Two young entrepreneurs at the helm of a London-based tutoring network are hoping to build on some early success and expand their business across the UK.

Childhood friends Marcus Ereira and Luke Shelley, both aged 20, set up Tavistock Tutors three years ago with money earned from summer jobs having grown up together as neighbours in Clifton Hill, St John’s Wood.

The company provides private tutors for a range of GCSE and A-level subjects, as well as extra-curricular activities such as yoga and self-defence. The business has amassed a network of around 300 tutors whose profiles can be viewed on the company’s website.

Marcus and Luke, both students at Regent’s Business School, Regent’s Park, require all their tutors to have a degree in the subject they teach.

Having dropped out of school halfway through his A-levels to focus on the business, Marcus explained: "I used tutors myself when I was in school. What I found from these agencies is that they weren’t offering a good enough service.

"I felt the tutors that were coming through the door didn’t have the know-how about the subjects they were teaching me which inspired me to start up my own business."

Recently, the company has sent tutors away with families requiring tuition for their children during holidays in countries such as the USA, Dubai, Russia and Switzerland.

Tavistock has also sent tutors out to foreign parents wanting an English teacher to help their sons and daughters prepare for the Oxbridge admissions process.

Asked what motivates him most, Marcus said: "We speak to our clients on a regular basis, we often hear from clients about how their grade has gone up from a B to an A and when you hear that it’s one of the greatest things.

"I really want to stress to students that if you work hard you will get there. When I left school I had zero qualifications but I managed to start something."

Marcus and Luke pride themselves on their availability to clients, taking all bookings on their mobile phones day and night.

Marcus added: "Luke and I do believe that anyone can start a business but they need to be prepared to give up their time, if it is your business then it is your life.

"Hopefully we can go to all the major cities around the country, the most important thing to us is that we are constantly bettering ourselves."

To find out more visit www.tavistocktutors.com.