Karen Simpson always wanted to be a teacher. After years in the classroom, she made the leap into tutoring and built My Primary and Secondary Tutor into a Highland education business with more than 30 qualified tutors. On the Growth for Good podcast, she speaks with Drew Hendry about the journey from teaching in Inverness to founding one of Scotland’s most rigorous private tutoring organisations.
Her story is one of adaptability, high standards, and a commitment to giving every child access to the support they deserve, regardless of their postcode or family income.
From the Classroom to the Kitchen Table
Karen’s career began in Caithness during her probation year, where she taught in a temporary village hall while the school underwent renovations. That unconventional start, she says, taught her that effective teaching requires adaptability, creativity, and resilience. She went on to spend years as a class teacher in Inverness, taking on leadership and management responsibilities alongside her classroom role.
Tutoring came into her life almost by chance. While on maternity leave, she offered English lessons for a friend’s child and discovered how rewarding one-to-one support could be, particularly in connecting with families in a more personal way. A simple Facebook page became lessons at her kitchen table, which grew to a purpose-built summer house in her garden, and eventually to renting classroom space in a local school.
The HIE Pathfinder Programme and a Shift in Thinking
A turning point came when Karen joined the Pathfinder programme run by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The course pushed her to think more ambitiously about her business’s potential. She identified a significant gap: many children in the Highlands did not have access to quality tutoring. She also recognised the promise of online tuition long before it became common practice.
By 2019, she made the decision to leave classroom teaching entirely. When the Covid pandemic accelerated the shift to online learning, My Primary and Secondary Tutor was already well positioned to serve families across Scotland and beyond. The transition from teacher to business owner was not without difficulty. Although Karen had enjoyed leadership roles in schools, she found the isolation of working without institutional support challenging. Joining business networks helped her connect with peers who understood the realities of running a business, and this shift allowed her to embrace her identity as a business owner and employer.
Building a Rigorous, Values-Led Tutoring Business
Today, My Primary and Secondary Tutor serves children across the UK and internationally, with a team of more than 30 tutors. Karen credits its growth to foresight, adaptability, and a consistent focus on quality over volume. She has always prioritised high standards above rapid expansion.
When Karen entered the tutoring sector, she was surprised to find it largely unregulated in Scotland. She built her business on a foundation of qualified teachers, robust safeguarding practices, ongoing professional training, and strong data protection protocols. Transparency with parents, she believes, is essential, and this includes providing detailed feedback and in-house assessments to ensure that tuition is genuinely effective.
Tutors Alliance Scotland: Raising Standards Across the Sector
Her frustration with the lack of industry standards led Karen to her next project. She co-founded Tutors Alliance Scotland, a not-for-profit organisation working to raise tutoring standards and tackle inequality of access across the country. Her vision is ambitious: a system in Scotland where partnerships between schools and tutors are formalised, and where all children, regardless of family income, can access high-quality tuition.
For Karen, success is measured not just by revenue or growth, but by the families who return year after year, the personal recommendations she receives, and the feedback from children who have grown in confidence. She firmly believes that many children lack self-belief rather than ability, and that the right support at the right time can make a profound difference.
What Growth for Good Means to Karen Simpson
Running an education business is emotionally demanding. Karen personally assesses every child her organisation works with, and she understands that families often come to her when they feel anxious or overwhelmed. Her approach centres on reassurance, honesty, and genuine partnership. She avoids making unrealistic promises, focusing instead on building long-term confidence and measurable progress.
Awards and recognition have followed, but Karen sees them as moments to pause and reflect rather than as end goals. What truly drives her is making a difference by improving standards, reducing educational inequality, and helping children grow through quality tutoring. In doing so, Karen Simpson has not left teaching behind. She has simply found a new way to practise it, and in the process, is helping to reshape what education support can look like in the Scottish Highlands and beyond.
Listen to the full conversation with Karen Simpson on the Growth for Good Podcast with Karen Simpson.