In this episode of the Growth for Good podcast, Drew Hendry speaks with Karen Simpson, founder of My Primary and Secondary Tutor and co-founder of Tutors Alliance Scotland. Karen shares her remarkable journey from classroom teacher in Inverness to building one of Scotland’s most respected private tutoring organisations.
From a kitchen table and a Facebook page to a purpose-built learning space and a team of more than 30 qualified tutors, Karen’s story is one of vision, resilience, and a relentless commitment to raising standards in education support across the Highlands and beyond.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
- How Karen moved from classroom teaching in Caithness and Inverness to launching her tutoring business during maternity leave
- The role of the HIE Pathfinder programme in shaping her business ambitions and vision for online tuition
- Why she left classroom teaching entirely in 2019, and how Covid accelerated her business’s growth
- The challenges and rewards of transitioning from teacher to business owner and employer in the Highlands
- Her approach to building a high-standards tutoring service with qualified teachers, safeguarding, and data protection at its core
- How she co-founded Tutors Alliance Scotland to tackle sector regulation and inequality of access to tutoring
- Her vision for a Scottish model of school-tutor partnerships, funded for all children regardless of family income
- Why she believes children often lack self-belief, not ability, and how the right support makes all the difference
About Karen Simpson
Karen Simpson is the founder and director of My Primary and Secondary Tutor, a Inverness-based tutoring service operating across the UK and internationally. She is also the co-founder of Tutors Alliance Scotland, a not-for-profit body working to raise professional standards and improve access to quality tutoring for all children in Scotland.
Read the full feature article: From Classroom to Community Impact: Karen Simpson on Education, Enterprise, and Raising Standards in Tutoring
About the Growth for Good Podcast
The Growth for Good podcast is hosted by Drew Hendry and features conversations with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and change-makers from across the Highlands of Scotland and beyond. Each episode explores how businesses are growing with purpose, people, and community at the heart of what they do.
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