Performances, competitions, training abroad - these aren't occasional extras for talented actors, musicians and athletes. They are central commitments, requiring a different kind of educational structure than schools can provide.
More families are coming to us with the same challenge: a child showing serious talent in sport, music, or acting, whose schedule simply can’t be reconciled with a traditional school day.
We’ve seen a steady demand for full-time residential tutors needed to support young people pursuing professional paths. Why? Because mainstream schooling, for all its merits, simply lacks the flexibility and responsiveness required to support children whose lives don’t run to standard timetables.
When school doesn’t fit around a child’s talent
Families often start out trying to make it work within the school framework. Negotiating leave, managing remote assignments, catching up on missed material means that, over time, the stress accumulates. Lessons become rushed. Students fall behind or burn out. And the energy that should be going into training, performing or creating is spent juggling logistics.
Private tutoring offers a way forward. When a tutor is matched to the student’s needs and lifestyle, education becomes something that works with their ambitions, not against them.
As Adam Caller, our Founder and CEO, puts it:
“While most countries require a minimum standard of education for working children, we believe families deserve more than the minimum. A personalised full-time home tutor ensures not just compliance, but continuity, academic excellence, and the flexibility to support each student’s unique path.”
A full-time tutor can deliver academic rigour on a flexible schedule. Lessons are structured around rehearsals, travel, and training. Learning continues seamlessly, regardless of location. And crucially, it’s about quality and continuity more than convenience.
Regulations for professional performances
Wherever a young person is working or performing, there are rules in place to protect their education. These vary by country and profession, but they all share one thing in common: tutors or certified educators are required by law when a child is professionally active during term time.
In the UK, children in film, music or sport must hold a performance licence and receive a minimum of 3 hours of education per day, typically arranged by the production or organisation. More info at GOV.UK (Child performance and activities licensing legislation).
In California, one of the strictest US states, a Studio Teacher must be present on set. They provide both academic instruction and welfare supervision for child actors and performers. Similar education rules apply to young athletes in elite training programmes. More info from California Labor Commissioner's Office.
Elsewhere, including Canada, the EU, Australia and other US states, regulations differ, but most require some form of structured education during working hours.
Meeting the minimum vs. investing in excellence
While production companies or institutions may provide tutors to meet legal requirements, these educators are often temporary, and their primary obligation is to the organisation that employs them. In contrast, families who work with us are investing in a longer-term, fully personalised educational solution.
Our clients often choose to supplement or replace on-set tutors with a full-time private educator who works solely on behalf of the family. This ensures consistency across different locations, alignment with exam goals, and a strong personal relationship with the student – one that extends well beyond the schedule of a single production, tournament, or training cycle.
Our tutors are not just a safety net. They’re an integral part of the child’s academic journey, able to adapt, travel, and teach to the highest standards, no matter where in the world the student's career takes them.
We’ve recruited tutors who can adapt GCSE physics lessons for a student on set in Vancouver, or blend academic subjects with mentorship and emotional support during competition season. But academic teaching is only part of the role.
In many cases, tutors are selected not just for their educational credentials, but because they bring specialist experience in the student’s chosen field. That might be a professional musician who also teaches maths, a tutor with an equestrian background who understands the demands of competition days, or a science teacher who’s previously worked on busy film sets and can teach a young actor during intense schedules.
Where appropriate, we aim to place tutors who can act as mentors as well as teachers – offering real insight into what it takes to succeed in a particular industry. This dual expertise can be invaluable. It means students have someone who understands the vocabulary, rhythm, and culture of their world, and can help them balance those demands with meaningful academic progress.
What these placements share is a need for structure, focus, and consistency, delivered with a deep understanding of the pressures and opportunities that come with early vocational success.
We’ve also seen how a personalised curriculum, led by an experienced educator, helps maintain a student’s love of learning. One-to-one teaching means faster progress, better engagement, and the freedom to explore subjects in ways that connect with their wider interests and ambitions.
As Adam explains:
“We have learned from experience that students learn better when they have access to one-to-one support, a personalised curriculum, and a tutor who can recognise their strengths and incorporate them into the academic experience.”
Realistic and adaptable education
In practice, no two placements look the same. Some families need a full-time residential tutor who travels with them across continents. Others prefer term-time support based at home, with the tutor liaising with coaches or production teams. Some placements are seasonal, offering continuity during filming, competition tours, or conservatoire prep periods.
Tutors typically work five or six days a week and often adapt their teaching hours to fit around rehearsals, training blocks or travel days. Lessons might take place early in the morning before a swim session, or in the evening after set calls have wrapped. The timetable is built around the student’s real life, not imposed on it.
In some cases, tutors coordinate directly with schools, conservatoires, or remote learning platforms to ensure curriculum alignment and exam readiness. In others, they design a bespoke academic programme from scratch, often blending UK or US curricula with subject enrichment and life skills.
We’ve also supported families with complex logistical needs – arranging portable classrooms, digital lesson planning across time zones, or providing academic stability when a child transitions from one country or career stage to another.
The goal isn’t to bypass formal education or fast-track credentials. It’s to build a robust, responsive educational structure that supports gifted young people as they pursue exceptional paths and ensures they don’t have to sacrifice intellectual growth for vocational success.
Making space for talent to grow
Every family’s situation is different. But the patterns we see, like pressure, missed opportunity, unnecessary trade-offs, are all too familiar. A bespoke tutoring arrangement doesn’t just solve the logistical problem. It creates the conditions in which young people can achieve their full potential, without compromise.
If you’re supporting a child with a serious commitment to sport, performance, or the arts, and you're seeking an educational model that fits, explore how we support young actors, athletes and musicians.
Or get in touch to find out how we might be able to help.
