Posted:13-January-2021
Ex-primary school teacher finds success with a Tutor Doctor franchise
Ex-primary school teacher Dominic Stone’s frustration with bureaucracy and politics in the education system has led him to develop a highly successful business with his Tutor Doctor franchise. Based in Lancashire Dominic has seen his business grow by up to 60% year on year since starting the franchise in June 2010.
“I had been teaching for 10 years but I had a yearning to be my own boss. I was used to setting myself targets and goals so I was looking for a new challenge. During my time as a teacher I had really enjoyed teaching children and dealing with their families but not the increasing bureaucracy in the education system,” explained Dominic.
He added: “As I had limited commercial experience I decided that the support of a franchise organisation would help me get a head start in business. I went to a franchise-matching agency that came up with a number of options. However, the Tutor Doctor opportunity stood out. I was particularly impressed with their system for carefully matching tutors to the needs and learning style of the student to help them realise their full potential. Moreover, they seemed to have lots of good ideas, a good brand image and solid business model.”
“In my first year the business exceeded my initial expectations. I was blown away by the local demand for tuition services. The main satisfaction comes from the feedback I get from students and their families. Whether it is helping someone with reading skills or getting a student the grades they need to enter medical school I feel I am making a real difference in the local community. Over the four years I have worked with in excess of 600 families and I employ 80 part-time tutors.”
“Most Tutor Doctor franchisees come from a non-education background but I would say my teaching qualification has been more of a help than a hindrance. By the same token I have learned a lot from other franchisees in areas such as marketing, which is vitally important for growing the business. For the right people a Tutor Doctor franchise can be the ideal business. However, you need to care about helping others achieve their goals and getting a kick out of seeing them succeed.”
About Tutor Doctor
Tutor Doctor is the world’s fastest growing provider of one-to-one home-based tuition. The company was established in North America in 2000 and started its global franchise operation in 2003. It now has over 400 franchised territories in more than 14 countries and a network of 16,000 tutors. Operations in the UK began in 2009 and since then the company has experienced growth of 50% year on year and now has 28 franchise owners in the UK. Out of all the territories globally the UK has shown the fastest growth in like for like sales.
All stages of the academic journey are catered for from primary school to college and university. All subjects are covered and students receive one-to-one tuition in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Tutors are handpicked so that the tuition programme is closely tailored to the individuals specific needs and learning style. Before being selected tutors undergo an extensive interview process as well as mandatory background checks.
Tutor Doctor franchisees come from all walks of life. Some 83% of the current UK franchisees come from backgrounds other than education. They have previously worked in sectors as diverse as financial services, IT and manufacturing.
The Tutor Doctor franchise provides everything you need to operate a successful home tutoring business. It starts with 80 hours of online training followed by seven days intensive training at the global headquarters. During the first three months of operations the franchisees are supported by a success coach to help them plan their weekly tasks and goals. In addition, franchisees are given extensive marketing and business development assistance to build up a local customer base as well as bespoke CRM software to help them manage clients, tutors and marketing campaigns.
Beyond training, Tutor Doctor assigns a local “Franchise Field Consultant” who helps growth and profitability of each region given the unique nature of each market. Franchising Industry veteran Tim Morris works together with franchises throughout the UK with regional meetings, “Bootcamp” programmes and special partnerships with local schools.
Investment in a Tutor Doctor franchise costs from £29,700 and additional working capital will be required in the early stages of the business.
The company is a member of the British Franchise Association and for the past two years Tutor Doctor franchisees have been nominated as finalists in the prestigious BFA Franchisee of the Year Awards. Tutor Doctor is also a founding member of The Tutors’ Association which has been established to set standards for the private tuition sector in the UK.
Interested and want to know more about Tutor Doctor?
The Tutor Doctor basic profile outlines aspects of their franchise opportunity
