Somerset businessman returns home with new mission to shake up the education system
Despite enjoying a diverse career in business management, pharmaceuticals and the police, Somerset-based David Brassington has chosen to dedicate his profession to improving the quality of education with the launch of his new venture, an in-home and online tutoring company, Tutor Doctor. Transforming his career in the wake of the pandemic, he is already making an impact in his local community, covering Frome, Taunton and North Yeovil.
After three decades in a successful pharmaceutical sales position, David decided to retrain as a teacher but did not enjoy sticking to the rigid structure the mainstream education industry demands. As such, he became inspired by the prospect of delivering high-quality, personalised education to students in need, and it became an obvious solution to partner with the in-home and online tutoring franchise brand, Tutor Doctor.
Recently launching his business, David is now delivering unique, personalised experiences to students across his community. He is supplementing the learning experience for students while additionally achieving the rewarding professional experience he has been seeking since stepping away from his previous career.
David explained:
“I’d been looking at franchising for a few years, and I like change and keeping myself feeling fresh and motivated by what I do. The pandemic highlighted just how ready I was to move on from my previous career, and it seemed that, with the education industry being so heavily impacted by COVID, going into teaching was the perfect challenge. It was Tutor Doctor’s malleable style and ethos that resonated with me most. The delivery of our services is built on the individual needs of each and every student, taking into account their current situation, personality and what they want from us as educators.”
Although he has lived in London, Liverpool and Bournemouth, it was the sentiment David has with the local education system that brought him back to Somerset to launch his Tutor Doctor business, having attended school in Taunton. David has since been able to combine his previous experience in sales and management with his knowledge of the curriculum and education industry. Being able to relate to teachers and offering their students support is one of the many important steps David is taking towards improving the quality of education in the area, as well as supporting students in their ongoing catch-up from the pandemic.
“My unique experiences in several different sectors will play important roles towards delivering the high-quality education students learning in the post-COVID era need. I’ve been getting to know my community progressively and am looking forward to how much of a positive impact this venture can make on improving the lives of students in the area. With many tutors already on board, we’re well equipped and prepared to address any need our students have.
“Tutor Doctor has enabled me to look at what is needed for local education from an outside perspective. And with local family and the other community ties I already have, this personal mission means even more. Fundamentally, we’ve established ourselves in this community to change the trajectory of our students’ lives – this is something we can all get behind after such a difficult two years for children of all ages in mainstream education.”
South East London female educator continues to inspire local students and community five years on
This year, Greenwich-based businesswoman Amrit Rahi is celebrating her fifth anniversary with in-home and online tutoring company, Tutor Doctor. Using the pandemic to advance her operations, Amrit has established herself as an important part of improving the wellbeing of children and students in south-east London, as well as providing high-quality and personalised educational experiences.
At the beginning of the pandemic, a sudden and unexpected change in circumstances left Amrit very much fending for herself and her two children. However, with a strong female support network forming the majority of her Tutor Doctor team and operations, Amrit has been able to continue to provide education, employment and training to vulnerable young people that have come from backgrounds with unequal opportunities to establish a better starting point for their futures. And after five years and over 10,000 hours of tutoring, Tutor Doctor Greenwich, managed by Amrit, has certified its mastery status as a leading education provider in London.
Learning from personal times of hardship, Amrit is continuing to channel her strength and energy into ways in which children’s lives can be improved in the area five years on.
“In the face of personal adversity, I became really motivated to crack on and elevate Tutor Doctor to the next level. I’ve always had my brilliant team of passionate and caring women with me along every step of the way, which was even more important during the pandemic when we were ensuring Tutor Doctor became even more accessible to those who needed our services. The least we could do during the international crisis was to fill the education gap that had been exposed due to the pandemic. We were fortunately in a position to do so. Through elevating our services, we have been able to hit the ground running out of the pandemic, with our amazing community of more than 250 tutors taking on more responsibility and becoming key figures in the lives and wellbeing of children in our community.
“With this, I have also been able to devote my time towards my education consultancy role for Lambeth Council, which supports young people that are in care, by giving them a solid chance at reaching their full potential. I’ve devoted a lot of passion towards working with this cohort of young people that have begun with the least chances and have ultimately risen up to reach their full potential. My current role has even enabled me to help asylum seekers and refugees get into employment and help other vulnerable young people find apprenticeships and traineeships.”
