国内英语资讯:Anxious parents help Chinas tutoring companies thrive_时事

国内英语资讯:Anxious parents help Chinas tutoring companies thrive

Chinese parents are spending more of their savings on tutoring schools, too.

More than 30 percent of parents are willing to spend -- no matter how much it costs -- for private tutoring programs, and 26.6 percent of them are willing to spend half of their disposable income on these programs, according to the report.

For Li Jian, whose son is in fourth grade, the private tutoring fee is a great source of pressure. Every year, he spends an average of 30,000 yuan (around 4,500 U.S. dollars) on his son's tutoring, which is a lot considering the fact that he works as a driver and has to pay rent for his apartment. But he does not regret it.

"No matter how hard it is, he has to take tutoring courses so that he will have a better future," said Li.

The huge demand has helped tutoring companies thrive in China. The market size for tutoring organizations targeting primary and middle school students exceeds 800 billion yuan, according to the report.

Take the Tomorrow Advancing Life Education Group for example. When Zhang Bangxin, the group's founder, was in university for his master's degree, he worked as a family tutor to earn some extra money and realized there was a huge market.

In 2003, with 100,000 yuan in funds, Zhang founded the Xue'ersi International Education Group. In October 2010, just seven years later, it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2013, the group changed its name to Tomorrow Advancing Life Education Group.