Pharos Tutors

What Pharos Tutors does

Pharos Tutors (legal entity: Pharos Teaching & Tutoring Ltd) is a UK-based online education company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Haverhill, Suffolk. The company specializes in genealogy, family history, and local history courses targeted at English and Welsh research, serving hobbyist family historians, aspiring professional genealogists, local and community historians, and specialized research enthusiasts. Its delivery is built on a self-service e-commerce learning management system providing a Student Area portal, PDF course materials, discussion forums, and live tutorials via text chat and Zoom, with class sizes capped at approximately 25 students per course.

The product portfolio is structured in three tiers. Anytime Courses (£36) are self-paced with no tutor. Tutor-Led Courses (£63 non-assessed, £85 assessed) run 3-6 weeks with weekly live tutorials and a dedicated forum. The flagship offering is the two-stage Family History Skills and Strategies (FHSS) certificate programme — a 10-course Intermediate Certificate (£864) and a two-year, nine-course Advanced Certificate (£680 Year One, £905 Year Two) — developed jointly with the Society of Genealogists and recognized by AGRA for professional accreditation. Ancillary revenue streams include annual themed Webinar Weeks (£10 per session, £104 week pass) and gift vouchers.

The business is privately held, owner-operated by Dr Karen Cummings following her June 2020 acquisition, with no venture capital or external investor exposure. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer via pharostutors.com, augmented by structured partnerships with five UK genealogical professional bodies — the Society of Genealogists, AGRA, the British Association for Local History, the Guild of One-Name Studies, and the Society for One-Place Studies — which provide co-developed curriculum, reciprocal member discounts, and referral flow. Marketing is conducted primarily through the company's blog ('Genealogy Lighthouse'), email newsletter, webinar events, and the partnership channels; no third-party resellers, apps, or API integrations exist.

Name

Pharos Tutors

Legal name

Pharos Teaching & Tutoring Ltd

Website

https://pharostutors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pharos Tutors is a UK-based online education platform offering genealogy and family history courses for hobbyist researchers and aspiring professional genealogists. It delivers self-paced, tutor-led, and assessed certificate programmes developed with the Society of Genealogists, with the Advanced Certificate recognized by AGRA for professional accreditation in England and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Genealogy Education

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAFAIAJ

Certification & Exam Prep Course Marketplaces

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Education Marketplaces & Course Platforms (MOOCs, Cohort-Based, Creator Platforms)

SECONDARYEDAFAIAI

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Education Marketplaces & Course Platforms (MOOCs, Cohort-Based, Creator Platforms)

Keywords

• Online genealogy courses
• Family history education
• Genealogy training
• Local history courses
• Genetic genealogy

Headquarters

HQ city

Haverhill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Course Sales: Students purchase individual courses ranging from £36 for Anytime courses to £63-84 for Tutor-Led courses. Courses can be taken with or without assessment option.
2. Certificate Programme Fees: Intermediate Certificate programme costs £864 for all 10 courses (approximately £85-92 each assessed). Advanced Certificate costs £680 for Year One and £905 for Year Two, plus registration and assessment fees.
3. Webinar Revenue: Individual webinars priced at £10 each. Full week webinar passes available at £104 (20% discount). Free introductory webinars also offered.
4. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold in denominations of £10, £25, £50, £100, or custom amounts, redeemable against all courses.
5. Professional Development Courses: Specialized courses for aspiring professional genealogists, including the Professional Genealogist course and Advanced Methods & Reports.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pharos Tutors sells online genealogy, family history, local history, and genetic genealogy courses through three delivery formats: Anytime self-study courses (£36 each), Tutor-Led courses with set start dates and weekly live tutorials (£63–£85), and assessed Certificate Programmes (£680–£905) jointly developed with the Society of Genealogists. The Advanced Certificate is recognized by AGRA as a route to professional accreditation. Courses are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's own e-commerce website with over 60 courses and a tutor team of 21 published authors and professional genealogists.