Prior to joining Tutor Doctor in 2017, Amrit worked in youth services in Greenwich and Bexley where she did a whole range of jobs, including delivering extended school provision, delivering youth activities in areas of deprivation, managing youth centres, supporting voluntary sector organisations and much more. Amrit’s vast experience has enabled her to establish her Tutor Doctor business as the leading one-to-one education company in the area, supporting over six local schools and contributing to improving over 600 students’ education.
Tutor Doctor Greenwich has always been conscious of the community around them and have been actively involved in charity organisations. Recognising the challenges that everyone has gone through during the pandemic, this year they have continued their tradition of giving back, by donating a portion of their proceeds to MIND, a mental health charity. The company has celebrated going from strength to strength in five years, with the number of families and schools they work with almost doubling every year since they became established.
“Tutor Doctor has given me the opportunity that I was looking for. I love being able to see children and young people achieve their full potential in every way – whether it be academic or personally. Seeing results and making families happy is very rewarding to me. But not only that, it has enabled me to spend more time with my children. I regularly take my children to and from school, so it’s had an overwhelmingly positive impact on my family life too.”
Tutor Doctor Greenwich also covers Rotherhithe, Ladywell, Deptford, Woolwich, and surrounding areas.
Embracing education with open arms
From a young age, Ash Obhrai had been surrounded by educators. With his father as a GCSE Maths examiner, mother as an A-Level Art & Design teacher and aunt as a successful primary school teacher, it was only a matter of time before he too would venture into academia. After working as a tutor alongside his corporate career for 15 years, he decided to turn the tables and launch his own Tutor Doctor business in 2017.
“It was one day when my parents made me realise how fulfilling working in education would be,” said Ash. “They were responsible for changing the lives of students every single day, whilst I was working in the corporate world and it didn’t bring anything close to that same level of satisfaction. I knew I wanted to make a transition into something that would provide a greater sense of achievement – at Tutor Doctor, I get that every single day.”
Ash’s corporate career began when he graduated from UCL with an M.Eng in Electronic Engineering with Medical Electronics, taking him into various sectors including retail, traveller marketing and finance. It was from there that he moved into an international role, managing global luxury retailers such as Burberry, Jimmy Choo and Samsonite. This was when the conversation with his father happened.
Having also attempted to launch his own tutoring agency, Ash realised that the franchising route would give him a better chance of success. Tapping into the franchisors’ knowledge, combined with the wealth of experience that typically comes with a franchise network, he knew that his skills would allow him to truly thrive.
“I’ve always had a passion for caring for others and wanted to run my own business, meaning it was a toss-up between a care or education franchise. It came down to having past experience with tutoring and continuing with my family’s passion for children too. After thorough research of which organisations fit my personal values best, Tutor Doctor was the only one. My wife Shilpi was also very encouraging and supportive, wanting to manage the recruitment arm of the business.”
Wasting no time, Ash flew to Tutor Doctor Home Office in Toronto for his initial franchisee training in August 2017. Although he was already prepared for the plethora of information he would receive during his 10 days, he was still surprised by the sheer breadth of the training material.
“The training was one of the best I could see in the market. Tutor Doctor genuinely cared about their franchisees and gave them all the skills to make it a success from the very beginning. That was evident as soon as I stepped into that training room – it was extremely thorough and set me up nicely to hit the ground running as soon as I arrived home.”
Immediately after launching, franchisees are actively supported by a business coach across all areas of business through structured training programmes, weekly coaching calls, weekly global calls and on-demand support as and when needed. Then, as the business grows, specifically designed support systems help to maintain growth, build momentum, and scale the business, allowing franchisees to achieve both financial and personal goals. Ash used this support network to bolster his own business.
Whilst in his training, Ash was already receiving leads from tutors in his Newham territory. This meant that when he had completed his 10-day programme, he was ready to put his skills into practice and start generating business almost instantly.
