School of Philosophy Guildford

What School of Philosophy Guildford does

School of Philosophy Guildford is a UK-registered non-profit educational organization (operating under the legal name The School of Philosophy and Economic Science, affiliated with the Fellowship of the School of Economic Science, registered charities 313115 and SC039950) that delivers practical philosophy courses to adult learners seeking personal development. Its core offering is a 10-week Introductory Practical Philosophy Course priced at £30, held face-to-face at St Catherines School House, 26a Portsmouth Road, Guildford GU2 4DJ, with a laddered follow-on curriculum (Practical Philosophy Parts 2-13 and M & Senior) normally priced at £100 each. An equivalent introductory course is also delivered online via Zoom under a separate registration domain, and supplementary groups (Plato, Sanskrita, Shakespeare reading groups, plus meditation and insight content) extend the product surface.

The technology stack is minimal: no proprietary platform exists, with Zoom used for online course delivery and Stripe integrated for online payment of the £30 course fee. Distribution is omnichannel in a low-tech sense: the Guildford venue handles three in-person class slots per week, Zoom covers remote learners, and 25+ affiliated UK branches across England and Scotland form a referral and curriculum-sharing network. Revenue is generated solely through direct course enrollment fees, with no subscription, licensing, or institutional contracting model.

The customer base is composed exclusively of individual adult learners (B2C long-tail) attracted through community-led marketing: website content, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, an email newsletter ('Insight'), printed flyers, and word-of-mouth referrals. The value proposition centres on practical (non-academic) wisdom drawn from Eastern and Western traditions, delivered by experienced tutors in small group settings, with explicit functional benefits framed around stress reduction, self-understanding, and improved decision-making. The organization operates as one node within a larger 1937-founded charity network rather than as a standalone commercial entity.

Name

School of Philosophy Guildford

Legal name

The School of Philosophy and Economic Science

Website

https://schoolofphilosophyguildford.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

School of Philosophy Guildford is a UK non-profit that delivers practical philosophy courses (a 10-week introductory course at £30 plus £100 follow-ons) to adult learners seeking personal development, operating in-person in Guildford, online via Zoom, and across 25+ affiliated UK branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Education & Personal Development

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction (611699), Educational Services (61)

akta.pro primary industry

Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Competency-Based Universities (CBE) (EDAHALAI)

Keywords

• Adult philosophy courses
• Practical philosophy education
• Philosophy reading groups
• Mindfulness meditation classes
• Personal development workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Enrollment Fees: One-time fees for 10-week introductory and follow-on philosophy courses. Introductory course priced at £30; follow-on courses normally £100. Revenue generated through direct student enrollment via website, phone, or email registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The School of Philosophy Guildford delivers a 10-week face-to-face Introductory Practical Philosophy course in Guildford for £30, plus follow-on Practical Philosophy courses (Parts 2-13 and M & Senior) normally priced at £100 each. It also offers supplementary reading groups in Plato, Sanskrita, and Shakespeare, alongside online Zoom-delivered versions of the introductory course for remote participants.

Product overview

School of Philosophy Guildford offers a portfolio of philosophy education products centered on its core Introductory Practical Philosophy Course—a 10-week face-to-face course in Guildford GU2 4DJ priced at £30. This introductory course serves as the entry point to a structured curriculum that continues through Practical Philosophy Parts 2-13 and Practical Philosophy M & Senior follow-on courses (normally £100 each). The organization also provides supplementary learning communities including Plato Reading Group, Sanskrita Language Group, and Shakespeare Reading Group for continued philosophical study. An online version of the introductory course is delivered via Zoom for remote participants. The school additionally offers meditation and insight resources as supporting content. All courses draw on wisdom traditions from East and West and emphasize practical application over academic study.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Introductory Practical Philosophy Course A 10-week face-to-face philosophy course held in Guildford at St Catherines School House covering practical wisdom for everyday living. Priced at £30 for the introductory course, aimed at adults seeking personal development and stress reduction.
• Practical Philosophy Parts 2-13 Follow-on courses continuing the practical philosophy curriculum beyond the introductory course. Normally priced at £100 each, designed for students who have completed the introductory course.
• Practical Philosophy M & Senior Advanced follow-on philosophy course for students who have completed earlier practical philosophy modules. Normally priced at £100 each.
• Plato Reading Group A local study group in Guildford for reading and discussing Plato's works. Available to continuing students seeking deeper engagement with classical philosophy texts.
• Sanskrita Language Group A local language learning group in Guildford focused on Sanskrit for continuing students.
• Shakespeare Reading Group A local reading and discussion group in Guildford for Shakespeare's works, available to continuing students.
• Online Philosophy Course via Zoom Remote version of the introductory practical philosophy course delivered via Zoom video conferencing for participants unable to attend in-person classes. Students receive Zoom log-in details before the course start.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fellowship of the School of Economic SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe School of Philosophy Guildford is affiliated with the Fellowship of the School of Economic Science, a registered charity (numbers 313115 and SC039950). The organization shares educational resources, curriculum, and network infrastructure with other UK branches.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Calm: Mass-market meditation and mindfulness app providing guided sessions, courses, and daily awareness content — a digital alternative for the stress-reduction and present-moment benefits the school promises.
• Headspace: Commercial mindfulness and meditation platform offering guided exercises directly overlapping with the school's 'Awareness Exercise' and 'Tool Kit of practical and mindful exercises' — addresses the same stress-reduction and presence outcomes at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• The School of Life: Founded by Alain de Botton, The School of Life offers practical philosophy, emotional intelligence, and life-skills classes to adults — directly competing with the same target customer (adults seeking personal development) via similar group-based course formats and pricing tiers.
• The Philosophy Foundation: UK charity delivering philosophy education and courses to schools and adults; comparable as a mission-driven philosophy education provider using discussion-based group instruction.
• Fellowship of the School of Economic Science: The parent charity and direct network of the School of Philosophy Guildford; operates the same curriculum across 25+ UK branches and serves as both affiliate and most direct comparable organization.
• School of Philosophy London: A direct sister branch of the School of Philosophy Guildford within the Fellowship of the School of Economic Science network — uses the same curriculum, pricing model, and tutor-led group format in the London market.

Emerging players

• Modern Stoicism: Provides Stoic philosophy courses, workshops, and online community for adults seeking practical wisdom — overlapping with the school's practical-philosophy-for-everyday-living positioning.
• Mindfulness Schools: Provides mindfulness training programs and courses; comparable as a mission-driven provider of structured awareness and meditation instruction for adults seeking personal development.
• Plum Village: Thich Nhat Hanh's mindfulness community offering retreats, courses, and online practice; comparable as a community-driven, mission-based provider of mindful living education with overlap in East-meets-West wisdom traditions.

Others

• Ramana Maharshi Foundation / Arunachala Ashram: Self-inquiry and meditation teaching tradition feeding into the school's 'Know Thyself' and Eastern wisdom curriculum; comparable as an adjacent philosophical-spiritual education ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Philosophycourse
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchoolofPhilosophyandEconomicScience
• Instagraminstagram.com/practicalphilosophyguildford

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 School of Philosophy Guildford