Teachers’ firm targets developing economies

A FORMER Fettes College teacher has returned to Edinburgh after five years in Asia and has launched a business providing teaching materials to the growing legion of international schools in emerging economies.

Music teacher Fiona MacColl decided she wanted a change of scene after reaching her 40th birthday and so moved to Malaysia with husband Derek, also a teacher, and their son Connal.

Living among Malaysian people, they were soon approached about giving lessons, not just in English but in all subjects. Their visas did not allow them to offer private tutoring, but they wanted to help so they started writing teaching materials and posting them on the internet.

The family continued posting material on their website when they moved to Thailand, where they started working with schools that were trying to offer international-standard lessons.

“There are a lot of international schools desperate to get started,” Fiona MacColl said. “People know that they need to get a western-style education to be able to get jobs with international companies.”

However, the lack of material available to these small start-up schools was one of their main challenges. MacColl recalls one headmaster who relied on an annual visit from a relative in America with a suitcase full of books.

When they returned to Scotland in December, the family decided to continue providing the lessons but realised they would have to make the venture commercially viable.

So they set up a company called Lesson Library and added a small yearly charge for individuals and schools to access the material.

They are continuing to add up to 100 lessons a week and have gained popularity amongst home-tutoring parents in Australia, as well as international schools in developing economies.

MacColl said: “This is something I love and I really don’t want to give it up.”