Husband and wife team Gayle (48) and Grant Jones (50) are celebrating two years as owners of the Edinburgh branch of the First Class Learning (FCL) franchise.

First Class Learning specialises in English and maths tuition and, with 300 centres throughout the country, is one of the UK’s most successful tutoring businesses.

Gayle had already been running a thriving tutoring business in Edinburgh for seven years but felt something was missing. “When I came across First Class Learning I was immediately impressed by the quality of their materials and how much they were in sync with the national curriculum and the needs of students,” said Gayle.

She added, “I was keen to find out more, so I went to see FCL’s Chief Executive and felt inspired. I also went to talk with an existing franchisee in Norwich and was excited by what I heard. The systems, processes and work plans all seemed first class!”

Entering the education world has been a radical change for the couple. They had spent eight years in Australia building up a highly successful property development business. “We really enjoyed being in the property sector but it is quite volatile, so we looked for a business that was sustainable and had a bright future. Helping children realise their full potential is very satisfying. We have former students who are now at university who bring their younger siblings to classes, which is fantastic. Maybe they have been aiming to pass an entrance exam and we have helped them and that’s a great feeling,” enthused Gayle.

Gayle runs four classes a week with upwards of 300 students. Her goal is to grow this to 400 by May next year, with the help of a full-time receptionist and 20 part-time teaching assistants. The business operates from a dedicated teaching centre in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Gayle explained, “I felt it was important to have my own premises as this gives us an anchor for the business. It has been a tough two years for children with the pandemic. We are finding that many of our students are behind in their studies through no fault of their own. We are hopefully doing our part in a small way to help them catch up. The support from FCL has been brilliant. Whatever we need they have been there to help. We could not have achieved what we have on our own. FCL has an established brand and their teaching materials are second to none.”

First Class Learning (FCL) is a highly successful education franchise specialising in maths and English. It is currently the UK’s fastest growing tuition business with 300 franchisee-run centres nationwide. FCL is a franchise tuition business that focuses on building the skills and confidence of its students. Core to its success is investment in people, with the franchise built on the mantra that every child deserves to reach their full potential.

First Class Learning has low start-up costs, with investment levels varying depending on where a centre is located. Initial costs cover training, website set-up and access to the Centre Managers’ Portal with its wealth of guidance and templates, marketing and business support, plus an Accelerator Launch Package worth over £2,000. Franchisees are given exclusive rights to operate an FCL Centre and use the FCL brand in their territory, as well as access to FCL’s vast range of high-quality learning materials, worksheets and resources. Furthermore, FCL offers a 100% franchise fee discount in month one, then a 50% discount for a further three months, to give new starters plenty of time to build a critical mass of students.

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