Foreign Tutor Screams 'Get Out!' at 7-Year-Old, Class Cut Short

Source: OT-Team(G)，东南早报

On May 11, a Beijing parent took to social media to share her troubling experience with an online English tutoring platform, Tigerschool. 

The parent claimed that her 7-year-old daughter, who had been taking one-on-one online lessons with a foreign teacher, was verbally abused during a lesson, leading to emotional distress. According to the post, the teacher, identified only as "Ashley," displayed extreme impatience during the class and, in a fit of rage, shouted "I don't understand XXX, get out!" before abruptly ending the session, leaving the child frightened.

The parent, Ms. Gu, reported the incident to the media on May 15, stating that while she had been refunded for the lessons, she was still considering legal action to protect her daughter's rights. In response to the incident, Tigerschool announced that it had immediately severed ties with the teacher involved and placed her on an industry blacklist. The institution also promised to continue monitoring the situation and ensure that further steps were taken to address the issue.

Ms. Gu, still visibly shaken during the interview, explained that the matter had left her feeling "dazed" in recent days. She recounted that she had initially purchased a few trial lessons for her daughter after seeing an advertisement for Tigerschool's one-on-one sessions on a short video platform. Impressed by the experience, she opted for a package of 18 lessons for over 2,000 yuan, with each session lasting about 25 minutes. However, after beginning the formal lessons, her daughter expressed discomfort with the cold and impatient demeanor of some teachers. Ms. Gu also noticed that a few instructors appeared to be more focused on their own monologue rather than ensuring the children understood the material, which led her to consider canceling the remaining sessions.

The troubling incident occurred during a session on the evening of May 11, when her daughter was taught by Ashley. "I felt she came to the class already irritated," Ms. Gu said. While Ms. Gu was discussing course cancellations with Tigerschool staff, her daughter began crying after sitting through an awkward silence. "My daughter told me the teacher had left and the screen went black," she recalled. Upon reviewing the session's recording, Ms. Gu saw that the teacher, frustrated with her daughter's responses of "yes" or "no," began shouting at the child, saying, "I don't understand XXX, get out!" before abruptly disconnecting the call. "I was extremely angry when I saw that video," she said.

In the video provided by Ms. Gu, the foreign teacher's voice can be heard escalating dramatically after the child answered "yes" to a question, with the teacher shouting, "I don't understand XXX, get out!" before cutting the session off entirely. The video quickly gained traction online, with many viewers expressing outrage over the teacher's behavior.

Following the incident, Ms. Gu reached out to Tigerschool, requesting a refund for the remaining classes and compensation for emotional distress. She mentioned that a customer service representative suggested that her daughter may have been the issue, given that the teacher had reportedly taught thousands of classes without similar incidents. "It felt like they were implying my daughter was the problem," she said. Another staff member later apologized on behalf of the institution, and Ms. Gu insisted on a refund along with compensation for her daughter's emotional trauma.

The emotional toll on her daughter was evident, Ms. Gu explained: "For two days after the incident, she wouldn't speak to me. One day, she suddenly told me that when she was in school during an English class, she thought of that teacher's face. I felt a sharp pain in my heart, it was unbearable."

In response, Tigerschool issued a public statement on May 15, confirming that the incident was under investigation and that the company had taken immediate action. "We have zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior," the statement read. "The teacher has been permanently removed from our platform and placed on an industry blacklist. We will continue to follow up on the issue, refund the affected parents, and provide proper support to ensure this situation is resolved."

Ms. Gu reported that she had filed complaints with the local education authorities and consumer protection agency, 12315, and was consulting with a lawyer about possible legal action to safeguard her daughter's rights.

Tigerschool, which operates as an online platform focused on North American one-on-one English tutoring, serves children and teenagers worldwide, offering lessons delivered by qualified teachers from the U.S. and Canada. According to its website, the platform aims to provide quality English education through American textbooks and personalized instruction.