Frequently asked questions 

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Click on each question to see the answers to these frequently asked questions. If you have a burning question and it's not found here at the FAQ, please fill the query form at the bottom of the page. Thomas will get back to you as soon as he possibly can!

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About Kungfu cats academy

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Where exactly is Kungfu Cats Academy?

The exact location cannot be divulged in public, in case curious passersby disturb the quiet meditative peace of the place. However, it is safe enough to say that It is hidden somewhere on the eastern side of Singapore, midway between the rolling hills of Tanah Merah and Bedok. Located at a high floor, the place offers a great view of the city area and a little glimpse of the sea. To have the exact address of the place, do contact Thomas here

How is the environment like at Kungfu Cats Academy?

It has a fully air conditioned room with white walls, complete with built-in spacious cabinets accentuated with lime green acrylic and filled with reference and resource materials, including the dreaded thirty year series and in house designed worksheets to cater to all sorts of questions. Sitting on a lush olive green carpet is a huge solid oak dining table with rounded edges that serves as a focal point for conducive learning to take place. With the wooden blinds rolled down and the warm orange lights switched on, wafts of Mt Sapola’s lemongrass scent will refresh and invigorate tired minds and provide the mental clarity and concentration to last through each session.

What subjects and at which level do Thomas teach?

Thomas can teach a great variety of subjects dealing mainly in science and mathematics at secondary, JC and tertiary levels. For the specific list of the subjects, do read ABOUT ME section under the heading THOMAS THE FULL-TIME TUTOR.

Thomas, however, has a soft spot for failing students who are going to sit for national exams in 1 year to 1 month time. Generally tutors and tuition centres will avoid such students because such last minute cases might spoil the good track records built up so far. But Thomas don't care about records. He will do his very best to accommodate such students with his busy schedule because they can benefit the most from his secret kungfu techniques. If the students are willing to put in 100% effort, Thomas will put in 110% effort to make sure they can make it.

Can a trial lesson be arranged?

Yes, but it is dependent on whether a slot can be arranged to fit Thomas’s busy schedule. The trial lesson is usually a full 2 hours session (again, pending on availability) and will not be charged any fees if the student chose not to commit to regular lessons. If the student decides to sign up for lessons, then this trial lesson will be considered one lesson (or pro-rated accordingly if the duration of the lesson is lesser than 2 hours).

Based on past experiences, the chances of having trial lessons will be very low after June each year as available slots will be taken up by regular students. But do check back with Thomas should there be a need to try out a lesson.

What is the best way to contact Thomas?

Most of the time, he will be teaching so he might not be able to pick up calls. It wouldn’t look too nice if he had to leave the lessons to answer a phone. The best way is to get his attention is to leave a SMS or Whatsapp message (even better) and he’ll get back to you when he can. Emailing is also a fantastic option and despite Thomas’s busy schedule, he vow to reply within 24 hours, rain or shine.

You can contact Thomas here.

What do I need to bring for the Kungfu session?

A notebook for each subject taught is preferred, instead of bringing an exam pad, so that the powerful secret kungfu techniques written down on the pages will not be gone with the wind. Stationeries like pens, pencils etc and a scientific calculator are essentials too. Bring along any homework given too, done or undone!

Is Kungfu Cats Academy a tuition centre?

No, it's not. Thomas is the only tutor there and Kungfu Cats Academy is where he stays (with his lovely wife), with all the homely comforts. So, no, it's not a tuition centre, but it's a place where students go there for tuition. Same same but different.

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About The  lessons

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How are the kungfu lessons conducted?

There are two types of sessions, and they are not mutually exclusive of each other.

The first type is consultative in nature. This approach is for stronger students who know exactly what they need and what they do not understand. The student will come to each session prepared with a whole list of questions which they had prepared beforehand. The questions will then be answered and explained one by one until the student understands the concept behind the question asked. Usually a variety of subjects can be covered in one single session e.g. doing topic A in physics, proceed to topic B in chemistry followed by topic C in Amath. Worksheets will be provided to further clarify doubts on the exact points that are not clear for the students.

The second type is prescriptive in nature. This approach is usually adopted most of the time. Students do not know what they do not know or are weak in multiple topics such that they have difficulty following normal lessons in school. Firstly, the whole lesson will be taught from scratch until the student is familiar and knows the theoretical framework. Secondly, targeted worksheets will be given to consolidate the concepts learned and also to expose the student to progressively more difficult and complex application of the same concept. This is done with aid and also close supervision so that the correct presentation and best practices are reinforced. Lastly, once the student can handle the basics, they will do more worksheets independently either on the spot and/or as homework. Generally, 90% of all practice will be done within the duration of the session, so there won’t be additional burden to the student’s already heavy workload from school, unless it is asked for or deemed necessary.

