SINGAPORE: A recently posted want ad for a live-in English tutor created a lot of buzz because it sounded very appealing indeed.
Not only did one family living on Orchard Road offer a monthly salary of S$6,000, this also came with holidays and meals.
And while the original ad seems to have been pulled from the Premium Tutors Assignments’ Telegram channel, a screenshot was shared over TikTok by a platform user, @Linglingd0ng, on Sunday (Sept 22).
According to the post author, it was the “craziest thing” she had seen last weekend, and in the caption she wrote, “exactly why Singapore is so competitive.”
It has since gone viral, getting over 313,000 views.
“The client is looking for a tutor to support an eight-year-old child with homework, particularly in English. Tutor has to be bilingual in English and Chinese,” the offer reads.
One wonders though, whether the post will have any job security, as under the “Duration and Timing” section of the ad, it merely says “As required.”
Nevertheless, commenters on the TikTok seemed ready to jump at the chance, with several saying, “Sign me up.”
However, one pointed out that the parents of the child to be tutored may well have very high expectations.
“The student may be failing/ passable EL. But parents may want British accent/ A1 standards,” they added.
While some guessed that the family with the offer is ultra wealthy, others found it to be “suspicious” or possibly a scam.
As one wrote, “if it’s too good to be true…
A few netizens chimed in to warn that the high salary may be hiding some unwritten childcare duties, such as giving the child meals or a bath, taking them to school, or even cooking or cleaning.
Another TikTok user begged someone to actually apply and let everyone else know how the job offer is.
Some wondered, however, if “As required” actually means being on call all the time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A commenter did the math and wrote that if this is the case, the tutor would only be making S$8 per hour.
How much do tutors earn in Singapore?
According to this site, tutors charge between S$25 and S$120 per hour, depending on the tutor’s qualifications and experience.
There is no official certification needed to be a tutor in the city-state, and many who work as tutors come from different fields and are not necessarily educators. /TISG