Transforming Struggling Students into English Masters – Exclusive Interview with Lee Lin Cher

Lee Lin Cher has dedicated his career to teaching English, starting from his university years in 1993. With over two decades of experience, Lee has helped countless students, particularly those in Singapore and China, achieve academic success in English. Through a blend of practical techniques and deep empathy, he bridges the language gap for non-native speakers, guiding them from basic understanding to proficiency. His passion for teaching and student success continues to inspire.

Lee Lin Cher, SEC (O Level) English Tutor

Who is Mr Lee Lin Cher?

Hi, my name is Lee Lin Cher – with Lee being the surname and I am a teacher and tutor, coaching students who are sitting for the Singapore-Cambridge SEC (currently known as O Level) English exams. I have been teaching, tutoring and coaching in one way or another since 1993, and to date, I have authored a total of 16 books on the subject of English, spanning the primary and secondary levels.

How did you start in the journey of education?

Unlike many teachers out there, I don’t have an inspirational story to tell. I started tutoring in 1993, during my freshman year in university. Being young and playful, I wanted to do many things, such as partying, gallivanting at shopping malls and munching down gourmet food at buffet sessions. This required much cash, and there weren’t many part-time jobs that allowed flexibility around my college timetable.

Tutoring paid the bills and allowed me to have some fun – that’s how I started.

What made you continue the journey then?

Unexpectedly, I discovered that I was rather good in private tutoring. My students’ results improved and parents demanded that I continue teaching their children. That was when I seriously considered education as a possible career pathway. I would take a few more years to decide on this educational odyssey: somehow, I knew that education is an arena which, after you enter, you won’t be able to leave.

When did you officially become a teacher then, if you didn’t start on the path right after university?

I officially started on my working life in 1997. I wasn’t officially certified as a teacher till 2003. In between, I tried out every profession I could possibly experience in that limited span of a few years. I was (not in order of appearance) a classroom tutor cum marketing officer for a tuition centre, a sales executive for an American fitness chain, a business development executive for a tech start-up, a supervisor for a statutory board, and a logistics executive for a British logistics company.

But suffice to say, though I did my best in every one of my chosen vocations – it’s in me to be what I deem to be my very best whenever possible – something seemed out of place. I felt like a fish out of water in every one of them, except the vocation where I had limited time as a classroom tutor, when I was in fact the happiest.

That was when I realised that education was (and still is) my calling.

What problem do you solve for your clients better than anyone else?

As an English-language teacher teaching in a commercial setting, I have two clients to contend with whenever a student enrolls.

My first client is the parent or guardian. He or she is the decision-maker who has entrusted the child to us, and to me. Whenever parents or guardians enrol their child with us, it is – without doubt – in their desire that we take on the duty of boosting the child’s English-language capability, both in the exams and in real life. In such a scenario, the grades matter, since grades are the best proxy for a student’s proficiency in the English language.

My second client is – of course – the student. In marketing terms, the student is the end user. He or she will experience my teaching directly. If I fail to interest them in my field of instruction, I lose them totally, and all the time they spend in my classes will be a total waste of time.

Notice how there can be a dichotomy between a parent’s needs and a student’s wants. Good grades usually come with lots of grit and hard work. Yet, for teens aged between 13 and 16 years of age, which form the bulk of my students, hard work can be furthest from their minds.

This is where I come in. I can make lessons incredibly fun, and despite the fun, we do not lose sight of our objective.

Can you describe the biggest transformation a client has experienced after working with you?

I have taken quite a few cases which were considered to be hopeless to distinctions in the subject. Quite a number of them have left testimonials on my website, detailing my teaching philosophy and methodology. Please feel free to have a quick read of some of them.

Quite a handful of these ex-students are still in contact with me, updating me of their life’s greatest and saddest experiences. I think – beyond grades – this is what really matters. The relationships that form and last.

What makes your approach unique compared to others in the industry?

To answer this question, I must take our readers back to 2008. By then, I had already completed my bond with the Ministry of Education (Singapore), and I was wondering about the next step in the journey.

Maybe it was the times, or maybe I had misconceived some things, but the common belief at one point in time in Singapore was that anybody could teach English. It almost felt like any Tom, Dick or Harry could teach the English language, but for a ‘specialised’ subject like Physics or Chemistry, you would need to be a professional.

I don’t know how many English-language teachers were able to take it lying down, but for me, it had a detrimental effect on my esteem, confidence and motivation.

