The same woman who always calls me to offer tutoring 'deals'.
Let's just call her MT for Ms Tan.
MT: Hi Sabrina did you get my message?
Me: Um, no. (I answered the call before i checked my text msg inbox)
MT: Oh you didn't? Because I have a Primary 2 student at ____, are you interested?
Me: Oh, no I'm actually not interested in tutoring anymore.
MT: Really? Why?
Me: It clashes with my schedule.
MT: Then what about the P3 kid in Lakeside?
Me: I'm not tutoring him anymore.
MT: Oh, why?
Me: His mum thinks my schedule is too packed for him.
MT: So you don't have time now or you're not interested already?
Me: Uhh yeah I'm not interested anymore.
MT: Ohh don't give up just because of this one time you know *her using her stupid nice voice to persuade me again. Nah uh, not this time wretch!*
Me: Ummm it's not that, it's just that I'm not interested anymore.
MT: Oh..
Me: Yeah, thanks..
MT: okay if you want to tutor again next time call me.
Me: Okay sure, thanks.
My god is she annoying.
This conversation probably doesn't bring my point across quite enough.
But this woman has called me multiple times before the tutoring job in Lakeside to offer me tutoring deals and never gives up even after I ignored her many calls.
Finally answered one day when she called me with a different number (schemingggg), and she actually managed to PERSUADE me to take up that lakeside tutoring job with her stupid nice persuasive ass voice, telling me it'll be easy. And she told me to lie to the mum that i've had tutoring experiences before with my younger cousins. When I sounded bewildered over the line, she said, "It's not really lying la hahahah it's just to assure the parents." IT'S STILL LYING ARE YOU AN IDIOT.
She told me the apparent 'standard procedure' in which the tuition agency will recommend the tutor the appropriate textbooks/workbooks to buy it on the behalf of the parents and get the money back. Okay, this part seems reasonable. Recommended books by the tuition agency, must be pretty good right?
But no.
The books MT recommended me weren't even very good when i went to the bookstore to look for them. In the end I spent at least a good 40 minutes to look around the bookstore flipping through books to pick out the one i think is the best, strategically, content-wise etc.
In my opinion she just wants to refer as many tutors to as many parents as possible, which is why she won't fucking give up on calling you, especially when there's nobody else in that particular area (west, east, etc) of the tutee. She just wants to earn as much commission as she can. Which is horrible.
I'm not even done yet.
When I told her that I didn't choose to teach Science to the p3 kid (I chose English and Math), she told me that "Can one la p3 science very easy. There's answer sheets."
Which although it is true, it's still not the right way, no?
And she lied to the Lakeside mum saying that i've had tutoring experiences with my relatives before which was bloody awkward cos the mum asked me about it and i'm like WHAT THE FUCK NOW I HAVE TO LIE. Not sure if the mum saw through my bad poker face but anyway that's over so whatever.
So yes, point of this blog entry is, don't trust just any tuition agency because some of them are really just in it for the money. Sure, if you get a good tutor then good for you, but if you get a lousy tutor who doesn't even have decent grades and just wants to earn some extra moolah, then... :/ Be sure to check on your tutor or you'll be paying for nothing.
Okay now i don't even know why i'm writing this blog post. I don't really even care about parents who send their kids for tuition classes in Primary school (YOU EVIL KIASU PARENTS). But i guess i just got kind of pissed at how it kind of is unethical how they work sometimes.
p.s. had a fantastic time today with my archery mates! Tammy, Jiayi, Hongying and Haikal! Had Popeyes for lunch, watched The Smurfs: the movie, shopped around (got a Beatles shirt from H&M, love it!), had dinner at Old Town (I got curry chicken with steamed bread, but it was meh. ToastBox's curry chicken is waayyyy better. OT's curry was so diluted!) and we played Rockband afterwards at Scape! SO FRUITFUL RIGHT? HEHEHE. :D Pictures will be added here as soon as I get them! :)