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Increasing numbers of graduates from top universities are capitalising on the demand for home tutoring by setting up lucrative private agencies.
Oxford and Cambridge students are using their degrees to earn cash by mentoring pupils hoping to win places at London's top public schools.
A number of agencies have emerged, charging up to £70 an hour to prepare children for Common Entrance to schools such as Eton and Harrow, as well as tutoring for GCSEs and A-levels.
Some families even pay for tutors to accompany them on holidays.
Oxford biology graduate Malachy Guinness set up Bright Young Things agency on leaving university in 2007.
The 23-year-old from Notting Hill said demand for private tuition had grown massively in the past few years.
"I had an interest in teaching and did not want a full-time job straight away and the flexibility of tutoring was a big appeal," he said.
"We have been going for two years, and the number of clients has been extraordinary - there is a lot of competition for the top public schools.
"You do not need any official qualifications so families look for very good degrees, quite often from Oxbridge.
"They pay for us to go on skiing holidays to tutor their children, and I have just come back from New York, where I spent a month coaching a child for the Eton entrance exam. Our hourly rate is £45 but goes up to £70 depending on what level we are tutoring."
Another former Oxford student, Will Orr-Ewing, 24, from Holland Park, set up Russell Group Tutors three years ago.
The history graduate said: "Tutoring works really well as a business. It is a good way of making money. Five or 10 years ago it was seen as a shadowy industry that schools hated, but now it is a legitimate business option.
"We increased our turnover five-fold since last year and have 350 tutors applying for work. We tutor children as far away as Russia and China who want to come to English public schools."
A recent survey by Ipsos Mori showed that nearly half of London's state school pupils have also had home tutoring.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of education charity the Sutton Trust, said higher demand for private tuition could be detrimental: "The danger is that this boom will widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. It is simply not an option for many families."
'Parents are investing more than ever in education'
Charlotte Handler, 23, was lured by the appeal of private tutoring after leaving Bristol University.
The former English student from Highgate started tutoring three years ago after helping her brother win a scholarship to St Paul's Boys School. She has 25 clients in north London and plans to expand.
"The majority of my clients are affluent families with children at private schools," she said. "Many have tutors for at least two subjects, usually maths and a language, but also history, music, tennis, swimming, football, singing - one of mine even has a 'clutter consultant' to help tidy her bedroom.
"It has really rocketed during the past 14 months. Despite the economy, parents are willing to invest more than ever on tutoring, often in addition to school fees. It seems the recession has made everyone realise how necessary a strong education is."
Miss Handler, who charges £40 an hour for tutoring in English literature up to university level, said parents had offered her a rent-free flat and a Christmas skiing trip to Switzerland so she could be with their children.
"I declined them both," she said. "I have, however, been given lots of presents and tips which have been great supplements to my lifestyle."
Reader views (6)
We used www.brightyoungthingstuition.co.uk, the tuition firm, mentioned in the article last year, and they were pretty good. But the industry seems to be unregulated. Does anyone know if there is a 'guild' for this industry, or regulation on its way?
- Eddie Webb, London
I had a tutor to help me revise for my GCSE exams. We paid him £48 an hour. He was called Charles and used to bring his little pug dog to the lessons.
He was a good tutor but was not good at teaching me exam technique which I realised was really important.
- Clam Wabster, Loonbury, Wales
I worked as a tutor between university and getting a job in the city. Learning how to motivate young children is great pracice for the work place of an office. It teaches one the importance of total confidence when instructing anyone.
I worked through agencies and privatly and found agencies to be invaluable in terms of finding me clients and the parents trusting my teaching ability. When working without an agency I found that parents worried about my experience and knowlege of the sylabus.
- Harry Williams, london
I had a tutor for my gcses and it really helped.
- Alex Smith, london
I graduated and started tutoring Maths. Got really into it but I then got a job...about a month ago I decided to quit my job and continue with tutoring now for all the reasons mentioned in this article. It is a very satisfying experience and you make some great friends along the way!
- Atul Rana, London, UK
Bright Young Things can't even spell entrance ('Common Enrance') on their home page (http://www.brightyoungthingstuition.co.uk/).
How can they expect parents to pay £70 an hour when they pay no attention to details?!
- Victor Toff, London, UK
