What AFTER'S COOL does

AFTER'S COOL is a Dutch education-support company founded in 1999 by Thorwald Letzer and headquartered in Den Haag, operating 22 branch locations across the Netherlands. It delivers secondary-school-focused services including huiswerkbegeleiding (homework guidance), bijles (one-on-one tutoring), examenjaar and brugklasbegeleiding programs, remedial teaching, trainingen, and diagnostiek such as NIO intelligence assessments and dyscalculie screening. The company also runs seasonal and digital add-on products — Lenteschool, Zomerschool, and Online oefenkwartiertjes — alongside an institutional B2B channel delivering NPO programs, inhaalprogramma, and doorstroomtoets preparation to partner secondary schools. Operations are supported by a digital student-tracking system (StudieplannerPro / HOMi) integrated with Dutch school information systems including SOMtoday and Magister.

The business model combines consumer subscriptions (monthly in advance for recurring homework guidance and exam-year programs), per-session usage fees for bijles, one-off diagnostic fees, and B2B managed-service contracts with schools and municipalities. AFTER'S COOL serves over 6,700 individual students per year plus approximately 3,500 students via school projects, claims a 97% exam pass rate, and was recognized as the 4th Best Workplace in the Netherlands and 34th in Europe in 2022. Pricing is anchored at the lower end by seasonal products (Lenteschool at €120 per student) and at the higher end by diagnostic services (dyscalculie screening at €246, NIO at €348.50), with a 10% sibling discount on family enrollments.

Since 2023, AFTER'S COOL has operated as part of Lyceo, the Dutch education-support group, giving it access to a combined network of roughly 130 locations. The company is structured as a Dutch private limited company (B.V.) with a stated employee base of 11–50, and it operates as a social enterprise. Its core differentiator is the proprietary "Leren doe je zo" learning methodology, launched in 2008, combined with long-tenured school partnerships and a published content library including the "Breingeheimen" book series.

Name

AFTER'S COOL

Legal name

AFTER'S COOL B.V.

Website

https://afterscool.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFTER'S COOL is a Dutch secondary-school education-support provider operating 22 branches, delivering homework guidance, tutoring, exam-year programs, diagnostics, and seasonal schools to 6,700+ students annually, plus B2B programs for partner schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General) (EDAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD), Executive Function & Learning Coaching (Organization/ADHD Coaching) (EDAJALAI), Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12) (EDAJADAH)

Keywords

• Homework guidance services
• Tutoring and exam coaching
• Remedial teaching programs
• Educational diagnostics assessments
• School educational support

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fixed Monthly Services (Huiswerkbegeleiding / Examenbegeleiding): Monthly subscription for regular weekly services (e.g., homework guidance). Billed monthly in advance. No billing in July and August summer vacation; services during summer vacation are billed as ad-hoc services. For exam candidates, service automatically ends after the month in which exams take place.
2. Ad-hoc / Per Session Services (Bijles): Per-session tutoring and ad-hoc services. Billed monthly in arrears based on actual sessions. Hours rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice are charged in full.
3. One-time Services (Training, Summer School, Spring School): One-time fixed-fee services such as training programs, summer school, and spring school. Billed upfront or during the service period. Non-refundable upon cancellation.
4. School / Institutional Services: B2B services for schools including NPO (National Education Program), catch-up programs, coaching, exam preparation, and school-based remedial teaching. Billed monthly based on a pre-agreed quotation with flexible adjustments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AFTER'S COOL delivers in-person and online educational support services for primary and secondary school students in the Netherlands, including homework guidance (huiswerkbegeleiding), one-on-one tutoring (bijles), exam-year coaching, transition support (brugklas), remedial teaching, study-skills training, and diagnostic assessments (intelligence, dyslexia, dyscalculia). The company also provides institutional services to schools such as NPO catch-up programs, on-site remedial teaching, executive-functions training, and doorstroomprogramma (school-level transition support), all anchored by the proprietary 'Leren doe je zo' learning methodology.

