Q: Are you really the one teaching?
A: Yes.
What you see is what you get in the news 前线追踪.
It's impossible to hire good tutors, who work for themselves. Only tutors who can't get students need to work for bosses who are street-smart rather than book-smart (sadly the case in every profession).
Q: Will my child understand your lessons?
A: Mr. Phang's lessons have to be crystal clear as there are Sec 1 and 2 students attending his 'O' and 'A' level physics lessons.
"In Sec 1 my friend (Li Chang) introduced me to Mr. Phang's tuition (A-Level H2 Physics). The topic was Waves and Superposition. I didn't know anything about the topic at all before the lesson, but after the comprehensive and easy to understand lecture by Mr. Phang, I was able to understand the concept really well !"
Pan Liyu, RI Sec 1 Student in 2014, and Li Chang were champions in the Singapore Young Physicists' Tournament SYPT 2017 (RI Team 1) Click Medal ChampionTeamGoldMedal2017b.jpg)
Click on the assignment to see other examples.
Q: What percentage of your students get distinctions?
A: Higher than other tutors, but an unfair comparison as somehow Mr. Phang's students have higher average PSLE than most teachers.
"there is no better place to learn physics than in Mr. Phang's class" - A*STAR Scholar Hongjie (NJC)
Sadly top schools don't set PSLE COP for teachers. End up, most tutors in Bishan/Bt.Timah are just normal grads name-dropping their students' alma mater there (try Google) instead of proud alumni like fellow Rafflesians Irwin, Kelvin and Hwachongian Melvin who are genuinely brilliant.
"I need to listen well so that I hear what is not said."
Professor of Law Dr. Thuli Madonsela
Note: Fees are adjusted every quarter for new intake but once a student joins, it will remain unchanged till the end of Sec 4 or JC2 for secondary and junior college students, respectively, provided there is no gap in payment for any reason. Therefore, within the same class, there could be some students who pay a lower fee because they have joined earlier.
Mr. Phang has explained this in the news article on Jun 17, 2010 (click to enlarge).
Parent asked why students in the same class were charged different fees
A parent complained to the press that a certain physics tutor charged different fees for students in the same class.
Mdm Tan told the press that after reading the 'Super Tutors' newspaper article two years ago about a certain well-known tutor teaching physics, she enrolled her son who was in Sec 3 last year. The fee was $320 for 4 lessons. This year, when she introduced a friend's son to this tutor, the tutor charged the friend's son who joined the same class $360 for 4 lessons.
Mdm Tan also found out that some students in the same class were paying only $280 for 4 lessons. She was puzzled why students in the same class paid different fees.
Mdm Tan said that she did not raise this issue with the tutor because she was afraid the tutor might not want to continue teaching her son if she had done so.
Physics tutor explained that students who joined earlier enjoyed "Early Bird Discounts"
Physics tutor Mr. Phang Yu Hon explained that he gave "Early Bird Discounts" to students who joined earlier. For example, those who joined the Sec 3 class before school reopened enjoyed a $20 discount. As their fees remained unchanged after school reopened, they continued to pay a lower fee than those who joined later.
Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE)
The Executive Director of CASE, Mr. Seah Seng Choon, said that it was up to individual tutors to set their fees. However, the tutor should inform the parents that students who joined at different times would be charged different fees, so that they could make an informed decision.