“The field support team were incredible during the initial stages and really put my mind at rest at the beginning. Although today I can work almost independently, knowing they’re available any time for guidance and advice is so reassuring. It’s one of the reasons why Tutor Doctor appealed so much due to the level of support that I would receive throughout the life of my business.”
Fast-forward three years and Ash has handed over the reins of the Newham franchise to another franchisee, whilst investing in an Empire licence that covers Leighton, Wanstead, Chingford and Chigwell. With the foundations set, he’s now turning his attention to an important aspect of the business.
“It’s always been a focus, but I’m now placing more emphasis on building strategies, trust and client care. I have someone trustworthy in my team who is responsible for community marketing and we are looking to extend this role into family liaison like making regular check-in phone calls, sending birthday cards, and even organising hand-delivered cake hampers. My business has helped change the trajectory of 230 students’ lives with the assistance of 110 qualified tutors on my team. It’s important that we continue to nurture those relationships as, essentially, that’s the reason why people choose our service over our competitors – we always promise to go that extra mile.
“In November 2020, I also secured a partnership with a high school in Woodford Green, delivering academic support to students who require it using their Pupil Premium Fund. Working with schools is going to be a focal point moving forward, especially as we leave the pandemic behind and children need help with getting back up to speed with their learning.”
Ash’s growing family was also a contributing factor to launching his Tutor Doctor franchise. His son was born in 2013 whilst he was working 15-hour days, meaning he wasn’t able to be around his family as much as he’d liked to have been during his childhood. Now though, he’s able to make up for it and enjoy quality time with his family.
“That’s the beauty of Tutor Doctor. Most of the student consultations happen in the evening, meaning the rest of my day is flexible to schedule family time in. I can drop my son off at school, pick him up and even put him to bed too. I was never able to do this before, but now I have the freedom to do what I like – of course, fitting in my business activities around all of that.
“The world of academia embraced me with open arms, and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to join the rest of my family in appreciating the positive impact that education can have on people.”
Building a business to be proud of
As he approached his 40th birthday, Rob Kerrison was unsure which direction he wanted his life to take. After many years of working in sales and marketing, he searched for the best option that would utilise his skillset whilst providing him with a chance to reflect on what he had achieved throughout his career so far. Although the idea of franchising didn’t initially appeal to Rob and his wife Lynne, it was tutoring franchise Tutor Doctor that eventually piqued the pair’s interests. Over a decade later, they have firmly cemented themselves as an integral role of the franchise network that they are extremely proud to be part of.
“We joined Tutor Doctor at a time when there was a lot of freedom for us to run things in our own way,” said Rob. “The brand had only launched in the UK the year before, so we were heavily involved with building the foundations of the network as it established itself. Although we didn’t know the tutoring sector, we both had the business skills and experience to make our new venture a success. We felt confident that this was the right decision for us.”
Rob and Lynne met whilst studying for a business degree at Loughborough University. After graduating, they both went into corporate roles – Rob at Unilever and Lynne at Tesco. Following various moves career-wise and relocations, the couple had the opportunity to find something new but didn’t quite know what that something was. What changed things was a meeting with a franchise consultant to help find the most suitable solution.
“Not only did this inform us of the franchise opportunities on offer, but it also helped us reflect on the strengths we had developed over the course of our careers and made us think how we could best apply them in new space. We had to answer a lot of questions, which ranged from what roles we were good at to what specific elements of business we enjoyed. This exercise was great at helping us finalise our next steps – as a result, one of the standout brands was Tutor Doctor.
“Initially, we didn’t quite understand the benefits of being part of a franchise but very quickly, it became clear why franchising can be, and is, so successful. Having the support network, along with the expertise of the brand, is advantageous to anybody – whether you’ve got existing business skills or not. Tutor Doctor is a fundamentally simple business, and we could just see ourselves making it work for us, and being involved with the local community in such a positive way is a real draw.”
Tutor Doctor is the fastest-growing in-home tutoring franchise in the world. Franchisees manage a team of tutors and work closely with families to identify the needs of students. As successful business owners at the heart of the local community, franchisees help children to achieve their potential and change lives for the better. In today’s modern, hectic world, the tired old centre-based model lacks convenience and the personal touch. Tutors visit students at home or work with them one-to-one via an online platform for a truly bespoke, person-centred service.
