Tuition rates
What tuition actually costs in Singapore.
One-to-one tuition runs from about $25 to $130 an hour, and where you land inside that depends on your child's level and the kind of tutor you want. Cognify sets no prices and adds nothing on top, so the rate below is the whole of what you pay.
Per hour, one to one
Rates by level and kind of tutor
Lower primary
P1 to P4
Student or part-time$25 to $35Full-time tutor$35 to $45MOE / ex-MOE$55 to $70Upper primary
P5 and P6, the PSLE years
Student or part-time$30 to $40Full-time tutor$45 to $55MOE / ex-MOE$60 to $85Lower secondary
Secondary 1 and 2
Student or part-time$30 to $45Full-time tutor$45 to $55MOE / ex-MOE$60 to $85Upper secondary
Secondary 3 and 4, the O-Level years
Student or part-time$35 to $45Full-time tutor$45 to $65MOE / ex-MOE$65 to $95Junior college
JC 1 and JC 2, the A-Level years
Student or part-time$40 to $65Full-time tutor$65 to $90MOE / ex-MOE$90 to $130IB middle years
The years before the Diploma
Student or part-time$40 to $55Full-time tutor$55 to $80MOE / ex-MOENot listedIB Diploma
The final two IB years, SL and HL
Student or part-time$50 to $70Full-time tutor$70 to $100MOE / ex-MOE$90 to $130
What about the Integrated Programme?
IP schools set their own work, so a tutor is really teaching the level the year corresponds to. Price IP 1 to 4 against secondary, and IP 5 and 6 against JC.
A student tutor sits at the bottom of the first band and an experienced part-timer at the top. Group classes at a centre work out lower per hour than any of this, and buy you a share of a teacher rather than all of one.
Inside the band
What moves a quote up or down
The subject, more than the level
At the same level, the sciences and the harder maths papers sit at the top of a band and the humanities and languages at the bottom. A Sec 4 A-Math tutor and a Sec 4 Social Studies tutor are not the same price.
Whether it is an exam year
PSLE, O-Level and A-Level years carry a premium, and it grows through the year. Booking in January costs less than booking in June for the same tutor.
Online or at your home
Online usually comes in below home tuition at the same level, because there is no travel to pay for. It also widens the pool: a tutor across the island is no longer out of reach.
How far the tutor travels
A tutor who has to cross the island builds that into the rate, or turns the assignment down. Somebody already in your area is often the cheaper answer.
How many lessons a week
Two or three lessons a week is a steadier commitment than one, and many tutors will hold their lower figure for it.
Now put a number on it
Take the band for your child's level and set that as your range on the form, and tutors inside it rank first. It takes about two minutes and needs no account.
Request a TutorAbout the money
What parents ask about rates
If yours is not here, message us on WhatsApp and we will answer it properly.
How much is private tuition in Singapore per hour?
Across every level and every kind of tutor, roughly $25 to $130 an hour for one-to-one lessons. A part-time tutor for lower primary sits at the bottom of that; an ex-MOE teacher for H2 Maths at the top.
Why do ex-MOE teachers charge so much more?
They have marked the actual papers. An ex-MOE or NIE-trained tutor knows the marking scheme and where marks are quietly lost, and at exam levels that is what families are paying the premium for. At lower primary the gap is smaller and a patient part-timer often does just as well.
Is online tuition cheaper than home tuition?
Usually a little, at the same level and the same tutor type, because nobody is paying for travel. It also widens the choice, since a tutor on the other side of the island is no longer out of reach. On the request form you can say home, online, or either, and either is the option that gets you the most matches.
Does Cognify add anything on top of the tutor's rate?
No. No agency fee, no introduction charge and nothing added on top, so the rate on this page is the whole of what tuition costs you. Our own fee comes out of the tutor's first two lessons at that same rate, which is why hiring through us costs you no more than finding a tutor yourself.
What budget should I put on the request form?
Find your child's level in the table, pick the kind of tutor you want, and use that band. A wider range gets you more matches, and you are never committed to the top of it: a tutor's rate is stated up front and you agree it directly with them.
Do rates rise before the exams?
Yes, and noticeably. Demand for PSLE, O-Level and A-Level tutors builds from around March and peaks over the mid-year break, and good tutors at those levels are simply taken by then. Asking early is worth more than any amount of haggling later.