Thu, Dec 24, 2009
The Straits Times

By Terrence Voon

When Ms Jean Phua began attending classes in business finance earlier this year, she found she could not keep up.

Desperate for help, the 23-year-old – who was then pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing at SIM University – turned to a time-honoured Singapore tradition: tuition.

After a three-week crash course in the subject from a private tutor, she scored a credit and graduated last month.

‘I was rusty with numbers and the lectures were very fast-paced,’ she recalled. ‘Each class had about 200 students, so it was hard to get the lecturer’s attention.’

An increasing number of undergraduates have been bitten by the tuition bug, joining their younger counterparts from primary and secondary schools and junior colleges.

To meet the burgeoning demand, more private tutors and tuition agencies are offering their services to university students.

Agencies like Home Tuition Care say they have been getting at least one inquiry a month from undergraduates.

At StarTutor, coordinator Gavin Liu estimates that he has seen 30 undergraduate clients over the last two years.

‘These are mostly private university students or working adults who don’t have time to attend classes,’ he said.

‘Some just want to catch up on their coursework before their exams.’

Tutors like private economics teacher Kevin Chow have seen a spike in the number of university students who turned to them for help.

He now conducts small-group classes for up to four undergraduates each semester – compared to none a few years ago.

The increase, he said, could be due to rising pressure for students to do well in tertiary institutions.

‘For undergraduates, their degree is usually their last hurdle before they enter the workforce,’ said the 29-year-old, who also coaches JC students. ‘It’s more vital for them to do better.’

Unlike their younger counterparts, undergraduates usually do not need long-term help. Tutors say they are hired for just one or two months, but will charge a premium for their services.

Tuition fees range between $40 and $300 an hour. University professors and former lecturers often command higher rates.

Primary to junior college students are usually charged between $15 and $45 an hour.

Popular subjects among undergraduates include accounting, engineering, business finance and even advanced mathematics.

Mr Ng E-Jay, a private mathematics tutor who is pursuing a PhD in maths at the National University of Singapore, provides one-on-one home tuition for undergraduates and even uses free Internet call service Skype to help them with their coursework over the phone.

He says the needs of his students are usually very specific.

‘They just require some explanation in basic concepts, like business students who need help with statistics, or economics students who want a good foundation in maths,’ explained the 32-year-old.

Some enterprising undergraduates are even offering tuition to their peers.

Mr Alan Phua, a final-year business management undergraduate from Singapore Management University (SMU), has provided economics and accounting tuition for six university students this year – all referred to him by a tuition agency.

Said the 26-year-old, who is also a teaching assistant at SMU: ‘When I teach my students, I also revise my own work and go further in my own studies.’

While most of the students who take up tuition are Singaporeans from local and private universities, there are also foreigners who have turned to tuition to help them make the grade.

Ms Beenita Stephenson, a Thai who is pursuing her MBA at James Cook University, says tuition was the only way for her to overcome her weakness in accounting subjects.

‘I was scared because I had never studied accounting before,’ said the 29-year-old. ‘I want to make sure that I do well, and tuition is the best way to guarantee that.’

This article was first published in The Straits Times.