No Two Days The Same

Zoë Bird escaped Groundhog Day with a Stagecoach Performing Arts School franchise

Zoë Bird has a natural talent for performing arts and previous accolades include fronting a band for over 20 years and working with the likes of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

When Zoë and her husband started a family, she took an office job to find stability for her children, but the mundane routine meant every day felt like Groundhog Day.

Imparting her wisdom

“It turned out that a 9-5 job wasn’t for me,” Zoë explains. “I went back to what I knew and became a teacher with Stagecoach Performing Arts School.”

The creativity, partnered with the stable teaching lifestyle, was perfect for Zoë and she revelled in passing her wisdom onto her young students. Yet with so much passion and drive from her days of auditioning, before long Zoë was searching for her next challenge.

“Myself and my husband had always considered starting something independent, in the way of a performing arts school,” Zoë says. “He works in the performing arts field too, so experience wasn’t going to be a problem.

“As I was already working for them, I knew Stagecoach could offer me support in starting my own business and the reassurance of the Stagecoach name and reputation appealed to us.”

For almost 30 years the Stagecoach model has been proven and refined to become one of the UK’s leading performing arts opportunities. Franchisees build a team of equally passionate and enthusiastic teachers, qualified to bring out the best in their students.

Stagecoach schools provide a thriving, nurturing and supportive environment for creative learning - just one of the reasons why 40,000 children every week flock to classes nationwide.

Today, a network of more than 300 franchisees operate over 650 schools offering 1,645 classes in eight countries. Through an exciting and varied framework of teaching and development, franchisees have helped to unlock the potential of more than one million students since the company opened in 1988.

Easy decision

I launched my Stagecoach business in January 2017,” Zoë says. “With my previous experience, both as a young singer looking for guidance and as a Stagecoach teacher, I felt it was important to pass on my knowledge to young performers.

“It was a no brainer really. I felt at home with Stagecoach and was excited to put the va-va voom into my own business.

“On a personal level, I’ve found that all important work-life balance, which is such a luxury. I finally have the time to spend with my husband and our four children.

“I manage my time around all my responsibilities. I work on the business in the morning, do the school run in the afternoon and still find the time to walk my beloved dog, Brontë.

“One thing’s for sure, as a Stagecoach principal, two days are never the same.”