From Florida to Kent: local family comes home to start a community-focused business

They say home is where the heart is and, for local couple Stephen and Julie Humphreys, it’s now where the home-grown business is too!

The couple brought their family home to Kent in July 2016, having spent the last eight years in the US. For many, a move of this scale would be enough to tackle. But in bringing their two children home for an English education, the Humphreys seized the opportunity to launch a new, community-focused business that provides them the best of both worlds.

“We really wanted our children to attend secondary school here in the UK, the quality of the grammar and spoken English is far superior to that of the US. We wanted them to have the opportunity to keep their culture and their' Englishness'. On top of that, Julie and I both have old Kentish families so saw this as an opportunity to get back to our roots and really settle back into the community where we grew up,” explains Stephen.

With a real passion for living and working as part of their community, Stephen and Julie wanted to build a business that added value and utilised their skills for education and motivation.

“I’ve been in the motivation industry most of my life, working with huge employers like banks and retailers who need their employees to behave in a certain way. Coming home, Julie and I really wanted to do something that enabled us to work together and we both knew we didn’t want to get back into the corporate grind. The thought of battling the M25 with a daily commute just filled me with horror! When we landed on the Tutor Doctor idea, we instantly had a ‘this is it’ moment!”

Stephen and Julie have been running their private tutoring business, Tutor Doctor, in Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells since August. They opened the doors to their new venture just weeks after returning to the UK! The couple thoroughly asses a child’s needs and then carefully select the best-fit tutor based on goals, personality and learning level. Tutors visit students at home, at a time that is convenient for them.

For family-focused Julie, the new business is a perfect fit: “I’ve always been active in the PTA whilst we were in the US and I taught after-school classes to kids in Florida. I really loved seeing children grow and develop – it’s incredibly satisfying knowing that you’re helping to make a difference in their lives. It was something I wanted to continue so I think we were both always keen to work in the education space – but we wanted to do something that could make a significant impact locally that allowed us to become a real part of the community. The business definitely lends itself towards that goal rather than detracting from it and I’m excited to see where it will take us.”

As you can no doubt imagine, this energetic duo have big plans for the future and are fully intent on becoming the go-to service in the region.

“As parents, we understand how important our children’s education is. Not just for their future career prospects but for their confidence and social development too. It’s one of the main reasons that we came home to the UK and we’re passionate about helping others to achieve the very best for themselves and their children. We’ll have the best tutors but, on top of that, our aim is to create a caring, trusted service with a really personal touch,” explains Stephen.

One thing is for certain, with ambitious expansion plans and a love for the area, the Humphreys are back for good!


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About Tutor Doctor

Tutor Doctor is the fastest growing in-home tutoring franchise in the world. Business owners work with families to thoroughly asses a child’s needs and then carefully select the best-fit tutor based on goals, personality and learning style. Instead of the tired old centre-based model, tutors visit students at home or work via a state-of-the-art online learning platform so that students can learn in the comfort of their own home, at a time that suits them. For today’s busy families, this is a real benefit! The company was established in North America in 2000 and started its global expansion in 2003. It now has over 500 franchised offices in more than 14 countries and a network of 16,000 tutors. Operations in the UK began in 2009 and since then the company has experienced growth of 50% year on year and now has 80 franchise owners in the UK. The company is a proud member of both The Tutors Association and the British Franchise Association.