When he first started tutoring, Dr Elmi Zulkarnain Osman had no idea what to charge his clients. $25/hr? $50/hr? $100? Less? More? He scoured the internet for individual tutors and called tuition companies in an attempt to understand the tutoring market in Singapore.
After many years as a Malay language private tutor and 2 years of running his own agency specialising in Malay language, he thought it might be useful to share what he has learned about Bahasa Melayu tutors, the rates they charge, and the factors that go into those rates.
Like I mentioned in my other articles, 90% of effective tutoring is about social skills, and people either have them at this point in their life or they don’t – it’s not something that develops with experience. You can find many good (and some great) tutors at a low price if you are willing to try out a few different people and take a chance on someone green.
Unfortunately, cheap and effective junior tutors quickly find their services in high demand and start raising their prices.
Dr Elmi Zulkarnain Osman looks and sounds like many other highly qualified teachers. I first met him in the United States when he was just a doctoral student. He remains the same humble, chatty individual when I met him again recently when I was in Singapore. I know for a fact that Dr Elmi went to National Institute of Education in 2002 and never stopped studying until he graduated with a PhD in Educational Leadership. He then became the CEO of his own training and event consultancy. Everyone in his circle knows that he loves to teach and has a gift for communicating.
Nowadays, other than doing corporate trainings and hosting high level events, Dr Elmi Zulkarnain finds time to tutor the children of middle income and wealthy families.
He shared with me that while many school teachers are struggling with heavy workload and demanding expectations, the tutor economy is booming in Singapore. Hence, it is common for ex-MOE Malay teachers like him to continue the passion of teaching by becoming private tuition teachers.
I recently mentioned in my previous article that more and more of the world’s millionaires and billionaires are seeking at-home teachers to give their children a leg up in the increasingly competitive and important education race. And, as the number of rich people grows around the world and especially in Singapore, the Malay tuition market here in this tiny red dot is flourishing.
Elemantra Academy, a Singapore-based tutor agency under the Elemantra Group that hires and places many Malay tutors in Singapore, said its business this year will nearly double over last year.
According to Dr Elmi, the typical salary for a full-time tutor today has jumped to between $4,000 and $8,000 depending on the requirements. Some tutors like Dr Elmi earns way beyond that. In South East Asia, specialist tutors like Dr Elmi are often labelled as Super Tutors.
“For these wealthy families, they look at the costs of just buying a new private property in Sentosa or buying a new sports car, and spending $1,000 or even more for a tutor that comes once a week for 90 minutes is not a great expense,” said Dr Elmi, the founder of Elemantra Consultancy and Elemantra Academy. “They know education is important.”
Dr Elmi explained his clients fall into 3 basic categories. First, there are rich families who want to supplement their children’s schooling. Second, there are families who have children with special needs, where home schooling is more effective. Third, the parents just need someone to help their kids with homework.
Dr Elmi added that the job is “quite challenging” but tutors like him also received other perks which he did not want to elaborate.
Nonetheless being a tutor to the rich has its downsides, Dr Elmi said. “You have to be very flexible all the time,” he said. “Clients may need anything at a moment’s notice and you have to get it right the first time. So, there’s not a whole lot of patience for error. You must also deliver results as wealthy parents sometimes have unrealistic expectations for tutors, especially when it comes to helping their kids get into the best universities or get top grades for PSLE or O-Levels.”
“Some of these families are used to paying for whatever they want,” Dr Elmi said. “They don’t understand that we can’t guarantee a certain distinction or get into the good schools.”
“We have to get results with these kids,” Dr Elmi said. “That’s a great deal of pressure on us.” But he added that “I’m working with kids who really need me and I make a significant difference for those children, and it’s what I want to do with my life, so it’s great.”
Since Elemantra Academy started employing full-time tutors, the company monitors performance and receives constant feedback and performance reports from both the families and the tutors.
“We don’t take our fee and walk away,” Dr Elmi said. “We have an interest in everybody being happy along the way.”
Learn Malay online with a DEDICATED one-to-one tutor through SKYPE or learn Malay language via home-based face-to-face, one-to-one tuition classes with Dr Elmi Zulkarnain Osman now! Dr Elmi is readily contactable by mobile phone or email at elmi.zulkarnain@elemantraconsultancy.com
