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TCBC exists to help teachers provide a whole world of memorable learning outside of the classroom. We have years of experience planning inspiring, fun and educational tours.
Our story
We are a family business combining a strong educational and travel background in Russia together with vast experience of planning and leading school tours.
We began life as Russian City Breaks in 2005 unintentionally but happily focussing on the niche market of organising educational school tours to Russia. Teachers, delighted with our services, began to ask if we could organise trips to other destinations, and we have since been gradually adding new destinations to our portfolio. The huge success of these tours led to our rebranding and TCBC School Tours was born from our registered name - The City Break Company.
Year on year we continue to grow steadily and confidently, with more and more schools choosing TCBC. We are a market leader in customised educational school tours and currently take more schools to Russia than any other tour operator.
Your customer experience with us is paramount. We believe it is important you know who you are working with and who is responsible for organising your tour. We therefore make every effort to visit schools and meet the teachers who place their trust in TCBC.
We want to work together with you for many years to come and will do all we can to ensure you and your students enjoy the trip of a lifetime with us. We look forward to organising your next school trip!
Meet our team
Our dedicated team is on hand to offer help and advice at every stage. Here you can get to know us a little better...
Rebecca Ford
Tour CoordinatorRebecca came down from Sunderland to study at Manchester University and fell in love with the city. Before joining TCBC Rebecca worked as a
Rebecca Ford
Tour Coordinator- Favourite city Washington DC
- rebecca@tcbcschooltours.co.uk
- rebecca.kate.ford
Rebecca came down from Sunderland to study at Manchester University and fell in love with the city. Before joining TCBC Rebecca worked as a secondary teacher of Travel, Tourism and Aviation. She enjoyed working in education but missed both working in travel and living in Manchester. Her role at TCBC is the perfect mix of travel and education so she now gets the best of both worlds and as a result is very passionate about her job.
"I really enjoy travelling and I love immersing myself in different cultures. In my personal life I have been lucky enough to see quite a lot of the world including South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Dubai and a lot of destinations around Europe. Fortunately, my job also gives me opportunities to travel and since joining TCBC, I have been to Washington DC, Moscow, St Petersburg, Berlin, Tallinn, Krakow and the WW1 Battlefields.
It is hard to pick a favourite destination as I have learned so much from all of them, however, Washington DC stands out for me. I was lucky to visit at a time of year when the weather was fantastic and the beautiful cherry blossom trees had just come into bloom. I really liked how laid back the city felt. It has a lot of green open space for such a major city, whilst steeped in history with famous buildings and monuments around every corner. "
Nicola McConville
Tour AdministrationNicola comes from a strong travel background and has travelled widely, through work and personally. She studied Travel and Tourism
Nicola McConville
Tour Administration- Favourite city Paris
- nicola@tcbcschooltours.co.uk
- nicola.mcconville2
Nicola comes from a strong travel background and has travelled widely, through work and personally. She studied Travel and Tourism together with languages, including Russian, and has worked in various roles within the industry. She is passionate about providing excellent customer service, being organised and building strong relationships with clients, which fits in perfectly with her role at TCBC.
"I have always had a passion for travelling the world and learning about different cultures along the way. Any opportunity to do this is most welcome and I’ve been extremely lucky to visit Moscow, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Berlin, Madrid, Iceland, Washington DC and the WW1 Battlefields whilst working at TCBC. I love my job, especially learning about new destinations and hearing the fantastic feedback our schools provide us with after their trips!
There are so many places I’ve visited that I’ve fallen in love with but I would have to say Paris probably tops the list. It has everything; interesting culture, great food, bustling nightlife, fascinating sights, intriguing history and amazing fashion. The French language is beautiful and there’s just so much to do. My favourite memory was seeing the Eiffel Tower's twinkling lights in the evening.”
Natalia Sotshjova
Contracts ManagerFor Natalia, being Contracts Manager at TCBC is a wide and varying role. It involves contracting with and auditing suppliers
Natalia Sotshjova
Contracts Manager- Favourite city St Petersburg
- natalia@tcbcschooltours.co.uk
- natalia.sotshjova
For Natalia, being Contracts and Health & Safety Manager at TCBC is a wide and varying role. It involves contracting with and auditing suppliers, making sure that every accommodation and coach company we use meets the highest Health and Safety standards. Every aspect has to be questioned, checked and then checked again.
Natalia is fascinated by educational tours and believes that the most important thing in life is to give children the opportunity to see, learn and experience the world. Natalia loves good music, strong coffee and when things are arranged and systemised to perfection.
