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What happens at a trial tuition lesson with The Singapore Syllabus?
Reviewed by Theon Teo, Founder · Last checked · How we check facts
Short answer
With The Singapore Syllabus, the first lesson with your chosen tutor is a paid trial at the tutor's normal hourly rate, with no contract and no minimum number of lessons after it. In it, the tutor works through your child's latest school paper and names the topics losing the most marks. Afterwards you carry on weekly, or tell us and we send another shortlist at no charge.
Before the trial
- You send a request with your child's level, subjects, area or online, and exam timeline.
- Within 16 hours we send 3 to 12 tutor profiles, each with credentials, hourly rate and a note from the tutor.
- You pick a tutor and agree a time. The first lesson usually happens within 5 to 10 days of the request.
- Send the tutor your child's latest school test or exam paper before the lesson.
During the trial
A useful trial is a real lesson, not a chat. Ask the tutor to go through the paper you sent and name the two or three topics losing the most marks, then teach one of them. That shows you how the tutor explains, how your child responds, and whether the tutor has understood the gap.
At the end, ask for the plan for the next four lessons and how you will hear about progress.
What the trial costs
The trial is charged at the same hourly rate as later lessons, the rate on the tutor's profile. For example, a 1.5-hour P5 trial with a full-time tutor at S$40 to S$55 an hour costs S$60 to S$82.5.
Paying for the trial means the tutor teaches a full lesson, and you judge them on real teaching.
Source: The Singapore Syllabus, rates by level and tutor type.
After the trial
- If it went well, agree the weekly schedule with the tutor directly.
- If it did not, tell us what did not work. We send another shortlist at no charge, and you are not committed to the first tutor.
- There is no contract and no minimum number of lessons at any point. Lessons need 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule, or that lesson is charged.
How to judge the trial
- Did the tutor find the real gap from the paper, not just repeat the topic list?
- Did your child understand at least one thing they did not before?
- Was the plan for the next lessons specific to your child?
- Would your child be happy to see this tutor every week?
Common questions
Is the trial lesson free?
No. It is a paid trial at the tutor's hourly rate, the same as later lessons. What is free is the re-match: if the fit is wrong, we send another shortlist at no charge.
Do I have to continue after the trial?
No. There is no contract and no minimum number of lessons. You decide after the trial whether to continue with that tutor.
Should I sit in on the trial?
For younger children it helps to be nearby. For older students, let them work with the tutor and ask your child afterwards how it went.
Want a tutor shortlist?
Tell us the level and subject. We send 3 to 12 tutor profiles with their rates within 16 hours, and you choose. No contract and no minimum number of lessons.