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.