Apex vs Highly Commercialised 'Branded' Centres: Four Key Differentiators

Class size​

• Apex: We focus on quality over quantity and thus we cap regular class sizes at 3 for our Grandeur Park Residence Branch (as well as Beauty World and Jurong West branches) and 4 for our Bedok North branch. This allows our teachers to know each student inside-out, building rapport with them and also getting to know their strengths and weaknesses over time.

• Other centres: Profit-oriented 'branded' centres try to squeeze as many students as possible into a class, with class sizes of 5 to 15 being quite common! We have no doubt that at least some of these centres employ highly qualified teachers with a track record. However, inevitably, the student-teacher ratio is diluted so much that learning becomes less effective. It becomes more of a gamble. There may even be disruptive students who affect the learning environment, lesson delivery and teaching pace!

Cost​

• Apex: Classes are Apex are the same price as, if not cheaper, than highly commercialised centres, despite our small class size. How we achieve this is through streamlining operational processes (such as cutting down on unnecessary administrative staff and excessive number of curriculum development officers) and reducing unnecessary costs (in terms of, for instance, high-cost advertising campaigns).

• Other centres: These behemoths pass on huge expenses onto students and their families, eg, duplicitous administrative and curriculum teams, expensive franchise fees, expensive rental costs at prime locations, expensive advertising methods with doubtful returns (so as to fill up their large class sizes), etc. With lots of redundancy, it is no wonder that massive costs are incurred. Even for highly commercialised centres which have managed to keep operating costs low, most of the profits goes to upper management and the major shareholders of the company which affects teacher motivation!

Focus

• Apex: Our unwavering focus is on helping students improve and reaching their fullest potential. We have had the privilege of having some fantastic teachers and having achieved excellence in our academic endeavours, we lead a comfortable life and we wish to pay it forward to ensure that our students have the benefit of some exemplary and highly competent role models who will guide them towards excellence. At Apex, our directors are teachers first and businesspeople second.​

• Other centres: The profit motive has never been more apparent as some teachers try to cut costs by hiring sub-standard teachers, try to squeeze as many students as possible into one class or even adopt a profit-model which thrives on expensive advertising rather than quality teaching.

Service

• Apex: We believe in top-notch customer service. As a boutique centre, we try to accommodate our clients as much as possible. Every parent and every student matters. We have not had a single customer complaint since our inception in early 2021. This is how we survived (and in fact, thrived) despite our business having started at the height of the pandemic. Indeed, we have had many raving reviews on social media platforms and on our website!​

• Other centres: At numerous other centres, a cookie-cutter operation means that students are but numbers in a production line. It is always about how to maximise profits, sometimes at the expense of the learning experience. We will never see our students as numbers on a profit-and-loss statement.

As a result of these four key differentiating factors that help Apex stand out from the competition, many of our students who have followed our tried-and-tested pedagogy have improved tremendously in terms of their academic results and have also enjoyed the learning process in the meanwhile. Our teachers have nurtured in our students exemplary character traits such as perseverance, determination, resilience and a growth mindset and our students have no doubt gained valuable insight into the world around us.