Through a series of synchronistic events – it almost seems as if the Universe was listening – I started a business offering copywriting services to clients. It was a period of time when I saw the English language in action, in real life. During that period of about 9 years, I was the editor of a health magazine, I was the ghostwriter for quite a number of books, and I worked with advertising agencies to draft ad copy.

I have a lot of pride about this phase of my life, but there was also a lot of pain. What makes my approach unique?

My approach is practical; the things I teach are battle-tested, and they (and I) have survived the trial of fire.

Combine this with my work experience before joining education, you have an educator who has seen the ideal world of teaching, and the less-than-ideal world which we call life.

Where do you teach now? How can students locate you should they require your coaching?

I currently teach at a chain of learning centres based in Singapore. The same centre runs an international school both locally and internationally. Students who are interested can reach out to me on my website and social media.

In the next few years or so, I would also be authoring a few more books on the subject. I plan to be more active on my website, where I will offer resources to keen learners of the English language.

In the age of digitalisation, all distances in time and space can easily be bridged by a viable online presence. I intend to do just that, i.e., to bridge the gap.

Who is your ideal student and how can they benefit from working with you?

My ideal student isn’t the one with the strongest English prowess – it’s the one who is struggling with the basics.

In terms of grades – in the context of a secondary school in Singapore – the student would be floundering in the range of a D7 to a C5, which means that the student is either struggling to pass, or at risk of failing.

In terms of nationality – if the student isn’t residing in Singapore – the group that would most benefit from me would be students hailing from China.

Allow me to sidetrack for a while: I was originally not inclined towards the English language. My family background would dictate this. My dad did not have a formal education, so he would converse in our native dialect – which was Hainanese – and Mandarin. My mum – although she was English-educated – was too busy to coach us.

I was literally deaf and mute to the English language till I was Primary 5, when I was 11 years old.

Sensing that I needed help, my mum sent me for tutoring lessons – we call it tuition classes here – outside of school hours, and that made all the difference. I was taught by a teacher who was a devout Christian committed to her craft.

How would students benefit from working with me?

Well, I have been there. I had been deaf and mute to the English language before, so I definitely know the challenges that these students face.

It isn’t a problem a native speaker of English would understand. And since my first language is Chinese, I definitely can be part of this process of empowering Chinese students with English, which incidentally is the language of the world.

How do you guide students from where they are now to where they want to be?

We start with the basics. And basics involve mastering a lot of vocabulary. I can almost say that the level of success a student has in the English language – or any other language for that matter – is in direct proportion to the number of words the student possesses in his or her lexicon.

What are the most common challenges your students face and how do you help them overcome these?

Outside of native English-speaking countries, we are considered as either ESL or EFL learners. In either case, the most common problem is interference by our local languages.

In the case of Singapore, our official language is English. We use English in all official correspondence, and it is the medium of instruction for all schools here. The average person understands and speaks English.

Yet, it is this widespread use of English that is the cause of the bulk of English- learning problems. Due to its common usage, proficiency levels across the country vary, and what is commonly perceived as English is actually Singlish, which is a mish-mash of English together with all the local languages in Singapore.

Even English-language teachers are unwittingly at fault. But really, it is the environment. I have had to – on multiple occasions – intentionally speak Singlish because I have problems communicating (they think I am cocky or making fun of them) (I will let you decide who the ‘they’ are).

For the students from China, English is a totally foreign language.

To me, all these problems can be resolved by a simple yet intense exposure.

What results can a new student expect and how soon, when they start working with you?

If the student is cooperative and does a lot of background work on his or her own, half a year is what we need to see rather phenomenal results.

What should a student do first if they want to work with you?

They should reach out to me first. This is why I am doing this interview in the first place. While this interview is done in English, students currently residing in China will have the means to read this article and have it translated into the language they understand.

Students and parents based in Singapore will all the more be able to understand the crux of this interview.

I am not God; I can’t be of service to everyone. But for those who will click well with me in terms of style and temperament, do reach out.

And students should start reading immediately. It doesn’t matter if the student is simply reading a children’s book. The earlier the student gets exposed to the English language, the better.

Why should someone choose you right now rather than wait any longer?

At the point of doing this interview, I have just turned 53.

As General Douglas MacArthur said in his farewell address to the American Congress in 1951: “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

I am not a soldier, but I am turning older. As pessimistic as it sounds, I will fade away. We all do.

My teaching methodology requires a lot of energy. I don’t know how long I can sustain this teaching methodology.

My current and potential students still have a long way ahead of them; I don’t. And that also explains the rush to put my works in writing, this interview being one of them, articles on this website being another.

Time and tide wait for no man or woman. To experience what I have to offer, potential students and their parents must reach out. Not later, but now.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

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