The Clara James Approach to learning

Something you may not consider when you start tutoring is the weather!

This past weekend the weather has been incredible (by the usual standards of the UK in April). The sun was shining and many of the neighbours were having BBQs. 

How is this relevant to tutoring?

Tutoring will generally take place during the hours when the children are not in school; evenings and weekends which can be great because it removes the need for childcare if your partner/the other parent is home, but it also means that week after week you miss out.

I admit that there are significantly more children being home schooled now and looking for support in the school day, but it may not be enough to provide a suitable income.

There are multiple adverts on social media claiming that you can tutor from anywhere in the world working the hours to suit you, but that is not what my journey has revealed. 

Tutoring, like any business you start will be dependent on an element of love because it will become a big part of your life.

Don’t get me wrong, to a degree to can be flexible, for example if it is your child’s parent’s evening next week and it co-insides with a lesson you might be able to ask to start 30 minutes earlier or later, or switch to a different day so that you don’t miss it. 

But… if you are due to start a lesson in half an hour and someone suggests that you put the BBQ on and enjoy the sunshine more often than not you will likely find yourself declining.

And that’s the reality.

But it’s also worth remembering what you gain in return.

You’re building something of your own.
 You’re supporting children in a meaningful way.
 You’re creating a business that can grow and evolve over time.

You’ll meet incredible people.

Experience pride in what you have achieved.

Experience gratitude and appreciation for what you do that you know is honest and genuine.

Because you will see how you are changing lives.

And for many people, that trade-off becomes more than worthwhile.

If you’re reading this and still thinking tutoring might be something you’d like to explore, but you’re not quite sure what it really looks like day-to-day…

that’s exactly what I’m starting to share more of at the moment.

I’m currently building out the Clara James franchise, which is designed to support people who want to start tutoring in a way that’s realistic, sustainable, and actually works.

If you’re curious, feel free to get in touch — I’m always happy to have a chat.

(or discover other ways we can help: Become a tutor

If you had asked me a couple of years back what makes a good tutor, I would have answered with what I thought a tutor needed to be. Confident, a qualified teacher, great subject knowledge and the degree to prove it.

After 14 years of building the business and employing a wide variety of people, my attitude has changed.

These days I would suggest the main attributes are in the ability to build a relationship, to be approachable and adaptable. 

Qualifications are great, but that is only half of the story.

If you are considering becoming a tutor and thinking about exploring it further, I’ve put together some guidance to help you get started  Become a tutor

There will be days when you are working on growing your business that you will feel like you have slogged away all day and question what you have achieved. Then other days you will do something that takes you seconds but will have you swinging from the chandeliers (metaphorically speaking).

I was asked to offer some advice to someone who’s tutoring business had started to “fizzle out”. 

My main 3 things I would have said (had he have shown up) would be: start by being helpful. Don’t just promote yourself in a “salesy way” give a simple tip that the parent can use to support their child, or a revision tip that a child can use. Your instinct might be to ask why you would give when your bank account is screaming at you that it needs to receive, but the thing is that this builds likeability and trust. It shows that you care and you are not just looking for quick and easy money, which sadly tutoring is something often regarded as.

My second suggestion I would make would be “Tutoring for charity”. I did this not long after I started tutoring. I had some spare hours during the holidays and felt I should be doing something productive. So, I found a room for free and offered to provide an hour’s tutoring, but instead of payment asked that they make a donation to one of my chosen charities. I think I made about £50, it was hardly life changing; however, it got a mention in the local paper and the local radio. And people who hadn’t been able to make it to those sessions got in touch and asked if I was able to help their child on an ongoing basis.

My third suggestion would be – keep going, keep showing up. Even if it seems like hard work, keep going because the reward will one day be worth every single tear, every time it is suggested that you get a proper job, every single sleepless night.

Good luck.

Wherever you are on your journey to build a tutoring business, if you would like support, please do ask: Become a tutor

Tutoring was never something I intended doing, however a friend talked me into it. I had no business experience (my background was education, specifically working with neurodiverse children). So a friend and I brainstormed what we would expect from a tutor for our own children and I morphed this with what I had learned over the years about supporting children's learning. 

That was the beginning of the journey. There have been too many highs and lows over the years to talk about them all but with commitment (and an awful lot of learning and mistakes) along the way, I have now built a business I am hugely proud of.

 If you’re listen to this and thinking you might like to try tutoring… I’ve put together a page with some guidance to help you get started: Become a tutor

As with most things there is no perfect time to start tutoring, so start today!

That's a confident statement, but the reason I say that is because initially people will be oblivious of what you are doing. It will take time for people to remember your details. So, use this initial period to start to grow awareness of your new business.

In this podcast I also mention the type of posts that I would recommend posting to help people to get to know you, trust you and recognise that you are genuinely here to help. 

