Education Agency Set Up By Young Female Entrepreneur Shares Insights After Over 10 Years in Business
Telios Tutors Ltd, a leading private tutoring agency in London, was founded in February 2014 by Lisa Giet, in her early 20s.
Years before the formation, Lisa was a 1 to 1 private tutor, serving clients mainly within the Kensington & Chelsea area, where the company is now registered.
Students of Telios Tutors receive tuition in different subjects and also prepare for examinations such as the 11+ for entry into leading independent and grammar schools.
Among these schools, some of the most popular requests are for Latymer Upper, Godolphin & Latymer, Henrietta Barnett, Bexley Grammar School and Tiffin Girls’ School.
Niche subjects are also taught by their tutors – subjects such as Latin, Mandarin, Coding and Economics, with students from the UK as well as internationally; in countries like China and the UAE.
Over the course of a decade, the company has supported thousands of students throughout their academic journey and retained long-standing relationships with their clients.
“Some families have journeyed with us from when their children were in primary school and have stayed with us up until completing formal education. It’s been a pleasure to witness and be part of their academic and personal transformation.” Says Lisa.
“We’ve even had a few former students who have gone on applying to become a tutor with us many years later, too.” She added.
When asked about what the company’s experience was like during the COVID period, she recalls it was a time of providing mass service and solutions for everyone involved.
“Schools were shut, which meant many parents approached our online tuition agency in desperate need of emergency support.”
“We are proud to have been able to facilitate education and development in young people during this time of uncertainty for many. A lot of tutors were also looking for more remote work during this time, which we were able to supply in abundance.”
Due to the nature of tuition being delivered online, years prior to the onset of COVID-19, the company had already been structurally set up to fulfil the needs of many students and staff.
“We had already utilised technology to deliver tuition for many years before the onset of Covid, where many people were still used to the norm of tuition being traditionally delivered in-person at students’ homes. Now post-COVID, there is a wider acceptance of receiving tuition online and working from home on a laptop has also become normalised, too. It’s good that we had anticipated with longsightedness the trend of shifting into the digital space.”
When asked what some of the key areas of success in building Telios Tutors were, she replied:
“Be intentional about building relationally and deliver value until your clients’ aims are met with excellence. Be consistent in having integrity throughout, and try to provide a personal touch where possible. We invest in their journey as they invest in us”.
“That goes for staff, too. People like to feel respected and honoured in the workplace. We believe in authentic edification, unearthing potential in people and cultivating a pleasant environment for staff to feel seen and heard.”
Many parents reach out to confide in sensitive matters whilst engaging in private tutoring. Their children may be being bullied at school, which has caused them to become withdrawn, for example. The organisation has a team of counsellors who specialise in supporting young people with such matters.
“Just providing private tutoring is great, but this is only the superficial and tangible measure of progress. What we care about is uncovering a deeper layer of the child’s mind, which is often so sensitive at that age.”
“We believe that there is an ethical responsibility to help each student that we have been entrusted with, to the best of our professional ability. It’s not just a transactional exchange for us. It’s about understanding the challenges behind why a child may be struggling mentally in the first place, and then providing them with practical solutions as well as academic support to lay a strong foundation for achieving lasting results.”
The company has helped students obtain entry to some of the most prestigious educational institutions, including Harvard University. Their tutors have also been educated at some of the top Russell Group universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, and UCL, as well as Columbia University in New York.
“We have an intensive qualification process for those who wish to work at Telios Tutors that we’ve refined over the years and a high barrier to entry. We look for personality, cultural fit, as well as intellectual competence.” says Lisa.
With over 10 years in business, the company has evolved quite a bit. Lisa has staff that run the business. Klara Dollan, General Manager, who has been working at Telios Tutors for years, is often the point of call when it comes to client and tutor liaison. She is most known for her speed and efficiency of implementation, incredible service to people and kind demeanour.
When we asked Klara about her experience working for Telios Tutors, she replied: “Lisa trained me from the ground up, offering valuable training courses and constant support. I was impressed that there were manuals and systems for everything. It meant that I could quickly adapt to the position. I have developed so much personally and professionally from where I started.”
Charity and humanitarian work are something that Telios Tutors cares deeply about. They give a percentage of their revenue towards humanitarian relief, building orphanages in countries like Indonesia, and continue to contribute time towards voluntary work.
“Having a staffing agency with so many skilled and nurturing people, I believe we can collectively create meaningful impact across many industries.” Says Lisa.
“Providing tuition isn’t all we do – we care about building in a wider context where more people can be beneficiaries of our service regardless of one’s standing in social status, not exclusive to those from privileged backgrounds.”
As Telios Tutors continues to grow, they have extended their focus on providing quality education to those who are often overshadowed in society e.g. young carers and LAC (looked after children), as well as sustaining a seamless platform for tutors to continue working flexibly online.
Lisa’s focus now is on overseeing operations, innovation, intentional growth, expansion to new markets, and developing alliances with other organisations to leverage impact.
She now offers business consulting, speaks at universities and educational institutions around all things entrepreneurship and devotes a portion of her time towards humanitarian work.
For more information, go to www.teliostutors.com