SINGAPORE: A family’s search for a private tutor ended in distress after a tuition teacher they hired through Facebook became verbally abusive when the family declined to give him a loan.
The case was brought to light by Facebook user Justin Lee. Screenshots of the exchanges between the tuition teacher and the family were included in the post, which has since been widely circulated.
According to Mr Lee, his uncle had found the tutor via Facebook and arranged a trial session for his son. But after just one session, warning signs appeared. The tutor messaged the parent asking for three weeks’ worth of tuition fees upfront, saying he was short of cash because his mother had been hospitalised with leukaemia.
Mr Lee’s uncle was uncomfortable with the request. “I don’t think it’s right to do this,” he replied, noting that the tutor had only just started. Instead of backing down, the tutor pushed further—this time asking for a $500 loan, with a promise to pay it back through lesson deductions.
Things escalated when the parent refused. Mr Lee said the tutor lashed out, calling the student “stupid” and saying “only God can teach him”. The abuse didn’t stop there. The tutor reportedly sent a direct message to the student, insulting the family and claiming he had connections with teachers at the boy’s school—suggesting he could impact the child’s academic future.
In one of the messages, the tutor allegedly wrote: “Your family are the worst kind and most idiotic people I’ve seen in my whole teaching life.”
“This is someone we trusted to help a child learn,” Mr Lee wrote in his post. “As parents and guardians, we entrust tutors not just with academics, but with our children’s confidence and well-being. It’s alarming to see this kind of behaviour from someone in that role.”
He ended his post with a word of caution to other parents: “Be careful when engaging private tutors, especially from social media. Always verify their references and try to go through proper channels when possible.”
The post has since been shared widely, with many expressing concern over the incident and calling for better safeguards in the tuition industry.