Meet Alysha, founder of an amazing business helping local families

Education is a crucial foundation for a successful future, but not all students have the same opportunities to thrive in traditional classroom settings. 

This is something local business owner and founder of Breakaway Education, Alysha saw firsthand as a high school teacher. 

Working at the coalface in the classroom, she recognised the need for personalised support to help with learning gaps, learning difficulties and providing assistance to those who don’t engage with the traditional methods of education. 

So Alysha embarked on a journey to make a difference to the lives of students in the Southern Highlands and Breakaway Tuition [Alysha changed the name to Breakaway Education recently] began in 2016.

We chat to Alysha about her motivation to enter the world of tuition, the growth of this fab, local biz and we also explore the importance of inclusive education and chat about the recent expansion of her centre to include a retail element, school holiday workshops and specialty term classes.

1 :: First of all, tell us about your own career. How did you end up in the tuition side of education?

I taught in high schools for several years, encountering students with significant learning gaps.

I noticed by the time they got to high school, many students lacked fundamental skills, such as reading and writing, which affected their overall academic performance and self-confidence in the classroom.

I wanted to find a way that I could help students beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom so started offering tutoring sessions, initially focusing on English to help with those reading and writing gaps. 

Demand grew – turns out lots of local kids needed extra help! – so I diversified to include other subjects and even music lessons.

We now offer a huge range of subjects and topics to primary school and high school students, as well as adult learners too.

It’s never too early or too late to learn, we say!

2 :: It grew pretty quickly, didn’t it?

It sure did.

In August 2016, I opened a physical centre and brought two additional tutors on board to start with. 

Over time, we expanded our team to include a total of 20 tutors. 

Currently, we support 130 families, providing individualised education tailored to each student’s unique needs.

3 :: Are you still actively involved in tutoring, or have you been pulled into the world of management and business ownership now?

Teaching remains my passion.

Although I oversee the business operations, I still personally tutor around 16 students.

It allows me to stay connected to the core purpose of why I started this journey—to make a positive impact on students’ lives.

Some of my students are studying HSC English, which aligns with my background.

Teaching provides me with immense satisfaction and keeps me grounded in the heart of education.

4 :: Tell us about the recent expansion of Breakaway Education

We’ve always been focused on providing a holistic approach to education, and recently, the place next door to our centre in Mittagong became available so we expanded into that space.

It was the perfect opportunity to not only increase our tutoring capacity but also introduce a retail element.

In our retail section, we offer a range of educational resources, particularly for early learning, such as phonics materials, counting aids, and fidget tools designed specifically to aid concentration and reduce anxiety. 

We curate these products with great care, emphasising quality and purpose. 

Many of the resources we provide are purposely created and designed to assist children with learning difficulties.

For instance, we have weighted fidgets developed by a Melbourne-based mother whose child has ADHD and is autistic, so she understands the challenges her child and others like him face when they’re learning and has created a wonderful learning tool that is useful and effective.

You can buy them online or pop in and have a look at the range.

5 :: You’ve also introduced school holiday programs and group workshops that run throughout the term. Tell us more about that.

We’ve just started with these workshops which are tailored mainly towards HSC students at the moment, giving them a bit of extra support and guidance at a busy time.

It’s great to offer small group options for people who may not be keen for one-on-one intuition but happy to work in a small group.

We’ll be extending our workshop offerings as we get feedback from the first ones we run, so keep an eye on our website for that!

6 :: Does the growth of Breakaway mean you’re looking for new tutors to bring on board?

Absolutely!

By expanding our team of tutors, we can accommodate more students and offer diverse experiences.

We have a diverse range of tutors from retired teachers, working teachers, as well as university students studying education, and I provide them with mentorship.

This hands-on approach equips them with valuable skills to support students with learning difficulties.

So, if anyone is interested in becoming a tutor or is already one, we would love to hear from them!

7 :: Let’s chat a bit about learning difficulties and the support Breakaway Education provides for students who find learning challenging.

There are a lot of kids that are struggling to learn in the ‘traditional’ way.

We have students who have diagnosed learning difficulties and also undiagnosed learning difficulties. 

I have a lot of experience and specialised training in this area so can assist and guide parents on the best way to support their child through the school years. 

You know, I often talk about the puzzle of education because there’s always more than one thing going on – social elements, developmental elements, hormones! – and it’s like putting the puzzle together. 

My belief is there is no one solution in education. 

You need to be prepared to keep searching for all the pieces of the puzzle when, put together, create a really clear picture for what’s best for your child.

8 :: That’s such a great analogy – love it! So, what would you say to a parent or carer considering tutoring?

The best thing to do is just give us a call. 

Then we go through the steps of working out what the gaps are, we assess the student and personalise the approach from there. 

Every tutoring session we do is personalised for each student.

No session looks the same as the next one and is run based on what the student needs at that moment, right there and then. 

Having this resource in the Highlands is so beneficial for local families.

It means they don’t have to go to Wollongong or Canberra or Sydney.

9 :: What do you love about living and working in the Southern Highlands?

I’ve lived in the Highlands since I was in Year 9 and went to Bowral High School.

I live in Yerrinbool now with my family and love it. 

I love the atmosphere of the Highlands and the environment we live in. 

The Highlands gave me so much growing up so it’s really special being able to own a business here that helps so many local families – I feel like I’m giving back to the area and community that gave me so much when I was younger.

Thanks Alysha! What an amazing business and as she said, it’s so wonderful to be able to help local families at what can be a stressful time for everyone. 

There’s plenty of information on the Breakaway Education and Breakaway Tuition websites but as Alysha said, you can always call them for an initial chat – the number is 0427 599 790.

What a fantastic local resource and business!

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