Teach17

Question 1

What first inspired you to become a teacher?

I’ve always believed that education is about people before it’s about subjects. Long before I ever stood at the front of a classroom, I was fascinated by the idea that one adult could completely change the direction of a child’s life simply by believing in them.

For me, teaching was never about delivering lessons. It was about creating moments where children realised they were capable of more than they thought.

I love the Maya Angelou quote when she said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

That’s so true in education. Children rarely remember a task or a worksheet, but they always remember the teacher who made them feel seen and championed.

Question 2

Why did you decide to leave the classroom and begin tutoring?

I never planned to leave teaching. In fact, I loved teaching. What I struggled with was the feeling that I couldn’t always give children the time, flexibility and individual support they deserved within the system I was working in.

After experiencing burnout, I made what felt like a huge leap into tutoring. On my very first day, sitting around a family’s dining table with one child, I realised I’d found the version of education I’d been searching for all along. I could slow down, listen properly, adapt every lesson in real time and build genuine relationships with children and families. That one learner became another, then another, and eventually Education Boutique was born.

Looking back, I realise I didn’t leave because I’d fallen out of love with education; I left because I loved it too much to stop believing it could be done differently.

People often ask whether I miss the classroom. The truth is, I don’t feel like I ever left it. Today I simply get to bring education to children in homes, hospitals, online, communities, yachts and places where learning can happen in a way that works for them.

Question 3

How did Education Boutique first begin?

Education Boutique started with a burnt-out teacher. I had no grand business plan. I simply quit with the belief that personalised education could transform lives. Thanks to Facebook, I quickly found myself travelling the world tutoring the children of global business leaders and fell in love with the bespoke nature of the experiences I was creating for my students and myself! One learner became two, then ten, then hundreds, and today we support thousands of children through an incredible network of tutors as part of the Eteach Group, who I sold part of EB to 5 years ago!

Question 4

What makes one-to-one tutoring so powerful?

One-to-one tutoring gives children something that’s increasingly rare: undivided attention. When a child knows that someone has planned every minute specifically for them, something changes. They take more risks. They ask more questions. They stop comparing themselves to everyone else. I’ve never believed tutoring is simply about improving grades; it’s about opening up a world of possibilities that exist outside of the classroom.

Question 5

How do you build trust with a learner?

Trust isn’t built through authority. It’s built through consistency. I keep my promises. I notice the small things. I celebrate effort as much as achievement and I never expect a child to trust me before I’ve earned that trust. Relationships always come before results.

Question 6

What does truly personalised education look like?

Personalised education means starting with the child, the family and the environment, not the curriculum.

Every learner has different strengths, interests, fears, ambitions and ways of processing information. Every school and family has the same. My role is to adapt the learning around them and often translate between them, rather than expecting a learner to adapt around education. To me, inclusion isn’t about everyone learning the same thing in the same way. It’s about making sure every child has a genuinely equitable opportunity to succeed.

Question 7

Why might some children struggle to attend school?

School attendance is rarely just about attendance. For some children it’s anxiety, sensory overwhelm, trauma, unmet needs or experiences that have gradually taught them that school doesn’t feel safe. I’ve learnt that if we only measure attendance, we miss the story behind it.

Question 8

How can tutors support learners with complex SEND needs?

The first thing I tell tutors is to become curious before becoming instructional. Ask why. Observe. Listen. The best SEND tutors don’t try to ‘fix’ children. They build environments and processes where children can thrive. Behaviour is communication. Progress begins when we start listening to what children are trying to tell us.

Question 9

What should tutors understand about school-related anxiety?

You can’t educate a brain that’s busy protecting itself. Anxiety isn’t a lack of resilience. When a child’s nervous system is in survival mode, learning becomes impossible. Before we can teach algebra or phonics, we have to help children feel emotionally safe. That might mean reducing demands, offering choices or simply sitting alongside them.

Question 10

How do you help a learner rebuild their confidence?

Confidence isn’t something we can give children. It’s something they slowly collect through hundreds of successful moments. At Education Boutique, we deliberately engineer opportunities where learners experience success and happiness around educational adults, because success creates momentum. Confidence grows one tiny win at a time.

Question 11

What qualities do you look for when recruiting tutors?

Qualifications matter, but character matters more. I look for tutors who are kind, reflective, emotionally intelligent and endlessly curious. Knowledge can be developed. Compassion is much harder to teach. Children rarely need the smartest tutor in the room. They need the one who believes in them the most.

Question 12

How can tutors work effectively with families and schools?

The best outcomes happen when everyone shares the same goal. Families know the child. Schools know the curriculum. Tutors often see what happens in between. When those perspectives come together with mutual respect, children thrive. Tutoring is never a solo performance. It’s a team sport.

Question 13

What have you learnt from growing an education business?

I’ve learnt that leadership is about creating opportunities for other people to shine. Business isn’t really about numbers. Numbers simply tell the story of relationships, trust and reputation. The more we invest in our people, the more they invest in our mission.

Businesses grow when people grow and I’m delighted my team deliver results that make both themselves and the board happy!

Question 14

How can teachers recognise and respond to burnout?

Teachers often become so busy looking after everyone else that they stop noticing themselves. Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It builds quietly. I’ve learnt that asking for help isn’t weakness… it’s professionalism. You can’t pour belief into children if your own cup has been empty for months.

Question 15

What advice would you give a teacher considering tutoring?

Remember why you became a teacher in the first place. Tutoring gives many teachers the opportunity to rediscover the joy of teaching without many of the pressures that made them question their career. For me, it brought back everything I’d loved about education and has also changed my life!

Question 16

How would you like education to change in the future?

I’d love to see education become more flexible, more compassionate and more personalised. Success should never be measured by attendance alone or exam results alone. If education can combine high expectations with humanity, we’ll create far better outcomes for children. The future of education isn’t more standardisation. It’s more belonging.

Question 17

What continues to give you hope about education?

Children. Every single day I meet young people who remind me how resilient, creative and capable they are when the right adult comes alongside them. That’s what keeps me optimistic about the pretty scary world we find ourselves in today.

Here is a short section you can add to the bottom of the interview. These are the official Education Boutique website and social media pages, alongside Lucy’s LinkedIn profile. (educationboutique.co.uk)

Find out more about Lucy Alexandra Spencer and Education Boutique:

Education Boutique website:
https://www.educationboutique.co.uk/

Lucy Alexandra Spencer on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/privatetutor/

Education Boutique on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/education-boutique/

Education Boutique on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/education_boutique/

Education Boutique on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/EducationBoutiqueLtd/