Who are they?
Who are they?Pegasus Tutors
Hedgerley House
Hedgerley
SL2 3UL
Tel: 07739 477294
Email: alex@pegasustutors.co.uk
Web: www.pegasustutors.co.uk
We have met with Pegasus Tutors staff. In addition, 31 clients and 22 tutors have completed an online survey (sent to 200 clients and 120 tutors) and we have followed this up with additional short phone interviews with at least eight of those surveyed.
Pegasus staff
Head honcho is Alex Sever, who has grown the business organically since he founded it in 2016. Originally called Humanitas Education, he rebranded a couple of years later because ‘it sounded worryingly like Dignitas’.
Alex – who got a scholarship to Eton, then studied philosophy, psychology and physiology at Oxford (where he also represented his university in rugby, as well as being a talented musician) – initially considered a career in finance. But he was always more drawn to teaching, which he began in prep schools in 2009, followed by a year in Kenya. Since then, he has taught Oxbridge entrance at Eton, maths at Wellington and been head of science at the Independent School, an SEN school in London, among other jobs. And he’s not planning to stop anytime soon, still managing a couple of mornings in Sussex House School, as well as tutoring one-to-one during evenings and weekends. ‘It’s why I got involved in the whole industry in the first place and is still what I enjoy most,’ he says, adding that ‘it also keeps my head in the game’. The rest of his time is spent managing the agency which Alex says he set up because he was so disillusioned with agencies that took unfair commissions and failed to support their tutors – and he also wanted to be more transparent than other agencies, eg being open about the breakdown of fees.
Alex is supported by Emily Patrick, whose role as tutor and client manager largely overlaps with his. Having been with Pegasus since the start of Covid, Emily now knows all the tutors and can therefore assist with matching, although it’s Alex who does the initial selection of tutors and gives specific advice around school choices. He then brings in experts in branding, digital marketing, strategy and development as and when needed.
Parents tell us Pegasus is ‘warm’, ‘professional’, ‘friendly’ and ‘incredibly responsive’. They also appreciate the ‘expertise when it comes to all things education’ and the fact that Alex goes ‘above and beyond’ with his advice. One told us, ‘We spoke to five or six tutor agencies and chose Pegasus because Alex was exceedingly engaged and just very helpful and personable, as well as being far more free in his advice around the whole ISEB process than the others.’
Tutors also value ‘the personal touch’ and that ‘they get back to you straightaway’. Several (very highly qualified) tutors told us that this friendly, efficient approach is what makes them stay with Pegasus – with 36 per cent of those we surveyed having been with the agency for over three years. ‘Alex and Emily are a joy to work with,’ said one. ‘They are particularly kind and courteous and have recommended some fantastic jobs. I’m very happy working with them.’
What do they offer?
Top-notch tutoring and mentoring, without crazy fees – and you get a lot of free advice and support thrown in too.
Bread and butter work is 7+, 11+ and 13+ entrance exams, plus scholarships and GCSEs and A levels. At the lower age range, they tutor children as young as 3 or 4 (gulp!) but only where there’s an EAL issue, they assure us – otherwise the youngest tend to be 6 (or at a stretch 5) in preparation for the 7+. All subjects are offered up to A level, and a wide range at undergraduate level. They also cover university entrance both here and overseas, including SAT/ACT, UCAS, BMAT and Oxbridge. ‘Pegasus have gone out of their way to help us at various stages of our children’s academic journeys,’ said one parent. ‘So we haven’t needed to use any other agency.’
Brilliant on SEN. Not only do they partner with the Child and Adolescent Development Centre, a specialist SEN centre in London, but they work with a number of teachers who are trained and qualified SEN professionals, as well as teaming up with an educational psychologist. Dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, mutism, ADHD, ASD, behavioural difficulties – you name it, they’ve probably dealt with it. ‘My daughter has learning difficulties and as a result can fall behind – Pegasus provided tutors to help,’ said one parent.
Tutoring is by the hour – about 50 per cent is in-person at the client’s home, predominantly in London, with a few clients in the home counties and Oxford; the other half takes place online, with clients across the UK, as well as in US, Europe, Middle East, Far East and Australia. ‘The younger students generally prefer in-person, the older ones online,’ says Alex, ‘although sometimes it’s just down to flexibility – an in-person tutor might only be available on Tuesdays at 6pm whereas the online tutor will likely have far more slots.’
