Thinking of giving tuition Part-time?
Looking for a career switch? Or just curious how much do tuition teachers earn?
The tuition industry is very lucrative in Singapore, with many stories of Super Tutors that earn over $1 million SGD a year – “Tutors who earn at least $1m a year”.
Of course, the tutors above are very good at what they do. (market tuition rates, 2019)
How Much Can You Make from Tuition?
Hence, for this article, we included an exclusive scoop on realistically – how much you can expect to make, based on our past assignments (See: How to Become a Tutor)
Before we dive into how much Tutors make, we have to examine the factors that WILL affect our monthly income in giving tuition, assuming we are an effective tutor:
How Monthly Income is Affected
1. Tuition Rates
(a) Tutor’s Qualifications & Experience:
Generally Parents will pay higher if you are better qualified – i.e relevant degree in subject you are teaching.
Parents will pay even more for an experienced tutor – rates for Full-time Tutors, MOE School teachers start from $40-120/h.
(b) Subject(s) you are teaching:
If you are teaching Secondary and Junior College level, you can expect to be earning more than a tutor that specialises in Primary level. (See: market tuition rates, 2019)
2. No. of Days committed to Tutoring
Monthly income is also determined on the number of days you commit to giving tuition.
If you only commit 3 days per week to giving tuition, you definitely will be earning lesser than a Tutor that tutors for 5 days a week.
Usually tutors also commit their weekends (burning their weekends) to tutoring, since many Parents request for weekend timeslots.
However it also means forgoing time spent with family, friends, loved ones – smaller social circle.
3. 1-to-1 Tuition or Group Tuition?
How much tutors make depends on their student turnover rate.
If you are teaching multiple students in 1 timeslot – even though rates may be cheaper for group tuition than compared to 1-to-1 tuition, you can maximise your earnings per timeslot.
i.e 5 student group tuition vs 1-to-1 tuition, 1-to-1 tutor will have to teach 3 timeslots to earn the same amount as group tutor that used 1 timeslot. (See: Home Tuition or Tuition Centre)
Above are the average rates you can expect. Take note that they differ based on each Tutor’s Qualifications, Experience and reputation. (Sample Tutor Profiles)
Here are some exclusive realistic statistics and numbers from our Tutors, retrieved from our database:
Part-time Tutor
Usually these tutors are students (A Level graduates/Undergraduates), or holding a Full-time job elsewhere. Here is an exclusive scoop on one of our Tutors:
One of our tutors, name withheld, a Year 2 NUS undergraduate – P5 Math $35/h, 1 lesson/week x 2h; P4 Math $40/h, 2 lesson/week x 1.5h.
– Total hours spent giving tuition per week = 5 hours
– Total extra monthly income = $760/month
The extra income every month goes a long way when you calculate yearly. Little commitment is required as well – commit to as little as 1.5h/week per assignment.
Full-time Tutor
Full-time Tutors are usually graduates that go into full-time tutoring. This group of tutors are not NIE-trained and certified, and is not to be mixed with Ex-MOE School teachers that are currently Full-time Tutors.
One of our top tutors, a Full-time Tutor that specialises in Upper Secondary level Maths, Physics and Chemistry is consistently closing $45-60/h assignments. Based on average tuition – 1 lesson/week x 2h:
– Total (average) number of assignments for Full-time Tutors = 10-15
– Total monthly income = $3,600-7,200/month
Take note that the above figures assume that all assignments are only 1 lesson/week x 2h. Assignments can range from 1 lesson/week x 1.5h up to 3 lesson/week x 2h.
The main factor affecting Full-time Tutor’s incomes is how many timeslots they can fill. They are limited by the number of students they can take in.
Current MOE School teacher
Current MOE teachers have existing commitments to school, and at most can squeeze in a few lessons on Fri-Sun, maybe even weekday evenings.
However the rates they command are very high, starting from $50/h in primary school up to $120/h for Junior College.
For example, we have 1 current MOE teacher teaching JC2 H2 Math $110/h, 1 lesson/week x 2h.
– Total hours spent giving tuition per week = 2h
– Total extra monthly income = $880/month
The extra income per month for expenditure/savings is $880 for just 2h/week on tuition.
MOE teachers that do not have much commitment in schools/home will be able to take on more assignments.
Ex-MOE School teacher
These are former School teachers, but have since left the Service to do Full-time Tutoring.
This group of tutors command the highest monthly income as they are usually specialists in a single subject – many setting up reputable Tuition Centres charging over $120/h on group tuition.
For these Tutors, they can earn from $5,000 up to $20,000 per month – more established and reputable tutors earning even higher monthly income.
(a) Home Tutor
– Average earnings per assignment = $500-600/month
– Total income from 10 assignments = $5000-6000/month
10 assignments would mean spending just 3-4 hours a day on tuition. Monthly income can be increased greatly if more time is committed to tutoring.
(b) Group Tuition
– Average earnings per student = $60-120/h (depending on level & subject)
– Number of students per group = 5-15 (reputable tuition centres can have up to 20 students together)
Assuming worst case scenario, only 5 students, $60/h, 2 hour lessons = $600 per 2h timeslot
Monthly income from 1 group tuition = $2400/month
As for group tuition, monthly income scales exponentially. From just spending 2h/week on giving tuition, you can earn $2400/month. With more students per timeslots, and more group tuition timeslots, monthly income can scale rapidly upwards to $20,000.
Of course, this can only be achieved after getting your name out there, gaining reputation through word-of-mouth etc, and getting enough students to attend your group tuition – all requires quite a lot of effort and time.
Drawbacks of being a Full-time Tutor
Of course, all roses have thorns just like how being a tuition teacher has it’s drawbacks as well.
With no CPF contributions, ineligible for employee/corporate benefits such as free dental etc, no CPF top up – tutors have to manage their finances very carefully or they will risk having lack of savings for housing or retirement.
They also have to manage the smaller issues such as non-payment by Parents, untimely payment and the likes – problems faced by all freelancers.
Having a smaller social circle is also another drawback, since less time spent with family and friends.
Weekday evenings, nights and weekends usually reserved for social interaction/bonding is used for tuition instead. Tutors also are unable to go on holidays anytime they want, since their schedule have to follow School holidays.
CocoTutors: Home Tuition Agency
Convinced that Tutoring is your next venture? Passionate for teaching, and want to give tuition? Qualified and looking for a Career Switch after hearing how much tutors make? (See: Why You Should Register with a Tuition Agency Instead)
CocoTutors: Home Tuition Agency – Singapore’s one-stop solution for Tuition. We receive up to 10 assignments a day from Parents requesting for home Tuition – rates from $25/h up to $120/h. Join our Telegram Channel to view and apply for assignments (t.me/CocoAssignments)!
Daily updates of tuition assignments are also up on our IG @cocotutors
Alternatively, you can register as a Home Tutor by filling up our Tutor Registration Form.
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Hi Greetings
Thanks for sharing this informative post. It is very interesting and useful too.
They are very dedicated and serious in their work.
Thank you for sharing this insightful post on the potential earnings from tuition in Singapore. The breakdown of rates by subject and level, as well as the comparison of rates between part-time and full-time tutors, is helpful in understanding the earning potential of this profession. It’s interesting to see how the demand for tuition services has increased over the years, and the opportunities it presents for those who are passionate about teaching. The tips provided at the end of the article on how to maximize earnings from tuition are also useful for aspiring tutors. Overall, this post provides a realistic view of the income one can expect from tuition in Singapore. Keep up the good work, CocoTutors!