Rob and Lynne flew to Toronto for their initial franchisee training in July 2010. In a cohort with other eager business owners looking to start their tutoring empire, they were ready to make it happen.
“The training was very comprehensive,” added Lynne. “But perhaps the best part was being able to see and hear from other franchisees who were already running a successful Tutor Doctor business. It gave us an extra boost of confidence that we were making the right decision and, from that point onwards, it’s been full steam ahead.”
The husband-and-wife team didn’t let that energy dwindle when they arrived home to launch Tutor Doctor Cambridge, getting straight into the community to get their name out there. They focused on being visible to ensure prospective customers knew how they could provide a solution to their children’s learning needs. Their efforts quickly paid off as their business began to gain traction.
“For the first two years, although enquiries were coming in thick and fast, we didn’t stop attending events and leafleting across the area. We knew the first couple of years are the most important and wanted to create a solid foundation for the future. It might be a bit crazy to admit that we grew too quickly within that time, but it gave us a reality check – we learnt to understand the market and concentrated on being more strategic with our choices as we moved the business forward.”
Tutor Doctor has been through many transformations since the duo joined the network, but one thing remains at the forefront: the emphasis on their ongoing support. In the present day, franchisees are actively supported by a business coach across all areas of business through structured training programmes, weekly coaching calls, weekly global calls and on-demand support as it’s needed. Then, as the business grows, specifically designed support systems will help to maintain growth, build momentum and scale the business, allowing franchisees to achieve both financial and personal goals.
After celebrating the business’ 10th anniversary, Rob and Lynne are not resting on their laurels. If anything, they are even more committed to making a difference and providing a much-needed service to students in the area.
Lynne added: “Increasingly, our business grows through referrals, from families and schools we work with. Everyone says it, but our organisation absolutely needs to focus on customer service as our success depends on these customers continuing to tell their friends and colleagues. And they do. At the end of 2020 we’d worked with 661 tutors who provided tuition to 2,670 clients, resulting in us delivering almost 100,000 hours of tutoring. It’s these numbers that make me feel proud and makes it all worthwhile – and we can see the positive impact that we’re having.”
Their business is a far cry from their lives in the corporate world. Alongside giving them the satisfaction of providing a service to their local community, it’s given them the chance to enjoy their personal lives much more.
“I coach the under-14s at the local hockey club and try and squeeze in the odd round of golf,” said Rob. “By commuting to London every day and being in control of our own calendar we’ve not missed out on those key moments you have with your children as they grow up. As a Tutor Doctor franchisee, it’s given me the freedom to do the things that I love and spend time with my children whilst building a local business that makes a difference to so many people.
“Establishing the Tutor Doctor brand in Cambridge and also being involved with the growth of Tutor Doctor’s presence in the UK has been extremely rewarding. We definitely feel that working within a franchise system has helped us build the business we have over these past 10 years and are very much looking forward to the next 10 years.”
Ex-finance director searches for more “soul”
When Piyush Gupta was offered redundancy after 20+ years working within finance, he jumped at the opportunity. In trying to decide on his future, Piyush’s main aim was to find something that offered more fulfilment and enjoyment. Something with ‘a little bit more soul’. After evaluating his priorities and assessing his skillset, Piyush knew the direction he wanted to take. All that was left was to find the perfect role.
“After my redundancy, I knew that I didn’t want to go back into the corporate world – I needed something that gave me more satisfaction. I began looking at education, health and working with children as that was guaranteed to give me that sense of accomplishment that I craved. I then thought a lot about what I’d enjoyed in my work and the main things were business development and managing a team – so I knew I was looking for a career that combined all these things.”
After completing a Business Degree and becoming a Chartered Accountant, Piyush went on to rise through the ranks in some well-respected companies. The 51-year-old’s career has seen him support a £200million division, manage and recruit large finance teams of staff as well as proving to be instrumental in the growth of an entire business model. A key team player, he also provided business support to directors and team leaders, before redundancy gave him the opportunity to become his own boss.
Whilst on the lookout for his new vocation, Piyush kept an open mind. He applied for many roles in his hometown of Peterborough, hoping to find the right fit. After seeing an advert which said: ‘Be your own MD in Peterborough’ he was intrigued. The meeting, however, was not what he expected.
