Teacher with a passion for providing affordable tutoring expands her Blyth business

Rebecca Maxwell Tutoring began leasing an outbuilding of Briardale House in February last year and, since then, her pupils per week has grown from 36 to 137. To accommodate the growing number, she has now taken up a second site on the premises.

On the opportunity to expand, she said: “The response has been really positive and really promising, we're starting to get schools recommending us on parents evenings, schools are then recommending their sixth formers who want jobs to come to us as well."

Rebecca provides affordable sessions for pupils in the North East, which she has maintained at £15.50 per hour. She is also able to offer valuable work experience opportunities to sixth-form students who she hires to help tutor the children.

Rebecca currently employs 19 students. She explained: “The motivation here is to try and decrease this poverty trap that people are in – we have young people with incredible talent, so we put them in front of another young person as a role model.

“We originally started four years ago and it was £15 an hour, and in that time I’ve only ever put it up 50p and because it’s growing, I am able to do that

“I was never in this to make it my full time employment, this is to try and help the community, my staff wages have increased by 85% but because the company is continuing to grow I can keep the prices down.”

Rebecca grew up in a poor demographic with no access to tutoring when she was struggling in school. She worked as a teacher before private tutoring for wealthy families, and realising she wanted to break the cycle for those who don’t have the access to expensive tuition.

“I’m so proud of seeing young people come through the door that wouldn’t be able to access the help if this hadn't been set up, and seeing students come in who have had medical issues and lost lots of schooling and then their grades are picking up.”

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