We’re excited to introduce Clive Robinson from Pretoria, South Africa. One thing that makes this franchisee feature special is that Clive strongly believes that Tutor Doctor is the perfect business for a couple, and he’s speaking from experience. Clive and his wife, Vanessa, are partners in life and with Tutor Doctor, which is working out quite well for the power couple!

At Tutor Doctor’s 2018 Global Convention in Toronto, Canada, the Robinsons received the Global Rookie Franchisee of the Year Award, which is awarded to franchisees who performed the best in their first year of operation globally.

Bringing Franchise Experience to the Tablel

The Robinsons are unique in that franchising is nothing new to them. Before Tutor Doctor, Clive got involved with the Curves franchise through a master license agreement, and prior to that, he was in corporate and financial services with a bank. The Robinsons have been doing Curves for 10 years, and now they are simultaneously operating Tutor Doctor under a master license agreement.

What drew the seasoned franchisees to the Tutor Doctor model? For the Robinsons, one of the reasons was personal. The couple has two teenage sons. The boys were enrolled in private school and the Robinsons were paying private tuition, so they assumed their sons had to be getting the best education. But the school called them in one day at the end of the year and informed them that one of their sons was not going to cut it to the next grade.

At first, the Robinsons were angry, but then they wondered, “Why did this happen?” They tried various tutoring systems, including a smaller class environment, but nothing worked. It took about a year, but the couple finally came across a former teacher who was doing one-to-one tutoring in an informal setting, and that’s when things started to look up for their son. “He started and it changed everything,” says Clive.

But their reasons for joining Tutor Doctor weren’t all personal. From a business perspective, he and his wife were always looking for something to add to Curves in the health and wellness business. “I was really taken by the Tutor Doctor business model and approach having been through everything as a parent,” he says.

The Robinsons saw the value in one-to-one teaching as opposed to group-based teaching, or any teaching that used their own syllabus or material. “We felt our son was making progress because the one-to-one personal attention and help with the school material, not adding things that would be more complex.”

The Unexpected Benefits Have Been Great

Clive and his wife truly appreciate Tutor Doctor’s approach, and the way we treat our tutors. “I don’t know how it happens elsewhere, but in South Africa, you make tutors feel special and part of a family  that’s making a change in kids’ lives. That whole approach is very different and unique,” he says.

Clive explained that the uniqueness in which we recruit tutors, onboard them, and treat them is what sets Tutor Doctor apart and what makes it so special. “Over the two years I’ve been doing this, I don’t like to call them tutors. I call them ‘academic coaches.’” Clive says he offers families an academic coach, who will come as often as needed to coach and help their children.

We Are Vested in Our Customers

We are vested in the customers and parents specifically, he explained. When a child is struggling, it’s a very emotional issue in the home environment and most parents grapple to deal with it, he says. “To the parents we say, ‘Let’s take a deep breath and relax. We are the experts. We will get you the best tutor.’”

When we asked Clive about the biggest challenge with Tutor Doctor, he said, “Dealing with the demand and that’s a nice problem to have.” He went on to explain how the demand is really high, so they don’t struggle to get people who want to utilize the services. The other challenge is getting a lot of people applying to be tutors. “You have to be very astute and follow the process to make sure you get the right people on board,” he says.

According to Clive, helping children regain their confidence has been extremely rewarding. “Seeing a family for a consultation, and their child is down and out and has no confidence. They’re isolated at school and in the class environment... truly changing the trajectory of students and kids’ lives and giving them back their confidence is the most rewarding part, he explained.

To win with Tutor Doctor, Clive says you must have a heart to want to help kids succeed academically. “If you focus on that, the business will take care of itself.”

Tutor Doctor has incredible growth potential in South Africa, and the Robinsons are proving that. Just last year alone, we added three new South African franchisees! If you’re interested in opening a Tutor Doctor franchise in South Africa, or anywhere else, contact us to request more information!