I've started to compile a page where, no matter where you are in your tutoring journey: thinking of starting, initial growth or something bigger, I can be there to help you: Clara James Tutoring

Any questions at all, please do ask, I will always do my best to help

When I first started tutoring I hired a room for a couple of days (though I guess I could have done it here) for free through a local organisation, and offered free tutoring. My request was that the family put a donation into the tin instead of it being a fixed amount.

I'll be honest, I didn't raise much, maybe £50 or £60, but because it was for charity it meant that the local newspaper and radio station interviewed me about it, I was able to mention it in local Facebook groups, etc. And what it did was raise my credibility in the local area.

It won't work for everyone, but as always I hope this idea gives you food for thought. 

May be one day I will do the same and offer those looking to become a tutor an hour of support, ideas and guidance to help them to get started. Is that something people would be interested in?

I was speaking to a tutor who has been building his business over the past few years and is now considering taking voluntary redundancy to grow it full-time.

He mentioned that many of the families he works with have started asking if he offers support in other subjects. As a result, he’s begun exploring the idea of bringing in additional tutors — including some based overseas — to help meet that demand.

On the surface, it sounds like a sensible next step.

More subjects.
 More tutors.
 More opportunities.

But it immediately took me back to something I experienced early on.

A lesson I learned the hard way

Years ago, I recommended a tutor to support my son with A-level Economics.

This was someone I had suggested to other families — someone I trusted.

When he arrived, he came with a pen… and nothing else.

He sat down and asked, “What would you like to cover?”

My son explained that he had missed that particular lesson at school and didn’t understand the topic.

The tutor responded, “You must know something.”

And for almost the entire hour, they went round in circles.

As a parent, I was frustrated.
 I had paid for support, and my son was no further forward.

But as someone building a tutoring business, I felt something else entirely.

Horror.

Because I had recommended him.

Your reputation is built through others

That experience stayed with me.

It made me realise that when you bring someone into your business — whether directly or by recommendation — they represent you.

Your values.
 Your standards.
 Your ethos.

And the further removed you are from that person, the harder it becomes to ensure those standards are upheld.

When you’re not in the room… you don’t always know what’s happening.

It also highlighted another mistake I made early on.

Trying to support everything.

Every subject.
 Every need.
 Every request.

At the time, it felt like the right thing to do — to help as many people as possible.

But in reality, it diluted what I was known for.

When you specialise, people understand:

• what you do
• who you help
• why you’re good at it

When you don’t, it becomes much harder to build a clear, trusted reputation.

You risk becoming a “Jack of all trades” — and that makes it harder for families to feel confident in choosing you.

What parents are really looking for

Parents aren’t looking for what’s easiest for the tutor.

They are looking for what is best for their child.

They want:

• someone who understands the curriculum
• someone who is prepared
• someone who can build confidence
• someone who genuinely knows how to support their child

And most importantly — they want consistency.

Why this matters now

This is one of the reasons I place so much importance on:

• building strong relationships with the tutors I work with
• staying connected
• maintaining clear expectations and standards

It’s also one of the key reasons I am taking my time in developing the Clara James franchise.

Growth is important.

But not at the expense of quality.

The goal isn’t to grow quickly.
 The goal is to grow well.

To build something where:

• standards are consistent
• values are shared
• and every child receives the level of support they deserve

A final thought

If you are growing your tutoring business, it’s worth asking yourself:

What do you want to be known for?

Because your reputation isn’t just built on what you do.

It’s built on everything connected to your name.

And that is something worth protecting.

Have a great week

Over the years I have found that there are so many people offering you advice on how to market your business. Each person saying something different. Each one equally justified because it's worked for their business. But is that business a tutoring business.

I think we need to listen to everyone, but only hear what will be of relevance to our business. Think about who we are wanting to talk to; the parent and use that as your north star.

I hope this is of help as you get started on your journey as a tutor or growing the tutoring business that you have already started

Good luck, there are many children out there that need a great tutor like you.

The Clara James Tutor's Group

When I first started the tutoring business in 2012 I was very opinionated that every lesson should take place in the comfort of the child's home. They would be in an environment where they felt comfortable and it would make life easier for the family. We could make the lessons interactive and use a wide variety of resources.

Then we went into lockdown.

I had 2 choices, either let the business, that I had spent the past 8 years working hard to build go, or adapt and embrace online lessons and try something new.

Really there wasn't a choice, and now we can offer online and in person lessons and it works. We can still put the child's needs at the centre of the lesson, we can still be creative with the content (just in a different way) and we can still make a huge difference to the children that we work with.

In this podcast I explain why we made the decision to do our 1-1 tutoring sessions in the child's home rather than expecting them to travel to us.

The easier we can make things for the family, the more likely it is that they will chose you over other available tutors and the more likely it is that they will want you to keep supporting their child over a longer period