Math is a tough subject to tackle, even more so in the competitive environment in Singapore. The math curriculum in Singapore is getting more challenging every year, adding on to the stress of many students and parents alike. While students puzzle over the never ending list of questions in their math homework, as parents, we are not spared too. It is a tough world out there, and we definitely would want to give our children the best opportunities and education resources to do their best in their exams, and get a good head start in their life. If your child is not naturally gifted in math, and is struggling to follow along in his lessons at school, it is only natural to be concerned about how he is coping with his academic load. After all, we definitely do not want to see our child lag behind his classmates, and it pains the hearts of all parents to see their child struggling so hard too. Not all of us have the time, knowledge and skills to personally help our child with their math problems, which makes finding a math tutor an especially attractive option.
Private Math Tuition
Private tuition is one of the best options for your child, as it will allow the tutor to provide one on one guidance and attention to your child. This means that the tuition sessions can be adapted to suit your child’s specific learning style, and can also be conducted at a pace that is comfortable for your child. Private tuition is also more efficient compared to group tuition, as the private tutor can decide to zoom into and focus on what your child is struggling the most with, while giving less attention to math concepts that your child has already mastered. This is unlike group tuition, where the classes typically proceed in a pre-planned sequence, and where the tutor has to consider the needs of all the students attending the tuition lesson.
If you are interested in getting a private math tutor for your child, you might find yourself a little lost, not knowing where to start looking for one. After all, this is unlike a tuition centre (check out some of them here) that you can simply walk into and enroll your child for a lesson. If you are currently in a struggle to find a private math tutor for your child, read on, as we will be sharing more about that with you.
Common problems parents face when finding a private math tutor for their child
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If you simply do not know any private math tutor personally, and are lost on how to start your search for one, finding a math tutor via a private tuition agency might be one of the first things that pop into your mind. These private tuition agencies work by linking you to a private tutor on their platform based on certain criteria that you submit to them. While it might be an attractive option to just sit back and have the agency match a tutor to your child, using these agencies has its flaws too. Some tuition agencies might tie you down to using their services by enforcing tuition packages, not allowing for single lesson bookings. This would mean that you will be stuck with a tuition agency even if you later find out that they are not a good match for what you are looking for. This limited flexibility can be frustrating to many, as it would mean that much of what you are paying for the tuition sessions will be wasted as your child is not getting the most out of the time spent during these sessions. In fact, even if you are willing to part with the pre-payments you have made, you might find it awkward to raise the point that you would like to terminate the lessons after signing up for a tuition package.
Checking on the profile of tutors listed on the platforms of these tuition agencies and searching for reviews on these tutors might also not be the best way to find the right tutor for your child. Teaching is a skill that is definitely more nuanced than what can be captured through a simple profile on a website. A tutor with elaborate qualifications might end up being terrible in imparting his knowledge to his students, and even well reviewed tutors might not be the best fit for your child. After all, each child is different, and would respond differently to different tutors and teaching methods. Finding a tutor is definitely about finding a right fit for your child, and not simply the best reviewed. Hence, it is so important for us to experience a live tutoring session conducted by the tutor before deciding whether to use their services.
Besides that, these tuition agencies would often charge a commission for their services in matching your child to a private tutor, which can really add up if you are trying to save as much as possible. Finding a private math tutor for your child through a tuition agency is definitely not the best option, as you will be paying extra for these tuition services.
If you decide not to use a tuition agency to reach out to a private tutor, another common option would be to ask around for recommendations, or reach out to forums to search for a private tutor. However, that is not only an arduous and time consuming process, but also one without a guarantee on the quality of the tutors. Anyone can post a listing online, and you do not get a peace of mind on whether the qualifications or experience listed are indeed true and verified. Besides that, you might simply find yourself without any viable options, as using these methods to search for a tutor narrows down the pool of tutors you are looking at.
For those who are tight on their finances, private tuition can be a costly option. Private tuition is typically more expensive compared to group tuition at a tuition centre setting, and you might find it hard to part with so much money. Besides that, conventional private tuition sessions are usually held with a fixed duration ranging from an hour to two hours, which might be more than what your child needs if he simply needs to ask a few questions every time he gets stuck at a question, instead of needing full on tuition sessions. Paying for a tutor’s services for a full tuition session would be extremely wasteful if your child is only looking for someone to quickly provide them with some guidance at where they are stuck at, and it really feels like a waste of good money to do so. These fees do add up, especially adding onto all the other enrichment courses that you might have signed your child up for.
A better option
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If you are not satisfied with the conventional private tuition options, and find yourself agreeing with all the problems with finding a private math tutor above, we might have a better option for you. If you are looking for the one on one tutoring experience for your child without all the hassle and downsides we talked about above, iMath is a great option for you.
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iMath is an online math community, featuring both students and tutors working together to help each other along in their math journeys. A Community Wall is made available to everyone for free, which allows anyone to post math questions that they are stuck with online, and wait for responses to stream in. This collaborative feature not only allows your child to get responses on questions he is struggling with, but can also be a good resource if your child needs more math practice, as he can simply go onto the Community Wall and attempt the questions that were posted by others. If your child requires more help, you can then request a one on one video call session with any available tutor on the iMath platform. Each video call session lasts for 30 minutes. iMath video sessions work on a pay per session basis, so you will never have to worry about being stuck with a tutor if he does not suit your child’s learning style. The short 30 minute sessions also mean that you can get your child the help that he needs without wasting your money by paying for extra lesson time. There is no commitment required on your part to schedule more lessons with the tutor, and you can decide to stop the tutoring sessions at any time.
Besides that, iMath gives you access to all the tutors on the platform. With the low commitment required, you can also choose to change and request new tutors each time, until you find the right match for your child. Only when you find the right tutor for your child will you need to seek his tutoring services on the regular. This makes iMath a lot more cost effective and flexible compared to the conventional private tuition options.
Making sure that your child grows up well with access to all the opportunities and help that he needs is a tough job. If you are on the lookout for a private math tutor, and are having troubles with it, we really recommend you to try out iMath. A 30 minute video tutoring session can be scheduled at a pretty low price, so there really is no harm in downloading the iMath app today, and trying out the platform to search for new tutors that might suit your child’s learning. We hope to see you on the iMath app sometime soon!
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