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Tutoring is often painted as the ultimate solo profession. You set your own hours, design your lessons, choose your clients. Independence is part of the appeal.
But here’s the paradox: the tutors who rise to the top (the ones commanding premium tutoring fees and building thriving international tutoring practices) aren’t doing it alone.
They’re collaborating. Constantly.
It’s tempting to believe that being brilliant at your subject is enough. That parents and agents will naturally notice and opportunities will flow.
But subject knowledge is no longer the differentiator. In the international education market, families want more:
A tutor who understands how their child will fit into a UK boarding school
Someone who can bridge cultural expectations and communicate with sensitivity
A seamless process that feels premium from first enquiry to exam day
You can’t build that expertise in isolation. You need access to what others are seeing: what parents are asking, how schools are shifting, what agents are prioritising.
Here’s a snapshot of the conversations I’ve had in just the past few weeks:
Subject demand is shifting. I’m hearing renewed interest from families in China for subjects like Latin and Classical Civilisation with parents seeing them as markers of academic depth and cultural capital.
Schools are rethinking admissions. They’re adapting open days, assessment models and communication styles to meet international family expectations.
Tutors are asking new questions. The ones who want to go premium aren’t just asking about pricing. They’re asking how to show long-term value to parents and agents.
If you’re not in those conversations, you’re already behind.
So what does it take to step up from “good tutor” to premium tutor? It comes down to three things:
Positioning — Show parents and agents you’re more than subject knowledge. Your onboarding, communication and cultural awareness should signal trusted expert.
Proof — Use testimonials, parent feedback, and results to demonstrate your value. Premium isn’t a claim; it’s something you show.
Partnerships — Build relationships with agents and schools. When they trust you, they send you the kind of clients who stay and pay.
Most tutors focus on the first. The premium tutors focus on all three.
When you step into the right conversations, you start to unlock shortcuts:
The script another tutor uses to handle difficult parent conversations.
The exact way a school is engaging international families three days after term starts.
The cultural cue that turns an uncertain student into a confident participant.
These are the insights that move you from hourly help to trusted expert.
Some lessons you can pick up online. But the kind of insight that shifts your whole perspective, that happens in person.
It happens when you’re sat next to someone who shares the exact phrase they use to win a parent’s trust. Or when an agent explains what families are whispering about behind the scenes. Or when a fellow tutor shows you a way of working that makes your business feel lighter and more premium overnight.
That’s why I believe so strongly in creating these spaces.
My next in-person day, co-hosted by two powerhouses in the world of international education, is at Eastbourne College on Wednesday 19th November, a day designed to give you both the structured expertise and the informal conversations that open doors.
At our first event in June, one line of feedback summed it up perfectly:
“I came for the sessions, but I left with opportunities.”
And that’s the difference when you put yourself in the right room.
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