As with most tutor agencies, there’s less demand for residential tutoring abroad since Covid (clients tend to opt for online tutoring instead), but there are still some families requesting a tutor to go away overseas with them for the summer or (more commonly) to join them for a week or more somewhere in the UK. Home schooling is available too, although these placements tend to be short-term (up to a year) for youngsters who are out of school (eg because they’ve just moved to the UK or due to mental health) – the aim being to get them back into mainstream. No regular revision courses offered, although Pegasus has provided some Easter revision packages, mainly one-to-one but occasionally in small groups.
Background and basics
A USP for Pegasus is that they send out short video profiles of the (up to six) tutors they recommend for each client. The client usually then speaks to one or two, and they can book in trial lessons as well. ‘This made all the difference with my son as he was able to work out which ones he’d most click with – and he was right,’ said a parent.
Parents say the tutors are ‘so enthusiastic’ and ‘very frank in their updates and discussions about progression’. One told us, ‘The tutor approached it not as, “Right, we’ve got to get you through your GCSEs no matter what” but “Let’s help you get your head round this topic and have some fun along the way”. My daughter’s engagement level picked up massively as a result and her teachers noticed too.’
The tutors – whose credentials are listed in detail on Pegasus’s impressive website – are made up of qualified teachers (around a quarter in total; always used for younger pupils) right through to postgraduates, university lecturers, doctors, lawyers, writers, tech startups, actors, musicians and more. Alex recruits them via the same videos mentioned above – asking any hopeful applicants to send one in if their application form and CV look promising. ‘The videos are so helpful as they help us tell whether they’ll be able to enthuse the student, which is the most important hurdle, particularly with the younger ones.’ Most tutors come through referrals, explains Alex, the rest through their website. Tutors praise recruitment process as ‘really friendly and thorough’, with 81 per cent of those we spoke to asked to do a sample lesson on top of the interview. All provide enhanced DBS and two references (both followed up). ‘They don’t over-accept tutors like some companies so, as a tutor, you know you’ll get work with them and, as a client, you know you’ll get high quality,’ said one tutor.
The size of the agency means Alex and Emily can generally meet a client’s request within a few days. ‘All the tutors we’ve used with them have been perfect,’ said one parent; another that, ‘Our tutor had great positive energy and a light-hearted technique to teach potentially heavy topics.’ Clients get a written (or oral if preferred) report after each lesson – ‘immediate and really detailed,’ said one parent – and Pegasus invites clients to review each tutor after three hours of lessons.
No training for tutors, but new recruits say there’s advice, guidance, teaching materials and support on hand – not that most need it due to their years of experience. Pre-Covid, Pegasus ran annual Christmas drinks for the tutors – some said it’s a shame they haven’t returned.
Pegasus is a member of the Tutors’ Association. No charity work, as such, but the company works with a few families on a pro bono basis.
Money and small print
No registration or introductory fee. Tutoring fees of £45 to £80 per hour (sometimes more, eg an Eton teacher who has limited time), of which Pegasus takes up to 20 per cent commission (sometimes less, eg if Alex feels strongly about a particular tutor being right for a student but they don’t fall within the client’s budget). Clients say ‘it’s not the cheapest, but not the most expensive’ and feel it’s ‘excellent value for the calibre of tutors’, while tutors tell us ‘it’s on the upper end of what I get from agencies’. Everyone’s a winner, then. Travel usually included, with occasional exceptions. Tutors and clients sign T&Cs – all the usual small print, with a fair approach to cancelling appointments last minute – a ‘sorry you missed this appointment, but just so you know next time we’ll have to charge’ message.
Pegasus say
‘We feel that, by offering as much advice, guidance and support as each of the families need in the way of free consultancy from the agency, all parties benefit from a constructive and trusted relationship, which in turn leads to the most supportive role possible for our students – the most important and essential facet.’
Remarks
With many tutor agencies, families are forced to choose between professional and personal. But Pegasus excels at both, providing a friendly, responsive and sensibly priced service with free advice that far exceeds that of other agencies, as well as having a bank of outstanding tutors who absolutely love working with them.