“I spoke with Fiona Price from Tutor Doctor and she started talking about the franchise model. I immediately said ‘No! This isn’t for me’ to which she replied: ‘Hear me out’. After a few more discussions with Fiona and other franchisees, I was sold. We spoke about how I would still be my own boss but have the added security and support franchise model and the team behind me.
“I was so impressed by the structure of the franchise and how I could create a business for me but have an impact on other people too. We really get to know the families we work with to ensure the right tutors are matched with students for the best outcome. That’s led to Tutor Doctor being a go-to brand for advice. I was keen to be a part of that.”
Tutor Doctor is the fastest growing in-home tutoring franchise in the world. Our franchisees work with families to thoroughly assess a child’s needs and then carefully select the best-fit tutor based on goals, personality and learning style. Tutors then visit students at home or work with them via an online platform, so that they can learn in the comfort of their own home, at a time that suits them. Tutor Doctor franchisees arrange and oversee the tutor/student relationship for a truly bespoke solution and exceptional level of service.
“I spoke with other franchisees and they seemed to have one thing in common – the passion for education. They all wanted to have an impact on the formative years of a persons’ life, and I knew that I had to be part of it.”
In September 2016, Piyush and his fellow new recruits flew out to Toronto for an intensive seven-day business bootcamp. Tutor Doctor’s award-winning training programmes prepares new franchisees for everything they need to run a successful business so that when they arrive back home, they’re ready for launch!
“The training was great and really comprehensive. It felt great to meet people from different backgrounds that were about to do the same thing as me. It gave me real comfort in knowing that I was part of something much bigger that I could bring back to my community. We went through every aspect you could think of including profiling individuals, sales training and the recruitment process – tutors are the cornerstone to our business after all. However great the training was, I must admit my mind wanders very quickly – I just wanted to get out and do it.”
After you launch your franchise, you are actively supported, by a Learning Support Specialist (LSS), across all areas of your business through structured training programmes, weekly coaching calls, weekly global calls and on-demand support as you need it. As your business grows, we have specifically designed support systems to help you continue growth, build momentum and ultimately scale your business to help you achieve your financial and personal goals.
“It’s amazing to see the constant development and growth within the franchise that goes on at all times. There’s always free courses that I can book onto, weekly conference calls and regular meetings with my LSS that help me to develop my own business.”
The first two years of business for Piyush were so successful that at the beginning of 2019, he expanded into two more territories – Huntingdon and Stamford. The expansion meant that Piyush recruited an administration assistant and an Education Consultant to allow him the time to focus more on growth and customer care. He also enlisted the help of his son to work on the social media for the business.
“I knew that I wanted to have an impact on more people, so it just made sense to expand to the neighbouring territories. I want to get them to a point where I’m just replicating the success of Peterborough and going above and beyond for more families. I currently have 75+ tutors on the books that work with over 100 families across the three regions.
“The sense of achievement I get from Tutor Doctor is nothing like I ever imagined. When I get a phone call from parents telling me their child has done great things because of my tutors, it is such a rewarding feeling – I’ve been close to tears on occasion. It’s a complete contrast to my corporate job as it’s more personal.”
As he approaches his third-year anniversary, Piyush reflects on the success of his business so far. He still has grand plans for the future.
Making a mark on the network by capitalising on Tutor Doctor’s bespoke schools programme
Giving back has always been Neil and Melodie Watson’s priority. With Neil’s 25 years’ experience as Managing Director of manufacturing companies combined with Melodie’s 22 years working in high school pastoral departments, the pair have always been motivated by providing invaluable opportunities to better their community. So, after reassessing their careers and endeavouring to find a shared venture that would make them feel personally and financially rewarded, September 2022 was the turning point that finally put them in the right direction.
In less than a year since launching Tutor Doctor Newcastle Upon Tyne, Neil and Melodie’s short but successful franchise journey has enabled the pair to become leading lights in their local education system. Capitalising on Tutor Doctor’s industry-leading programme, which enables franchisees to make a significant impact on the mainstream UK school’s market, they are fast becoming the area’s trusted go-to supplementary education provider.
