Blue Tutors: quality tutors, with a sincere mission.

What makes Blue Tutors unique? This was my goal, to figure out how Blue Tutors delivered value to its clients, and why people kept coming back.

I spoke to the founder, Peter Edwards, about the company and its excellent tutors.

Ethical tutoring

I asked about the name, Blue Tutors and how it reflects the roots of the company.

“Blue Tutors was founded in Oxford and Cambridge, under two separate company names. So, we had tutors from both those Universities. If you play a varsity match for Oxford or Cambridge, you get a ‘Blue.’ Cambridge wears light blue, and Oxford wears dark blue. It made sense to create the name Blue Tutors because it links back to our early history.”

Oxford and Cambridge boat race, showing their ‘blues’.

Blue Tutors has excellent tutors from Oxford and Cambridge. Having said that, Peter was explicit that the firm was not elitist. I could see this was true from our conversation and the transparency of the price plans. Prices at Blue Tutors were at a fixed standard or premium rate, so a wide range of clients could afford lessons. Peter agreed that everyone should be able to afford tuition.

“We have a few different rates so that everyone can get tutoring, but all still at a high quality.”

They also offered a volunteering section on the site. It’s especially important during COVID 19, to make sure that all children get a similar education, to decrease the polarization between the classes, and to enable social mobility for everyone.

“Often, charities come to us, seeking advice, and seeing if any of our tutors will work for free, and we are more than happy to help. We don’t press our tutors to volunteer but acting as a go-between platform for charities allows us to do our part in giving back to society. It’s such a positive experience, that some of our tutors do decide to volunteer.”

Tutor looking forward to giving something back.

Tailored matching system and engaging feedback service.

I wanted to know what else made Blue Tutors unique, so I asked about their outstanding matching system and why it was so successful.

“Our matching system allows the client to be in control and to receive excellent advice. We match on the subject, proximity, and other more specific characteristics. Clients can request different characteristics in a tutor. For example, some clients want a strict tutor to keep their child focussed, and other clients want a more relaxed, friendly tutor. We can cater to many different needs.”

There was a tailored, specific, and thorough approach to matching clients with tutors. Also, there was a relaxed and flexible approach to changing hands. Clients wouldn’t be stuck with the same tutor if it wasn’t a match.

“We are very happy to find another tutor if the client doesn’t think it’s a great fit.”

I asked about their monitoring and advice service, for both the tutor and the client.

“Tutors keep us updated with news about their students and we receive feedback from the student monthly. Most of the time, if the clients are booking on a weekly basis, it means that the feedback is positive. Regardless, we’ll contact the student if they don’t seem happy with the lesson and ask what they would prefer.”

Blue Tutors also offer online tutoring. All their tutoring currently is online, due to Covid 19. It also gives a more flexible, adaptable approach and allows them to fit people to the right tutors, no matter the location.

Blue Tutors dive into online tutoring.

Blue Tutors greatest asset: its high-quality tutors.

Looking into the backgrounds of these tutors, I was impressed. A sea of A* results, inspiring extracurricular activities and most importantly- the love of teaching. It was clear that they all cared deeply about their chosen subjects. In the online forum, they’d speak to each other, sharing course material and passionately writing about their favourite subjects.

Lucy Atkinson, a current tutor at Blue Tutors, explained that her reasons behind tutoring stemmed from being able to give something back.

“Tutoring is a great way of making sure others can benefit from a similar level of support that I received.”

But she gained just as much out of the experience, as her clients.

“It’s really rewarding to share my skills and knowledge. Tutoring helps me to engage with my subject in ways which I wouldn’t necessarily have thought about.”

Our tutors find teaching their students rewarding.

STEM tutor, Ryan MacDonald, enjoyed tutoring in a creative and flexible way.

“Simply teaching facts is not the best way to prepare students for the future. I strive to teach how to understand, to solve problems creatively, and to develop independent conclusions (and have fun along the way!)”

Having fun, solving problems creatively and the value of tailoring for the individual are themes that run throughout Blue Tutors. Daniel Treger, a former tutor, spoke about the individualist approach to learning that seemed to be a reoccurring idea.

“It is not a matter of simply visual, audio or kinetic learning, it’s about a tailored approach for each individual. To help them, both in learning and bringing out the best in themselves.”

I considered my own experience. I was lucky enough to have a tutor when I was a child. She built my confidence, inspired me to believe in myself and allowed me to lead the process of learning by focussing on my individuality. It was evident that Blue Tutors understood the importance of this.

So, what makes Blue Tutors unique? They are a sincere, trustworthy company, with high-quality tutors. Speaking to Peter Edwards, I realised that the mission of the company was sincere and that he genuinely cared for all the clients and tutors. Perhaps that sincerity is easier to retain in a smaller company. But the sense of fair play was evident, from the way he conducted his meetings, to the way he praised his tutors.