Product overview

AFTER'S COOL is a unified tutoring and educational support platform offering direct-to-consumer services for primary and secondary school students as well as institutional services for partner schools. The consumer-facing portfolio includes Huiswerkbegeleiding (homework guidance), Bijles (tutoring), Examenjaar (exam year support), Brugklasbegeleiding (transition support), Remedial teaching, Trainingen (study skills and test preparation training), and Diagnostiek (psychological and learning diagnostics). School partnership services include remedial teaching at school, NPO National Program support, catch-up programs, transition programs, executive function training, coaching, gifted student support, special needs support, and intensive test week preparation. All tutoring services are anchored by the proprietary 'Leren doe je zo' (Learning how to learn) methodology based on the top 5 proven effective learning strategies. The company operates 22 locations across the Netherlands and has been operating since 1999, currently part of the Lyceo knowledge network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Huiswerkbegeleiding (Homework Guidance) Recurring weekly homework guidance service for primary and secondary school students. Provides structured planning, learning-strategy coaching, and subject support in AFTER'S COOL branch locations after school hours. Billed monthly in advance.
• Bijles (Individual Tutoring) One-on-one intensive tutoring sessions addressing specific subject difficulties and exam preparation. Typically 1 to 1.5 hours per session. Billed per session in arrears.
• Examenjaar (Exam Year Support) Comprehensive exam-year coaching including school-exam preparation, Central Exam preparation, profielwerkstuk support, and study-skills coaching using the 'Leren doe je zo' method. Service ends automatically after the month in which exams take place.
• Brugklasbegeleiding (Transition Support) Support for first-year secondary school students covering study skills, planning, summarizing, and mind mapping techniques to manage new subjects and increased workload.
• Remedial Teaching Individualized intensive support following a structured 10-step trajectory (intake, diagnostic testing, action plan, lessons, evaluation, review). Addresses learning gaps and complies with LBRT, NVO, and NIP professional standards. Available in trajectories of 10 or 20 weeks.
• Trainingen (Study Skills and Test Prep Training) Group training programs including mid-year and final Cito test preparation (groups 6-8), study skills training using 'Breingeheimen' workbooks and the 'Leren doe je zo' method, and brugklas preparation training.
• Diagnostiek (Educational Diagnostics) Diagnostic assessments including intelligence testing (WISC-V, NIO 2018), dyslexia screening, didactic research, dyscalculia screening (€246), and academic achievement assessments. Individual NIO administration priced at €348.50.
• Lenteschool (Spring School) Spring-break school program for groups 6-8 primary school students preparing for important middle and final Cito tests. 3-day program (Monday-Wednesday, 09:30-12:00) covering rekenen, spelling, and begrijpend lezen. Priced at €120 per student.
• Zomerschool (Summer School) Summer school program for primary school and first-year secondary students offering catch-up support in mathematics, language, and spelling. Held in the last week of summer vacation across multiple regions.
• Online Oefenkwartiertjes (Online Practice Sessions) Short online practice sessions (15 minutes) for reading, multiplication tables, arithmetic, or English with an AFTER'S COOL teacher. Online and flexible scheduling.
• School Services (Scholendiensten) Institutional services for primary (PO) and secondary (VO) schools including NPO (National Education Program) support, in-school remedial teaching, doorstroomprogramma, executive-functions training, coaching, study guidance, gifted student support, special needs support, intensive test-week preparation, and spring/summer school. Billed monthly based on pre-agreed quotation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% pass rate (slagingspercentage) among students
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LyceocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Since 2023, AFTER'S COOL became part of Lyceo. The Rotterdam and Den Haag locations are now part of Lyceo's national knowledge network. This partnership combines years of experience from various tutoring and educational support organizations under the Lyceo brand. Lyceo operates 130 locations across the Netherlands.