Can the kungfu sessions be conducted at the student’s home or must the student travel over?

Thomas does go over to the student’s place for lessons, usually for 1 to 1 sessions. However, due to his tight schedule, it is only restricted to places that are convenient for him to travel over. To compensate for the travelling time back and fro, the charges for private 1 to 1 sessions will also be higher than if it is conducted at Kungfu Cats Academy. There is considerably less resources available for private lessons too because all the resources and worksheets are at Kungfu Cats Academy. Thomas will, however, bring a file filled with all the knick knacks that is hopefully sufficient to handle for all sorts of emergency questions raised by the student.

There’s only very limited slots for private sessions per year, so do contact Thomas and check with him the availability.

What is the duration of each kungfu sessions?

The recommended duration is 2 hours per subject per week. This will give enough time to cover course materials plus practice. But for lower secondary school students, 1.5 hours can be arranged. There are also special requests to do 2 x 1.5 hrs per subject per week. During exam preparation period, if extra help is needed, it may go up to 2 to 3 lessons per week.

Are the kungfu sessions in a group or is it 1 to 1?

It can be both, depending on individual requirements. Most of the students prefer 1 to 1 because there is less group dynamics to worry about and they can tailor help according to their needs without waiting for the entire group.

For group sessions, the class size is capped at 3 to maximise the effectiveness of the lessons. The group members are formed by the students themselves. Since they are usually classmates from the same school, they will be at the same pace learning the same topic. This will be much more effective than a group formed by students from different school at different pace learning different topics. A small cozy group like this will effectively be like teaching on a 1 to 1 basis too, so the quality of the lessons are not compromised.

Group sessions will be much more affordable than 1 to 1 sessions too.

Are there any breaks during the holiday?

Generally, there will be breaks for lower secondary students during the June and end of year holidays. The shorter term breaks in March and September will have normal sessions. It is recommended for Sec 3/4/5 to continue sessions during the holidays so that there is ample time to cover course materials and to do a major revision (or two) before the national exams. For JC students, it’s all the way till the A’lvls because there’s hardly enough time to do all that needs to be done in the short but intense 2 years.

Some family will take the opportunity to go abroad for holidays during the break. That’s perfectly fine, as long as ample notification is made.

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About payment and fees

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How is the collection of fees done? Are there any extra fees payable?

Fees are normally collected 4 lessons in advance at the start of the first lesson. Some parents prefer to give on a weekly basis or after each lesson is over, so that is fine too. There are no extra fees for registration or materials. Everything is covered by the regular lesson fees. However, if there is a need to get certain assessment books, ten year series (TYS) or other schools prelim papers, Thomas will get them on behalf of the students and these will be charged at the purchase price at no extra cost.

Payment of the fees can be in cash, cheque, interbank transfer and direct ATM deposit into bank account.

For ATM deposit, please inform Thomas or send a photo of the receipt over immediately once the transaction is done so that the amount can be traced to the right person.

For Interbank transfer, do write the name of the student under “comments for recipient” and send it to:

POSB SAVINGS ACCOUNT 543-60484-4.

For cheque, please address it to “CHANG HAN THOMAS”

Receipt for the fees paid can be issued if asked for.

What happens if a student misses the lesson on a particular week? Will the missed lesson still be charged?

There are certain slots available each week and once a student signed up for kungfu lessons, he/she will commit to a fixed slot every week. However, there could be times when the student needs to change the timing due to legitimate reasons, like school activities, illness, overseas trip etc, so they can change it upon advance notification (1 week in advance pls!) so that another slot can be arranged with the student. If this is not possible, the lesson will be cancelled or postponed at no charge.

If the student cancels the lesson on the day itself (or horror of horrors, 15 mins before the start of the lessons!), then Thomas reserves the right to charge the student the fees for the missed lesson. While Thomas understands there could be last minute emergency, he will waive the charges on a case by case basis. In general, as long as the student is responsible and makes an effort to notify Thomas as soon as possible so that he can make suitable arrangement, the charges will be waived. This is really to safeguard against the minority 1% of irresponsible/forgetful/blur students who fly aeroplane all the time. The rest of the 99% should not have to worry about this at all.

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