Alexander Tops
Founder and Lead Course Facilitator
- Public speaking
- Business English
15+ countries around the world choose The Smarty Box15+ countries around the world
Your gateway to fluent communication in English
Your child's 1-on-1 private English tutor,matched by hand.
Native speaker tutors who fit the way your child learns, because the right match is what makes progress go twice as fast. Then every lesson is built around your child, so they stay engaged, love every minute and the learning sticks.
Tell The Smarty Box about your child and we will choose the right tutor. Your first 25 minute demo lesson is free.
Teaching online since 2020
Live sessions conducted globally
Foundation to Advanced English
How to book your free lesson
Three steps to your free demo lesson
1
Say hi on WhatsApp or WeChat
Message The Smarty Box on the app you already use. On WhatsApp a short message is already typed for you, so you only need to press send.
2
Tell The Smarty Box about your child
The Smarty Box asks a few quick questions: age, what they need help with, what feels tricky right now, and which country you are in.
3
Download Classin and find The Smarty Box
The Smarty Box will match your kid with the best tutor for your free lesson.
Trusted worldwide
South Africa
China
Denmark
Monaco+ more
More than 15+ countries around the world choose The Smarty Box
Learners join from their own living room, in their own time zone, with the same tutor every week.
South AfricaChinaDenmarkMonaco+ moreBacked by learning science
2x Faster progressThe way we teach is the way research says children learn best
Children learn English fastest when lessons are built around them, and it takes a real teacher to make that happen. A tutor who knows how your child learns turns every lesson into the learning your child asks for again and again.
That is how The Smarty Box works, and it is not a hunch. Three findings sit behind it, and you can read every one of them.
One on one teaching beats a classroom
Pupils with a personal tutor performed about two standard deviations above pupils taught in a conventional class.
The 2 Sigma Problem, Benjamin Bloom (1984)Language sticks when a child understands and enjoys it
Children acquire a language when the message is clear to them and they feel relaxed, not pressured or corrected all the time.
Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition, Stephen Krashen (1982)Lessons built around your child hold attention
Adapting what is taught to what a child cares about raises interest, and interest is what keeps learning running.
Personalized Education to Increase Interest, Reber, Canning and Harackiewicz (2018)Meet the tutors
Specialists, not generalists. Your native speaker tutors
Sacha
Head of Phonics
- Foundational phase
- Junior learning
James
Business English Specialist
- Adult English
- Advanced junior learning
- Writing through literature
Barby
Foundational Phase to Advanced Teacher
- Writing
- Literacy
- Grammar
Shelley
Foundational Phase to Advanced Teacher
- Adult English
- Writing
- Children's author
Marishe
Foundational Phase to Advanced Teacher
- Grammar
- Reading
- Phonics
Trent
Foundational Phase to Advanced Teacher
- Drama
- Speaking
- Reading
Jessica
Foundational Phase and Phonics Specialist
- Foundational phonics
- Junior learning
Results parents see
Confidence first, then everything else
Amy, 8
ChinaAmy says
“My teacher is very good and careful. I improve with every lesson, and I learn a lot of English words. We play Wordle, which is so cool! I love my SmartyBox classes very much.”
Victoire, 10
MonacoVictoire says
“I love my Smarty classes very much. The teachers are so cool and the classes are fun. I have learned a lot and my English has improved. I am now top of my class at school!”
Candice, 9
ChinaCandice says
“We sing songs and I get stickers when I do good! I love my teacher!”
Alexander, 11
ChinaAlexander says
“My teacher is James. He is very smart and interesting. He is also humorous. I like my classes very much.”
"Aron has become much more confident in speaking English."
"Cooper now enjoys them more than school. The teacher treats him with respect."
"The Smarty Box absolutely delivered. The teacher has a rare gift: making complex grammar simple."
Our tutor standard
Led by a founder with 10,000+ hours of online teaching
Alexander Tops, Founder and Lead Course Facilitator, holds a degree in Speech and Drama and a Level 5 TEFL, with a background in theatre, script writing, public speaking and performance.
The rest of the team
- Head of Phonics and Junior Learning
- Head of Writing and Literacy
- Business English Specialist
- Drama trained tutors
- Foundation Phase specialists
Pathways
Foundation to Advanced English
Foundation
First sounds, phonics and early reading that make English feel like play.
Fluency
Grade 1 to 6: speaking, grammar, vocabulary and reading that keeps pace with school.
Advanced
Confident English for study, travel, work and business, spoken out loud.
Questions parents ask
Good to know
Updated 1 October 2026. Can't find your question? WhatsApp us and a real person will reply.