From Classrooms to Community: How Faith Shaped My Tuition Business in Bristol
A Leap into the Unknown: Starting a Tuition Centre in Bristol
By James Cowan
James Cowan Tutoring
In September 2021, I bought into a tuition franchise called First Class Learning. After 17 years in schools, I was ready to try something new. I started small, running maths and English tuition classes in Westbury-on-Trym village hall, and over the years the business has steadily grown.
At the same time, my Christian journey was beginning. I had completed an Alpha course in 2020, started attending church each Sunday, and joined a small group. My faith journey and my business journey have been running in parallel.
My 30s had been a difficult decade. Returning from a year teaching in Abu Dhabi after losing my job, losing my closest friend, and facing an uncertain future, life felt messy. Starting a tuition business in Bristol gave me the excitement and energy I had been missing. I am a dreamer—I don’t like knowing exactly what the future holds—and this felt like an adventure.
Looking back over the past four years, I can clearly see God’s fingerprints.
It’s also worth saying a little about my general spirit of adventure. For example, Rowing the Atlantic might seem very different from running a tuition business, but both reflect the same curiosity, courage, and willingness to step into the unknown.
It feels like God has wired me this way, and it’s shaped the way I approach every challenge and opportunity in life and business.
Turning Weaknesses into Strengths – God’s Unexpected Plan for a Bristol Tuition Business
My background was in secondary maths, yet for the past years I had been working in prep schools, teaching years 5 to 8. I feared I wouldn’t find work and didn’t want to leave Bristol. After a few rejections, this tutoring opportunity appeared.
Suddenly, I could teach children from Year 2 to Year 11. I had experience in both primary and secondary education, maths was my specialism, and I had taught English abroad in Switzerland, Ghana, and Shanghai.
What had once felt like weaknesses became strengths. Every box was ticked, and my world turned upside down in the best possible way.
A Heart for the Poor – Serving Diverse Communities through Tutoring
Initially, I had planned to set up in wealthier areas like Westbury-on-Trym and Redland. Within days, however, the families showing interest were from lower-income backgrounds. Somali families from the flats on Dove Street, Ethiopian families from Brentry—suddenly I found myself flyering in blocks of flats in Barton Hill, Lawrence Hill, Dove Street, and more. I prayed in each building as I went, feeling a real sense of purpose.
Providing affordable, high-quality tuition for children in Bristol became a calling, and I began to see my business as more than just teaching—it was about community impact.
Doors Opened – Opportunities Out of the Blue
Two years ago, I received an unexpected call. A school had closed behind Cabot Circus, and the owners wanted to rent out rooms. Their Somali community needed tutoring—would I be interested? Absolutely.
We set up in BS2, Bristol, and within six months it was bigger than Redland and Westbury-on-Trym combined. One phone call transformed everything. The BS2 building is run by the Muslim community, with Koran and Arabic lessons downstairs and tuition upstairs. Walking alongside this community has been a privilege, and my heart for diverse communities has grown.
Present Day – Growing Students, Staff, and Community Through Tuition
I feel incredibly blessed. Each class now has 15–30 pupils, so I employ Bristol University students to help, keeping a 4:1 student-to-adult ratio. I love seeing my staff grow in confidence and develop relationships with the children—relationships I couldn’t form myself. I’m the grumpy adult, which I’m fine with!
I also enjoy supporting the local community by paying rent for village and community halls. My Saturday morning classes in Redland Quaker Meeting Rooms happen downstairs while AA meetings run upstairs.
Redland and BS2 classes are almost full, with only a few spaces available. In January, we’ll move BS2 to a local school with better facilities, and I hope the transition goes smoothly.
Every day I pray, “Lord, where do you want to take this? What is your vision?” I know my plans may not align with His, and I’m open to wherever He leads.
On a more practical note, our community also uses a WhatsApp group to arrange meet-ups and share updates. I know it can feel demanding or “needy,” especially in a group, but there’s no pressure to reply or be active—you can just dip in when it suits you. If WhatsApp isn’t your thing, that’s perfectly fine too. This simple tool helps keep the community connected without feeling overwhelming.
Looking Ahead – Surrendering to God’s Vision in Business and Community
The business is on steady ground. Word of mouth has become our main form of marketing, with referrals snowballing as more families hear about our maths and English tuition in Bristol.
I also give my time to church, and I often ask God: “Is this business simply a way to provide an income and free up time for church? Or is it something to grow further, helping more families and communities? Is this an opportunity to deepen relationships with those I serve?” I imagine the answer may well be “Yes” to all three. My hope is simple: “Let your will be done.”
Reflections – Faith, Business, and Personal Growth
Before starting church and this business, I was ambitious, self-centred, dogged, and optimistic—but going nowhere. Doing everything in my own strength left me tired and drained. Faith in myself had faded, and I felt stuck.
Now, I’m still optimistic and hardworking (hopefully less self-centred), I can dream again, and I have a network of friends and fellow entrepreneurs to advise and encourage me. I cannot do this alone, and I embrace staying vulnerable to Christ.
I know the business will continue to reveal more of my character, both strengths and weaknesses.
I pray for constant renewal of mind and heart, trusting that God will show me areas for growth along the way.
If you would like to find out more about rowing the Atlantic >>>