"My favourite city is definitely St Petersburg. It is magnificent - palaces, bridges, canals, history and stories. You can never get bored there and I particularly like the White Nights period when the city never sleeps."
Victoria Demidova
Operations SpecialistVictoria works in the Operations department, and is responsible for the logistics and planning of your tour and will no doubt
Victoria Demidova
Operations Specialist- Favourite city Istanbul
- victoria@tcbcschooltours.co.uk
- victoriademidova
Victoria works in the Operations department, and is responsible for the logistics and planning of your tour and will no doubt be in touch prior to departure to finalise your itinerary. Victoria often travels to our destinations to meet with suppliers, so don't be surprised if you meet her on tour!
Victoria spent 4 years studying in Denmark and is delighted to be putting her degree in Tourism and International Hospitality to good use. “I’m lucky to be using my education in tourism at work. I enjoy helping to plan the tours knowing that students will have a great time!”
Victoria's favourite city is Istanbul. ''I fell in love with this place the moment I stepped off the plane. Istanbul is a modern city, but what makes it unique is the mix of Oriental and Western influences. It is just so different from any other place I have been to. Here you will experience a variety of cultural differences, but Turkish hospitality won’t let you leave the city without warm memories. ‘
Kristina Sinitsina
Operations ManagerKristina is TCBC's longest serving employee, having joined us back in 2007. She is our Logistics and Operations Manager, based
Kristina Sinitsina
Operations Manager- Favourite city Rome
- kristina@tcbcschooltours.co.uk
- kristinaakke
Kristina joined TCBC in 2007, assisting Dan with tour logistics. Now our longest serving employee, Kristina's primary role as Operations Manager is to ensure the tour process runs smoothly for all our clients.
Kristina works closely with Asia, Mila, Tatyana and Natalia in the Tallinn office to oversee and manage all tour itineraries and suppliers. Having worked for so many years with Russia, there is no challenge that Kristina won't accept!
Kristina enjoys seeing how TCBC is growing, how dedicated the people are to working here and how each tour has its own heart and soul. The best reward for all the hard work that goes into each tour is positive feedback and happy clients.
Kristina's favourite place to travel to is Rome. "I love Rome for it’s magnificent and ancient history, its endless energy, power and wisdom which you feel all around you. Combined with awe-inspiring architecture, world famous heritage and delicious food - this city is a place I always want to return to."
Our Clients
Hundreds of schools from all over the world have entrusted us with their tours. It doesn’t matter where your school is located - we can organise your trip. We'll be happy to provide you with references and feedback from teachers who have run similar school trips.
Our Guides
In our opinion, the most important element of your trip is your guide. We spend a lot of time allocating guides and deciding who should work with which group. Our local guides are definitely a big asset of ours and are sure to make your tour a big success.
TCBC Educational Advisor
School tours are first and foremost educational experiences. It's important that your tour meets your learning objectives and relates to your curriculum. TCBC School Tours works closely with our Educational Advisor, Ruth Tarrant, to provide you with detailed and relevant curriculum links.
Social responsibility
As TCBC's success is so inextricably linked to Russia and to providing fantastic opportunities to young people, we feel it important to give something back to those less fortunate.
Our chosen charity
We proudly support the Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund (ROOF) by making a contribution from every tour
Personal growth
ROOF’s main goal is to provide opportunities for personal growth for orphans in Russia
Ability to change lives
The people at ROOF do fantastic work by providing the orphans with the tools to change their own lives
TCBC have been simply the best organised, knowledgeable and effective tour company I've travelled with in 20 years. I would recommend them wholeheartedly to any teacher considering a foreign visit.
Ruth Tarrant
Before becoming an educational consultant and advisor, Ruth gained significant experience of teaching of economics, politics, business and maths, in a range of educational settings, and also had responsibility for educational enrichment and teaching/learning quality.
She has run many school trips, both day and residential, to a number of UK and overseas destinations, and is passionate about drawing out the learning opportunities in every experience.
In her own time, she is a seasoned traveller; recent trips with her own small children include inter-railing around Europe, exploring China and Tibet by public transport, and hiking in California's national parks. In addition to advising TCBC on the educational and curriculum links for their trips, Ruth is also Subject Lead for Economics and Global Politics at Tutor2u Limited, a Principal Examiner at A-level, occasional supply teacher to Hampshire sixth forms and schools, and a kettlebell sport competitor.
Ruth has regularly had academic work published by The Economist's publishers and Anforme Ltd. She holds a degree from Oxford in Economics and Management, an MA from Warwick in International Relations, and a post-16 teaching qualification.