Economics superstar tutor a well-recognised figure even outside of tutoring industry with steady major media coverage and entry into Singapore Book of Records
24 September 2023 − Anthony Fok is no longer the best kept secret of A-Level Economics top scorers. Other than earning a slew of awards for JCEconomics.com, the A-Level Economics tuition centre he founded in 2012, the man has been featured or quoted in most of the major local newspapers − including The Straits Times, TODAY and the front page headlines of The Sunday Times − magazines and radio shows. Even those who are not A-Level exam sitters (or their parents) are likely to be familiar with Fok, since he has been entered into the Singapore Book of Records as the Highest Earning Economics Tutor and author of the most number of Economics guidebooks, 18 including the Ten Year Series (TYS) for GCE A-Level H1 and H2 Economics.
It all started with making the headlines on The Sunday Times as one of Singapore’s five most sought-after “super tutors” in 2008, when he was just 25. Even then, he was already known for his ability “to deliver results”, with “parents try(ing) all means to put their children in his class.” Fok had by then left his well-paying job as tax consultant at one of the Big Four audit firms, to heed his calling for teaching. He went on to teach in MOE schools, but found that tutoring privately enabled him to reach out to students from a wider range of backgrounds. So he quit MOE, went on to open JCEconomics.com in 2012, to pursue a PhD in Education.
He was featured in the Invest section of the same newspaper again last year for his relatively unusual, yet inspiring career arc, from number cruncher to super tutor to founder of hugely successful one-man tuition business to, soon, doctorate holder; interviewed in TODAY newspaper for his views on the local tuition scene and how tuition classes complement the school curriculum; and featured in The Straits Times in February 2015 for his high income in 2014 and response to the recent income tax hike. He has also been featured on Chinese newspaper Friday Weekly (now renamed zbCOMMA) as “an inspirational and dedicated teacher”.
Even when he is not the subject of a feature, he has been quoted in pieces on national exams and education, such as The Straits Times’ Home section headlining article in February 2015 on students’ tendency to memorise answers for exams. His take is that “in recent years, exam questions tend not to be repeated. There is no way of assuring a passing grade even if a student memorises all the questions and answers.” This is why students at JCEconomics.com are taught by linking economic theories to real-world scenarios using newspaper and magazine articles.
Fok has also appeared on Official938LIVE radio’s ‘Money and Sense’ segment for his advice on money and economics, as well as in magazines including the Singapore Business Review, Popular, Teenage, Singapore’s Child and Today’s Parents.
For all that, Fok is not letting fame get to his head. He still believes in good, old-fashioned hard work: “When students achieve distinctions, I don’t take all the credit… I am not a miracle worker. Achieving distinctions is never a given. I openly share my formula to success – be genuinely passionate about teaching and put in your 100% effort in helping your students improve. Don’t over-promise and under-deliver. Hard work, hard work and hard work.”
About JCEconomics.com
A top A-Level Economics tuition centre in Singapore, JCEconomics.com was created by Mr Anthony Fok, who was featured in the Sunday Times as one of Singapore’s most popular tutors. Mr Anthony Fok has earned this title through a track record of effecting significant improvements in many of his ex-students’ grades in Economics. Mr Anthony Fok started off his teaching career as an MOE school teacher and is applying his teaching experience as the principal tutor at JCEconomics.com. He is the author of Ten Year Series H1 Economics and Ten Year Series H2 Economics, both annual compilations of the GCE A-level Economics papers from previous years, as well as guide books on the subject.