“We launched Tutor Doctor with the mission of improving young people’s confidence, ability and importantly, their results,” explained Melodie. “Having been a Student Welfare Manager for over 20 years, I’ve become attuned to the stresses and struggles that students feel on a daily basis, so understand the need for bespoke providers to step in and help. That’s why Tutor Doctor’s franchise opportunity initially resonated so heavily with us, as the brand places so much importance on helping students rediscover a spark in their education journeys.”
“Our Tutor Doctor venture to date has been the opportunity we’ve been waiting for,” said Neil. “Having focused on the brand’s bespoke tutoring programme, in less than a year we’ve fast become an asset to several schools and councils in our territories. What’s best is that the programme allows franchisees to mould service offerings to tailor to the exact needs of the schools – whether it’s alternative provision, supplementary education or raising attainment. We currently work with four schools, all with various needs, and have more in the pipeline.”
Tutor Doctor franchisees have worked closely with over 500 schools nationwide – a testament to the exceptional quality of the service and the regard in which Tutor Doctor’s reputation is held. The revolutionary route to market is a result of collaboration between a focus group of trail-blazing franchisees and the team at Tutor Doctor head office. Together, we have created a bespoke suite of marketing collateral, process documents, how-to webinars and even tutor education programmes to help the entire UK franchise network capitalise on the new revenue stream. A demonstration of the power of franchising at its best!
“Demands are changing all the time, but with Tutor Doctor’s programme ticking all the necessary boxes that councils and schools look for, we haven’t needed to join the NTP to be recognised as a trusted, exceptional service provider in the community,” added Neil. “We’ve joined the Tutor Doctor network as the franchisor becomes increasingly switched on to the benefit of working with schools. This has allowed us to tap into a lot of help and resource that is just becoming available through both the franchisor and the franchisee network.”
“Not only from the franchisor, a huge benefit of being a Tutor Doctor franchisee is the support you receive from the whole network. Every franchisee is at a very different stage of their journey and has grown their business to work for them and their communities, so it’s invaluable to be able to pull from the experience and teachings of other franchisees to support your own growth.”
Following an incredible first nine months at the helm of their franchise, which is also an Empire Builder, Neil and Melodie plan on scaling further and increasing their bespoke service offering to more schools in need of their support. With 60 tutors in the team already, they are well equipped to translate Tutor Doctor’s approach of matching students with the perfect tutor as they expand and open their doors to more students in need – both privately and through the schools programme.
“We’ve really been able to harness and transfer our experience from our previous roles,” said Melodie. “My experience within pastoral departments has helped us identify exactly what the schools in our area need, but we wouldn’t have been able to scale without the management experience from Neil. That’s what we learn as franchisees from day one. We gather what it takes to forge a successful business, but we can shape and mould our franchise to make it work for us, our personal lives and the wider community.”
Immediately after launching, franchisees are actively supported by a business coach across all areas of the business through structured training programmes, weekly coaching calls, weekly global calls and on-demand support when needed. And as the business grows, specifically designed support systems help to maintain growth, build momentum, and scale the business, allowing franchisees to achieve both financial and personal goals.
“Thanks to the additional revenue stream, we’re successfully hitting our growth and financial targets. Our focus on the schools’ market is really complementing our private client activity – it’s helping us grow a meaningful business with a high turnover.”
Tutor Doctor is the fastest-growing in-home tutoring franchise in the world. Franchisees manage a team of tutors and work closely with families and schools to identify the individual needs of each student, whether online or in person, so that they can learn in the comfort of their own home, at a time that suits them. As successful business owners at the heart of the local community, franchisees help children to achieve their potential and change lives for the better. Tutor Doctor franchisees arrange and oversee the tutor/student relationship for a truly bespoke solution and exceptional level of service.
“With a higher volume output thanks to the schools programme, we’ve had the opportunity to reach more students in need within our territory and have more time with them to nurture a love of learning that will take them into later life. Being a franchisee requires your utmost commitment and devotion, but it’s an immensely rewarding lifestyle,” concluded Neil.
If, like Neil and Melodie Watson, you have identified a need for bespoke supplementary education in your community, contact Tutor Doctor today.
