We Didn't Like Tutoring Centres, So We Started a Tutoring Centre

When I was in high school, I discovered my love for science, but this passion was often met with frustration due to the lack of meaningful learning opportunities in the classroom. I was fortunate enough to attend a prestigious selective school in Sydney, yet frequently found myself disappointed by the quality of education we received. At the time, I couldn't fully articulate my dissatisfaction, but as I met more peers through Science Olympiads and my university studies, it became increasingly clear that my experience was not unique. Many students, regardless of their background, shared similar frustrations. 

The solution that most of my peers took was to attend big-name tutoring centres instead, but I harboured a deep-seated distaste for the practices prevalent in the tutoring industry. The focus on maximising marks rather than fostering a genuine understanding and love for science was pervasive. I was disheartened by a culture that encouraged students to rely on tutoring centres to spoon-feed them information, rather than empowering them to become independent, critical thinkers. The expectation that tutoring was a necessity for success, perpetuated by students, parents, and tutoring centres alike, felt unhealthy and frankly, exploitative—and a symptom of broader systemic challenges within our education system. Tutoring had become, and remains, a band-aid solution (an expensive one at that) to the deeper, complex issues that underlie our education system.

Simply put, tutoring cannot be the long-term solution to education. 

Despite these frustrations, I found myself increasingly drawn to teaching. I relished the opportunities I had to teach, for example in founding the Earth and Environmental Science (EES) Olympiad program at my high school (I enjoyed this far more than studying for my HSC). My time working at two different tutoring centres further honed my teaching skills and was another opportunity for me to start developing a better understanding of challenges that face both educators and their institutions. However, it also made one thing abundantly clear: no existing tutoring centre was truly addressing the root problems of widespread tutoring. 

My friend Anthony went through much the same process and suggested that we build our own organisation. His proposition was simple: we’ll create a place where anyone who wants to love and understand science can be given the support they need.  

We built the Atlas community because we felt that no other major tutoring centre in our region was committed to changing the status quo of how students were learning. We wanted to offer students more than just exam preparation; we wanted to make true, deep learning a central part of their lives. We believed that if we focused on our students’ genuine understanding of science, strong exam results would naturally follow. 

So, Atlas is our vehicle for trying to change education, starting on the small scale in the space where we are most familiar. Here’s the beliefs that we’ve validated so far:  

1. We believe that education should be about more than just academic success—it should help students become better learners and foster personal growth. This type of mentoring thrives in an interactive, small-group setting where there is a culture of open, two-way communication between students and teachers. We aim to create a supportive, learning-focused community environment where everyone—students, teachers, and operational staff—works together to achieve this goal. 

   
   

2. We believe that teaching high school science effectively requires educators to have a profound understanding of the subject matter that extends beyond the syllabus. At Atlas, our courses are informed by Olympiad and university-level science, yet tailored specifically to the needs of the NSW HSC curriculum. It’s a fine balance, but we believe this is how we can cultivate interest in the subject without "dumbing down” the Science.  

   
   

3. We believe that the best educators approach teaching as their vocation—a lifelong pursuit in which they strive for perfection. It's abundantly clear that the artform of teaching must be developed like any other skillset. That's a lot to ask from our young team, so it is critical that we cultivate the environment and systems necessary to support it. That’s why we provide rigorous training in content knowledge, pedagogy, and student engagement; all specifically tailored to our unique learning environment. Our faculties meet weekly with a collaborative focus, where they can learn from each other and work together on how to help our students. Put frankly, we don't hire state rankers and throw them in a classroom willy nilly.

At Atlas Academia, we (aptly) view our work through lens of the scientific method—our organisation is a testbed for developing educational practices, that can sustain itself economically while striving to do things differently. We are acutely aware of the challenges inherent in our business model, and actively work to mitigate them, with the knowledge that there is always more work to be done:  

• Tutoring is expensive and inaccessible to many. At the moment, we’re taking steps to address this through our scholarship program, to make our services accessible to those who truly want to learn science, regardless of where they go to school.  

• There is no one-size-fits-all model for learning. With the resources at our disposal, we believe that small class tutoring, focused on rigorous learning, is the best way for us to fulfil our mission for the largest demographic of students. 

Atlas Academia was founded not to perpetuate the flawed system we experienced but to work towards changing it. We are committed to providing an educational experience that goes beyond rote memorisation and exam preparation. Our goal is to cultivate a love of science and the learning skills necessary for success in university and beyond. We know this is just the beginning, and we’re excited to see where this journey takes our community.  

Wayne Wong

Co-Founder, Head of Physics