What’s the Difference Between Coaching and Tuition?

I ran an English tuition business for 10 years.

Tuition can be brilliant, especially for quiet teens who often get lost in the classroom.

• They get to ask the questions they don’t feel comfortable asking in class.

• The tutor can easily adapt their teaching style to suit the student’s learning preferences.

• You can cover significantly more content in a much shorter time than in a typical lesson.

• The tutor sees week-on-week progress and gives positive feedback that builds confidence.

• It’s common for students to improve by several grades.

If your teen wants to deep dive into a subject they love because they have an aptitude for it, tutoring is fantastic.
If your teen needs a specific grade in a subject they find challenging to reach their next step, I highly recommend tutoring.

Coaching, though, is different. It looks at the longer-term, bigger picture - beyond exam grades.

In my coaching practice, I work backwards.

First, we explore what the young person really wants in the long term.
What lights them up?
What are their natural strengths?
Which kinds of environments help them feel most at home?

Then, we look at the wide range of options open to them.
We play. We experiment. We think big.

They don’t need to know what they want to do forever. I don’t even know that myself! They just need a starting point.

Once we have that, we look at GCSEs, A levels, college choices, or career planning through that lens.

For some, the goal might simply be a pass in English and Maths.
For others, it might be top grades - 9s and As.
We create the plan accordingly.

We ask:

• What do they need to get to where they want to be?

• What can they let go of?

Motivation is no longer an issue because they’ve taken ownership and can see the purpose behind what they’re doing.

More often than not, coaching also uncovers blocks and barriers.

My lovely friend and NLP trainer, Emma McNally, often uses the phrase, “It’s never about the coffee.”

She says this because so many people come to coaching with goals like “I want to cut down on sugar, coffee, phone scrolling, or TV.”
But it’s never really about that. It’s usually about exhaustion, stress, lack of fulfilment, or low self-esteem.

It’s exactly the same with the teens I work with.
The problem is rarely about not understanding Maths, English, or Science. It’s about lack of belief, low confidence, or a brain that simply learns differently.

Coaching digs deeper to the root cause, empowering young people not just to succeed in exams, but to thrive far beyond them.

That’s why I no longer offer tutoring as part of my service.
This work - helping young people uncover who they are and what helps them flourish - is what truly lights me up.
And when we’re lit up, we work at our best.
It’s the same at any age.

Download my free guide: How to help your teen smash their GCSEs (even if you can't remember a thing from school).