• Great Place to WorkminorOthersGreat Place to Work certification and awards program. AFTER'S COOL achieved Great Place to Work certification in 2021 and was named Best Workplace Netherlands (4th place, Large) in 2022 and Best Workplace Europe (34th place) in 2022.
• Social Enterprise NetherlandsminorOthersAFTER'S COOL is a member of Social Enterprise Netherlands, demonstrating commitment to social impact and broad accessibility to educational support services.
• LVSI (Landelijke Branchevereniging Studiebegeleidingsinstituten)minorOthersAFTER'S COOL is a member of the national trade association for study guidance institutions. The association provides a quality certification with strict requirements and guidelines for its members.
• LBRT (Landelijke Beroepsvereniging Remedial Teachers)minorOthersRemedial teachers at AFTER'S COOL are affiliated with LBRT (along with NVO and NIP). AGB-code: 17-082180. This affiliation ensures professional standards and quality in remedial teaching services.
• Inge Verstraete and Karin NijmanminorOthersThe proprietary 'Leren doe je zo' methodology is based on the 'Handboek Leren Leren' (Handbook Learn to Learn) by Inge Verstraete and Karin Nijman, providing academic foundation for the company's learning approach.
• BreingeheimenminorOthersAFTER'S COOL uses Breingeheimen study skills workbooks for study skills training, particularly for group 7 and 8 primary school students, as part of its training programs.
• Vriendenprogramma (Friends Program)minorOthersAFTER'S COOL uses the Vriendenprogramma for anxiety training (faalangsttraining). This program is based on extensive research into the prevention and treatment of test anxiety and is delivered through 8 sessions with certified trainers.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mr. Chadd: Dutch online tutoring platform offering one-on-one bijles across school subjects for VO and MBO/HBO students. Competes for the same Dutch parent and student wallet on tutoring hours, particularly in the digital channel.
• Bijleshuis: Dutch tutoring provider focused on bijles, exam preparation, and study skills for secondary school students. Overlapping service portfolio with AFTER'S COOL's tutoring and exam-year tracks in the same Dutch market.
• Slim.nl: Dutch supplemental-learning provider offering tutoring, homework guidance, and study support for primary and secondary students. Similar customer segment and product categories, competing in the same Dutch retail/online tutoring space.
• Bijlesnetwerk: Dutch bijles/tutoring network providing homework guidance, tutoring, and exam preparation across the Netherlands. Comparable target market (PO/VO students) and service offerings, often positioned as a flexible alternative to fixed-branch institutes like AFTER'S COOL.
• Studiekring: Long-standing Dutch chain of homework guidance and tutoring centers targeting primary and secondary school students. Comparable service mix (huiswerkbegeleiding, bijles, exam training) and retail-branch delivery model make it one of AFTER'S COOL's closest head-to-head competitors.

Broad incumbents

• Lyceo: AFTER'S COOL's parent company since 2023 and a national network of ~130 tutoring and educational-support locations. Operates the same core services (huiswerkbegeleiding, bijles, exam preparation) across the Netherlands, making it the most directly comparable Dutch player by scale and breadth.

Others

• Kennisnet: Dutch public-sector organization supporting digital infrastructure in education, including SIS platforms (similar in function to the SOMtoday/Magister integrations AFTER'S COOL uses). Adjacent enabler in the Dutch K-12 digital ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
• Cito: Dutch educational testing and assessment organization that develops the Cito-toets (midden- en eindtoets) which AFTER'S COOL's training programs prepare primary school students for. An adjacent ecosystem participant — not a direct competitor but tied to AFTER'S COOL's training product line.

Emerging players

• NewLevel: Dutch educational support provider offering tutoring and exam preparation for secondary and higher-education students. Comparable focus on study skills and exam readiness, though more oriented toward older students than AFTER'S COOL's K-12 core.
• Tutorius: Dutch tutoring and study guidance provider serving secondary school students with bijles and exam training. Comparable service mix targeting Dutch VO students, with a smaller footprint than AFTER'S COOL.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 AFTER'S COOL