjoyed school and got on well with your teachers.

And now here you are, on your way to becoming a tutor!

How the tables have turned!

Isn't it exciting?

This is the reason that more and more students have become private tutors - because they themselves are still in the education system and are therefore familiar with how it works, and they can use this knowledge to help their tutees.

Now you're in the driving seat. It's up to you to explain things as you would have liked them to be explained when you were in your student's position.

There are several things you can do to adapt your lessons for each student:

• Adapt your language by explaining things in their own words. This will ensure that what you are saying is properly understood and can be reproduced later on by the student.
• Prepare detailed lesson plans that are in line with the students' specific goals and use study strategies based on their strengths. This will help them catch up in class and work on their learning style.
• Draw on familiar information to encourage the learner and ensure a positive and confident mindset
• Go beyond the subject and spark your students' interest by talking about the history of what you are teaching. For example, if you're a science tutor teaching about bacteria, why not look into Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin?

The main goal of private tutoring is to equip your students with the tools they need to succeed, not just in their academic career, but also later on in life.

Your supplemental help can make a child more confident in themselves as they become more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, and feel able to apply them to life inside and outside of the classroom.

The Satisfaction in Sharing Your Knowledge as a Service

Lots of people will want a maths tutor to help them brush up on their algebra before their college exam, or an English tutor to help their child with their reading comprehension and grammar. Biology tutors for GCSE exams, tutors who can help with calculus and trigonometry - the list goes on!

What makes this type of learning different is that it happens in a private context and is motivated by the need to improve a student's situation at present or lead them to success in the future.

Of course, ambitious parents who dream of the best education for their children, the increase in unemployment, and growing competitiveness in the job market are also key factors which have played a role in the success of home tuition.

More and more people are turning to academic tutoring as a way to earn money, gain experience, and add value to their CV.

As long as you feel comfortable in teaching your subject and capable of answering your students' questions, you can be a tutoring superhero!

Your tutoring services will become a valued part of your clients' lives and give hope to both your students and their worried parents.

Seeing student success thanks to your help is a way of taking pleasure in your work as a tutor.

Now you're an educator, it's your turn to be the biology tutor that inspires someone to study Genetics at university.

A Second Chance for an Education

It's not uncommon to hear about people who have been failed by the current school system.

The standardised nature of state education means that some students inevitably slip through the net and end up leaving school with very few qualifications to put on their CV if they are not lucky enough to be allowed to repeat a year.

Mentoring can also help people who feel forgotten by the current system.

Home tutoring aims to tailor the learning process to the needs of each student. This means getting to know the student and their learning strategies, so you can create an individualised study plan that will ensure that their time working towards their goals is well spent.

Providing this type of help can work wonders. Too often, people who have fallen behind at school are led to believe that it is because they're stupid, and now they completely lack confidence in their abilities.

Among those feeling left behind by their school teachers are people with specific learning difficulties or disabilities (SpLDs) such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADHD.

People with SpLDs are usually very bright and just need to learn by their own methods - methods which don't have a place on the mainstream school syllabus.

One-to-one tutoring is an investment that helps bridge the gap between struggling pupils and their peers and prepares them for future challenges.

This type of education can give them a second chance to gain academic skills, reintegrate into working life and meet new people.

There is a great social pressure on people looking for work and their families. So if a teacher can inspire them in some way, why not give it a go?

However, in reality, being passionate about your subject is one thing, but having to teach it is another kettle of fish.

Teaching requires fantastic organisational skills, passion, and energy. Your methodical approach is key. Lesson planning may not be your forte, and you may have forgotten that one of the biggest challenges of teaching is being able to engage the student, but the challenge is always the best part!

Calling all teachers and tutors: why do you think it's a good idea to become a tutor?