In this guide · 8 sections
- 01MOE registration and what you can say on your website
- 02What a tuition centre website needs
- 03Class booking and trial lessons
- 04Collecting term fees: recurring payments and GIRO
- 05Parent communication on WhatsApp
- 06Children's data and photos under the PDPA
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Most centres need a clear website with timetable and fees, online trial-class booking, recurring term payments (card or GIRO) and a PDPA process for student data and photos. If you teach 10 or more people, register with MOE and use only the wording "Registered with the Ministry of Education" should be used.
MOE registration and what you can say on your website
MOE's page on registering a private school says you need to register your school, the courses offered and the teachers permitted to teach if you offer education to 10 or more persons. This includes tuition and enrichment centres that teach subjects taught in mainstream schools. Diploma courses, full-time exam preparation and international curricula fall under SkillsFuture Singapore instead, and centres caring for young children may fall under ECDA.
Registration also affects your website. New teachers and new courses need an amendment application, so your website's teacher profiles and course list should match what is registered.
What a tuition centre website needs
Parents compare several centres on their phones, often late in the evening. The pages that matter most are the ones that answer their questions without a phone call.
Tuition centre website checklist
Results claims ("95% scored A") draw attention but invite questions. If you publish results, keep the underlying records, say which cohort and year they cover, and get consent before naming any student. Our guide to website privacy policies and cookie consent covers the privacy page.
Class booking and trial lessons
Trial classes are where most enquiries start. An online booking tool lets parents pick a slot that has space, collects the details you need, sends reminders and adds the booking to your calendar, so the admin team isn't running a spreadsheet on WhatsApp.
- Show only slots with free seats, by level, so parents don't book a full class.
- Ask for the minimum you need: parent name, phone or email, child's first name, level and school if relevant.
- Take a small deposit for trials if no-shows are a problem; refund or offset it against the first term.
- Send automatic reminders the day before.
Our guide to online booking systems for clinics and salons compares the main tools; the same ones work for trial classes and make-up lessons.
Collecting term fees: recurring payments and GIRO
Chasing PayNow transfers every term is the biggest admin drain for many centres. Recurring billing charges the parent's card or bank account automatically and sends a receipt.
| Option | How it works | Fees (approximate, October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe Billing (cards) | Monthly or termly plans, failed-payment retries, parent self-service portal | Card fees plus 0.7% of billing volume |
| HitPay recurring billing (cards) | Simpler recurring charges | Card fees plus 0.2% |
| HitPay GIRO | Direct debit from the parent's bank account | S$2.25 + 0.65% per collection |
| PayNow invoices | You send an invoice each term; the parent pays | Per-transaction PayNow fee; no automation |
For higher monthly fees, GIRO's flat-plus-percentage pricing can work out cheaper than card fees; check HitPay's pricing against your average fee. Our guide to setting up subscription billing with Stripe walks through plans, proration and the customer portal.
Parent communication on WhatsApp
Parents expect WhatsApp. A few habits keep it manageable and keep parents' numbers private:
- Use a WhatsApp Business number owned by the centre, not a teacher's personal phone, so the chat history stays when staff leave.
- In a normal group, every member can see the other members' phone numbers. For announcements, use a channel or announcement-only setup, or message parents individually.
- Set quick replies for common questions (fees, timetable, make-up classes) and an away message for after hours.
- Don't send report cards, medical notes or photos of other children into a group chat.
If you outgrow manual messaging, automated reminders for payments and classes can run through the WhatsApp Business API, which is priced per message.
Children's data and photos under the PDPA
Centres hold a lot of personal data about minors: names, schools, levels, results, sometimes medical notes and parents' contact details. The PDPA applies in full.
Decide who gives consent
PDPC's Advisory Guidelines on Selected Topics adopt a rule of thumb that a minor aged 13 or above typically has enough understanding to consent; for younger children, get consent from a parent or guardian.
Collect only what you need
A child's name, level and school are usually enough. Don't collect NRIC or birth certificate numbers unless PDPC's NRIC rules allow it, for example where a law requires it.
Get written consent for photos and videos
Ask on the enrolment form whether you may use photos of the child on your website or social media, and record the answer. Respect a no.
Protect the records
Keep student lists and results in an account with MFA, not on a teacher's personal laptop or phone.
Set a retention period
Delete or anonymise records of students who left once you no longer need them for fees, refunds or accounting.
The relevant PDPC guidance is in the Advisory Guidelines on the PDPA for Selected Topics (photography and minors chapters). Our guide to NRIC collection rules and PDPA checklist cover the rest. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do it yourself or get help?
A centre with one location can set up a website builder, a booking tool and Stripe or HitPay itself over a few weekends. The parts that most often go wrong are fees and timetables that drift out of date, and photos posted without consent.
If you would rather hand it over, Website Pro (S$2,990) builds a multi-page site with timetable and course pages you can edit. Online Booking System (S$390) sets up trial-class booking with reminders, and Subscriptions & Recurring Billing (S$490) sets up term fees in Stripe with a parent portal. Our PDPA Compliance Pack (S$690) gives you the privacy policy, consent wording and data inventory.
Frequently asked questions
According to MOE, you need to register your school, courses and teachers if you offer education to 10 or more persons, including tuition and enrichment centres teaching subjects taught in mainstream schools. Some programmes fall under SkillsFuture Singapore or ECDA instead. Check MOE's private school registration page for your situation.
MOE states that registration does not mean it endorses or accredits a school, its courses or its teachers. If you mention your registration status, MOE says to use only the term "Registered with the Ministry of Education". Avoid words such as approved or accredited.
PDPC guidance says consent is generally needed to collect and use photos of identifiable individuals, and that children under 13 typically need a parent or guardian to consent for them. Ask on the enrolment form, record the answer, and don't post photos of students whose parents said no.
Recurring billing charges the parent's card or bank account automatically each month or term. Stripe Billing suits card payments with several plans and a self-service portal; HitPay offers simpler recurring card charges and GIRO direct debit, listed at S$2.25 plus 0.65% per collection as of October 2026.
It works, but in a normal group every member can see the others' phone numbers, which parents may not expect. Use an announcement-only channel or individual messages for general updates, keep the number owned by the centre, and never share results, medical notes or other children's photos in a group.