‘More like a slap to the face’: Redditor in S’pore lists issues preschool teachers face, says gov’t needs to ‘do more’

Redditor in Singapore lists issues preschool teachers face, asks government to ‘do more’

Working in a preschool might sound wholesome, but a viral Reddit thread is pulling back the curtain — and what it reveals isn’t pretty. On 23 April, a frustrated Redditor recently took to r/Singapore to share the harsh realities his partner, a preschool teacher, faces daily.

His post sparked heated discussion, shining a spotlight on the thankless demands of the job and what he sees as a lack of proper government intervention.

While some netizens empathised, many said the blame lay less with the system — and more with poor school management, particularly the principals.

Redditor lists 4 main issues preschool teachers face

In a lengthy post, the OP listed four main problems his partner encounters as a preschool teacher:

• low wages
• principals bending over backwards to appease parents
• a “nonsensical” leave policy
• being assigned tasks far outside her job scope

He described how these pressures were taking a toll not just on his partner — but on their relationship too.

While he respected his partner’s passion for teaching, he admitted feeling increasingly frustrated, especially when their weekends got consumed by school obligations.

Wage increments called ‘slap in the face’

Top of the list was poor pay, with the OP calling the increase a “slap to the face”. While the government has increased starting salaries in recent years, the OP said the actual impact was negligible.

Once unpaid overtime — 20 to 40 hours weekly — was factored in, the hourly wage worked out to just S$10.

“Worse than most part-time jobs,” he slammed.

Teachers also often had to pay for their own materials first and only get reimbursed later — another financial burden.

Principals allegedly throw teachers under the bus

The OP also took aim at principals who, in his words, “do anything to appease parents”.

He shared how teachers were blamed for mosquito bites children got during outdoor play, and recounted an incident where a parent falsely claimed no teachers were present at 7am — even though his partner arrived punctually every day.

In response, the principal allegedly told staff to show up 15 minutes before their shifts and even messaged the complaining parent to say, “My teachers are terrible at punctuality.”

‘Nonsensical’ leave policy & handling tasks outside job scope

Next, the OP slammed the school’s leave policy as “nonsensical,” saying his partner could only apply for leave “for the next quarter”.

This made travel planning nearly impossible, especially with surging flight and accommodation prices.

To make things worse, if his partner couldn’t find a replacement for her shift, she was expected to report to work even when sick.

“Sometimes it’s not the teacher’s fault,” he wrote.

Finally, he shared that teachers were frequently assigned duties completely unrelated to teaching. In one case, his partner was asked to paint the classroom walls during the children’s naptime.

The OP felt that it was unfair, as the teachers could not possibly handle the kids “with their hands full of paint”.

When the job couldn’t be finished during working hours, they were told to return on weekends.

“It took us 24 man-hours to paint the classroom,” he lamented.

The OP added that teachers were also expected to support weekend community events because of the school’s ties to grassroots organisations.

The OP concluded the post by expressing his sympathy towards preschool teachers.

“Pre-school teachers are not the only ones suffering from our government’s lack of support,” he declared. “The whole family is.”

Netizens say the real issue is bad management

The post quickly gained traction and despite the post’s heavy criticism of the government, many commenters shifted the focus to individual principals.

One Redditor working in a preschool said that conditions had generally improved, but added, “I think it’s more the principal than the system.”

Another recalled being asked to paste mahjong paper on classroom walls during nap time — a story that resonated with others who had also been told to do similar odd jobs.

Some advised the OP’s partner to leave the industry entirely and look for roles with better work-life balance.

Also read: Early Childhood Educators In S’pore Express Concern About High Workload, Seek Fair Solution To Issue

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