Product overview

Pharos Tutors offers an online education platform specializing in genealogy, family history, local history, and genetic genealogy courses. The core offering consists of three course types: Anytime Courses (self-paced, no tutor), Tutor-Led Courses (instructor-led with set schedules), and Certificate Programmes (structured assessed programmes). The two flagship certificate programmes—the FHSS Intermediate Certificate (10 courses) and FHSS Advanced Certificate (9 courses over 2 years)—are developed jointly with the Society of Genealogists and recognized by AGRA for professional genealogy accreditation. Additional offerings include Webinar Week events and gift vouchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anytime Courses Self-paced online genealogy courses with no formal start date and no tutor; students purchase and begin immediately, working at their own pace over 200 days of access using downloadable PDF materials.
• Tutor-Led Courses Cohort-based online family and local history courses lasting 3–6 weeks with set start dates, a dedicated tutor, a dedicated forum, weekly live tutorials via chat or Zoom, and optional assessed variant.
• Family History Skills and Strategies (FHSS) Intermediate Certificate Assessed multi-course certificate programme of ten online genealogy courses jointly developed with the Society of Genealogists, covering English and Welsh research; completed within 36 months and leading to a recognized professional qualification.
• Family History Skills and Strategies (FHSS) Advanced Certificate Two-year advanced certificate programme comprising nine online genealogy courses plus assessment and project modules, jointly developed with the Society of Genealogists and recognized by AGRA as a route to professional accreditation.
• Advanced DNA Course Advanced course in genetic genealogy designed for learners wanting to take DNA-based family history research to the next level.
• Webinar Week Events Live and recorded webinar events featuring expert speakers on genealogy topics, sold individually at £10 each or as a discounted full-week pass (£104, 20% off), with free introductory webinars also offered.
• Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers redeemable against all Pharos Tutors courses, sold in preset denominations (£10, £25, £50, £100) or custom amounts.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Society of Genealogists (SoG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership formed in 2010 to provide online genealogy certificate programmes. Jointly developed and teach the Family History Skills and Strategies (FHSS) Intermediate and Advanced Certificate programmes. The Society provides educational expertise and professional credibility; Pharos provides online course delivery platform. The Advanced Certificate is recognized by AGRA as a route to professional genealogy membership.
• Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGRA is the professional accrediting body for genealogists in England and Wales. Pharos Advanced Certificate graduates receive the highest level of exemption from AGRA's application requirements. AGRA is involved in the assessment process development. AGRA members receive discounts on Pharos courses. The Professional Genealogist course was developed in association with AGRA.
• British Association for Local History (BALH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBALH is the national charity promoting local history in Great Britain. Pharos developed 'Getting Started with Local History' and 'Progressing your Local History Research' courses in association with BALH. BALH members receive discounts on these courses; Pharos students receive first-year membership discounts to BALH.
• Guild of One-Name StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuild established in 1979 to coordinate one-name studies education. Pharos was selected as course provider for Introduction to One-Name Studies, Practicalities of a One-Name Study, and Advanced One-Name Studies courses. Guild members receive discounts on non-assessed Pharos courses and the assessed Advanced One-Name Studies course.
• Society for One-Place StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading organization for one-place study research. Pharos 'First Steps to a One-Place Study' course provides students with free first-year membership to the Society. Existing Society members receive discounts on the Pharos One-Place Studies course.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• FamilySearch: Free global genealogy records and educational resource operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Comparable to Pharos as an adjacent genealogy education provider with a substantial free learning library, primarily serving hobbyists worldwide.
• Society of Genealogists (SoG): UK charitable educational institution for family history that co-develops and co-teaches Pharos' flagship FHSS Certificate programmes. Comparable to Pharos as a UK genealogy educator and content source, and a direct strategic partner rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Ancestry: Dominant global genealogy platform offering subscription access to historical records plus ancillary educational content (Ancestry Academy, learning resources). Comparable to Pharos as a UK-relevant genealogy resource with educational offerings, though its core business is records subscription rather than tutored courses.
• Findmypast: UK-leading genealogy records platform with educational blog content and subscriber resources. Comparable to Pharos as a UK-anchored genealogy brand serving the same hobbyist audience, though its education offering is supporting content rather than structured courses.
• Legacy Tree Genealogists: US-based professional genealogy services firm that also offers educational content (webinars, blog, courses). Comparable to Pharos as a commercial genealogy education provider, though its primary business is paid research services rather than structured courses.

Direct peers

• Boston University — Genealogical Research Certificate: Online graduate certificate programme in Genealogical Research delivered through BU's Metropolitan College. Comparable to Pharos as an online genealogy certificate programme leading to a recognized credential.
• University of Strathclyde — Genealogical Studies: Scottish university programme offering postgraduate certificates, diplomas, and an MLitt in Genealogical Studies via online distance learning. Comparable to Pharos as a UK/Scotland-anchored online genealogy qualification pathway with assessed progression.
• Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (IHGS): UK-based traditional genealogy education provider offering courses and qualifications in heraldry and genealogy. Closely comparable to Pharos as a UK-anchored genealogy school with formal qualification pathways; the current Pharos MD previously served as a Tutor and Examiner for IHGS.
• Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP): US-based genealogy education provider offering in-person and online courses, certificates, and workshops led by expert genealogists. Comparable to Pharos in offering structured genealogy courses taught by recognized genealogy professionals.
• National Institute for Genealogical Studies (NIGS): Canada-based online genealogy education provider offering comprehensive online courses and certificate programmes. Comparable to Pharos as an online-first genealogy school with structured courses across multiple specialties and levels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PharosTutors
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/drkarencummings
• Facebookfacebook.com/PharosTutors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pharos Tutors