Ever since I took over as President of Tutor Doctor in 2004, tuition has undergone its very own facelift. What once was a neighbourhood hobby has turned into a fully-fledged profession, with its own set of standards and regulations to abide by. However, even before my time at the helm of the tutoring franchise, I was impacted by the service and, looking back, I regard that as the start of my passion for learning.
As a student, I had the experience of utilising a tutor. I was struggling with languages and my parents hired a neighbour of ours to tutor me. The experience had a profound impact on me as a student, mostly in that it really opened my eyes to what I was capable of achieving. Before hiring the tutor, I really didn’t believe I’d ever be able to grasp other languages, but that changed when I started seeing major improvements in my results. I realised that with some help I could achieve anything that I set my mind to, with the tutor unlocking my potential – to this day, I believe that this changed my life.
Fast-forward a couple of decades and I took over as President of Tutor Doctor. At that time, tuition was an extremely fragmented industry. There were certainly several learning-centre-style brands; however, the in-home tuition market was, by and large, being served by unconnected, independent tutors. I recognised the opportunity within this realm and made my personal pledge to impact children across the globe.
I’ve had many epiphanies during my time, one of the main being that all students learn differently. Whilst on the outside it might appear very easy to instil learning within children, they are just like adults with various learning styles. It’s not a “one-size-fits-all” approach, and that’s why so many students struggle and, unfortunately, fall through the cracks. Our business model has this in mind, with programmes tailored to each student’s individual needs.
Another eye-opening part of my journey has been how many A-grade students we provide tuition for. It’s a common misconception that our service is just for those who are struggling, but the reality is, with students facing increased pressure for school and university places, we support those who are performing very well in school too. This shift in attitudes has been welcomed in schools and local authorities across the world, as they commit to giving all students equal opportunities. With tutoring becoming ‘mainstream’ – as the kids would say – this opportunity has opened up many doors for franchisees around the globe.
Of course, it wouldn’t be right to not talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on education. Children everywhere have faced their very own challenges during various lockdowns, and remote learning is one of them. The main difficulty has been remaining focused during their virtual classes and staying engaged in what their teacher is saying – I’m sure we can all agree how easy it is to get distracted whilst on a Zoom call. Although online tutoring is available for parents, offering increased levels of convenience, our in-home sessions are still the most popular option – personalisation, attention to detail and a tailored approach trump online learning in many ways. It’s a core part of our business that, despite being affected over the past eighteen months, will continue to reign supreme as things begin to return to normal.
As for the future of tutoring, there’s a real opportunity to be had as parents and guardians attempt to regain their child’s knowledge. Tutor Doctor is perfectly positioned to support students as they work to catch up and, once again, begin getting ahead. With a pre-pandemic prediction of the private tuition industry growing by 7%* each year until 2026, I imagine there will be a drastic acceleration of to this growth as things continue.
By the way, that tutor I referenced earlier: their daughter purchased a Tutor Doctor franchise around five years ago and is operating very successfully to this day. Tutoring is thriving just as much today as it was back then, and I can’t wait for what the future holds.
Sources:
* Zion Market Research, Private Tutoring Market, 2019.
