Wheeling in need for private tutors

Ereira decided to “take a gamble” and leave the Bushey school after his AS-levels. “My parents made it a condition that I go off and run something that would actually be a success.”

The duo spent evenings and weekends marketing the agency.

They retrieved a bicycle from a skip, painted in bright orange with the company logo and parked it outside schools and universities to market the agency (pictured).

“Initially it was hard,” says Ereira, who expanded the company from a £600 investment. “Most people don’t take 17-year-olds seriously.

“But we just tried to be as professional and creative as possible. We handed out leaflets outside schools and universities, and after one year, we got 60 people as tutors.”

The agency now has more than 400 tutors on its books and saw a £160,000 profit turnover last year.

The duo are looking to expand to big cities across the globe. “In the UK, we focus on London because that’s where there’s demand — especially from foreign students,” adds Shelley, who went on to graduate Regent’s Business School in London.

“Last year we saw a huge increase in students from international families and a lot come from the Emirates, Russia and China. They want their children taught by the best from British institutions and that’s what we provide.

“We even send our tutors abroad, from Hong Kong to New York,” adds Shelley.

“The tutors that are sent there during school holidays earn thousands of pounds a week and so it makes more sense for us to look to grow there.”

Tavistock Tutors