6 Tuition Centre Marketing Red Flags Every Singapore Parent Should Watch For

• "Start building your child's PSLE English foundation now — or worry when it's too late"
• "Every other parent is already giving their child an advantage. Are you?"
• Social media ads designed to make you feel like a bad parent for not enrolling your child

Why it's a red flag:
Good tuition should be about helping your child learn — not about making you feel guilty. According to NIE's Dr Wong Hwei Ming, fear-based advertising increases stress, perpetuates the academic pressure cycle, and widens the socioeconomic gap.

What to look for instead: Centres that explain their teaching approach and curriculum clearly, without resorting to emotional manipulation.

• "90% of our students scored an A!"
• "Our students perform better than the national average!"
• "Improve two grades in just 12 weeks — guaranteed!"

Why it's a red flag:
Here's the thing most parents don't realise: MOE does not release the average grade for each subject. So when a tuition centre claims their students outperform the national average — where exactly are they getting that figure from?

On top of that, collecting grades from graduating students is not as straightforward as it sounds. Many students simply don't reply when asked for their results. So how is any centre claiming a 90% A rate with a straight face? It's not statistically possible, and it certainly can't be fact-checked.

What to look for instead: Centres that are upfront about what they can and can't promise. Real learning is a process — be wary of anyone who guarantees results.

• Only accepting students who are already scoring As and Bs
• Showcasing students in prestigious school uniforms
• Advertising perfect scores as if they're the norm

Minister Chan put it best: "If you consume this product, you will get top PSLE scores. Sorry, it's the other way around." Some centres selectively admit top-performing students, then use their results as marketing material — implying the tuition made the difference.

Why it's a red flag:
If a centre only takes strong students, their "results" don't tell you much about their teaching. The real test is whether they can help a struggling student improve.

What to look for instead: Ask about their admission policy. Do they take students at all levels? A centre that genuinely helps students should be willing to work with those who are struggling — not just those who are already doing well.

• Top PSLE scorers endorsing the brand on social media
• Parents offered discounts, USS tickets, or AirPods for posting positive reviews
• Testimonials that all sound suspiciously polished and similar

Why it's a red flag:
When people are paid or incentivised to endorse a service, their reviews aren't genuine. You're reading marketing copy, not honest feedback.

What to look for instead: Reviews on independent platforms like Google. Look for reviews that mention specific details about the teaching experience — not just results. And ask the centre directly: do you offer incentives for reviews?

• "Only 3 spots left — enrol now!"
• "Classes filling up fast for 2026!"
• Free trial classes followed by aggressive sales calls and hard-sell conversion
• Dangling incentives to pressure parents and students into signing up on the spot

Why it's a red flag:
Legitimate centres don't need to pressure you into a snap decision. If a class is genuinely full, they'll put you on a waitlist — they won't use it as a sales tactic.

What to look for instead: Centres that encourage you to attend a trial class first to see if the teaching style suits your child's learning needs. A good centre is confident enough in their teaching that they don't need to rush or coerce you.

• Advertising attractively low monthly fees, but charging extra for holiday lessons, revision workshops, and exam preparation classes
• Requiring separate payments for materials, worksheets, or "premium" resources
• Springing additional charges on parents mid-term — fees that were never mentioned during sign-up

Some centres lure parents in with a low headline price, only for the actual cost to balloon once you factor in all the extras. Holiday intensives, supplementary classes, and material fees can add hundreds of dollars that parents didn't budget for.

Why it's a red flag:
If a centre isn't upfront about their full pricing structure from the start, it's a sign they're more interested in getting you through the door than being honest with you. Parents deserve to know exactly what they're paying for — no surprise bills, no hidden charges.

• Are holiday lessons included in the regular fee, or charged separately?
• Are there any additional material or resource fees?
• What is the total cost per term, including all extras?

At Tim Gan Math, we practise transparent pricing — what you see is what you pay. There are no hidden fees, no surprise charges for holiday lessons, and no extra costs for materials. We believe parents should be able to plan their budget with confidence.

Instead of being swayed by flashy marketing, here's what I'd recommend:

1. Check the tutor's credentials and experience. Are they qualified? How long have they been teaching? An experienced educator with real classroom background will teach very differently from someone who's just good at marketing.
2. Ask about their admission policy. Do they accept students at all levels, or only top performers?
3. Attend a trial class. A transparent centre will welcome this — they want to make sure it's a good fit too.
4. Look at their teaching resources. Does the centre provide anything beyond the weekly lesson? Good resources are a sign the centre is invested in your child's learning, not just collecting fees.
5. Check independent reviews. Google reviews, parent forums — look for authentic, detailed feedback.
6. Be wary of centres that promise everything. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I left MOE in 2017 because I was a young and naive teacher who believed I could innovate and do things differently in education. Since 2018, Tim Gan Math has been trying every way we can to genuinely help students — from our TGM Study Hub and question banks to our publications and video tutorials. That's what led to The Right Angle Method.

We accept students at all levels. Honestly, the majority of students who come to us are struggling when they first join — usually because the school's teaching pace doesn't suit them, or the hectic school lifestyle has left them behind. Those are the students we're here for.

We don't offer incentives for reviews — no USS tickets, no AirPods, nothing fancy. Our tutors simply ask students as a personal favour. We don't compile our results into flashy statistics like "80% scored A or B" because, frankly, those stats are borderline unethical and cannot be fact-checked. Instead, we promise what we can deliver: the best math resources available in the market. Our students do well in their national exams, and we're proud of that — but we'd rather let the work speak for itself.

The MOE–ASAS code of conduct is still being developed. While it's expected to be a self-regulation framework (similar to the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice) rather than hard legislation, it sends a clear signal: the days of unchecked tuition marketing are numbered.

As a parent, you don't need to wait for regulation to protect yourself. By knowing what to look for, you can cut through the noise and find a tuition centre that genuinely has your child's best interests at heart.