Our Expert Tutors and Consultants

Simon Lewis

Simon is a director of UES Education and Head of Consultancy. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2003, and then trained as an English language teacher. Prior to working at UES, Simon also worked in business development for Working Links, a public-private partnership running Government contracts, and then set up a social enterprise offering career, financial, and housing advice in Kensington and Chelsea. He is also an accomplished cellist, and has toured extensively across the UK and Europe.

Simon has designed and delivered courses for a wide range of students from teenagers to postgraduates and professionals, and brings over ten years of teaching experience to UES. Simon has designed English courses and resources for the full spectrum of US standardised tests, and also teaches the maths and science components of the ACT, SAT, ISEE, and SSAT. His approach to teaching and to designing courses is to focus not only on what is taught, but also on how students learn, and to challenge and motivate students in a supportive, relaxed environment. His students have gone on to gain places at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Duke, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and many more.

Laurence Varda

Though born in Leicester, Laurence grew up in Palo Alto, California, in the heart of the tech world. He earned his BSc in Pure Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego, and went on to do his MA in Professional Acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In addition to tutoring, Laurence is an actor, and has toured nationally and internationally with Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. He is passionate about theatre, cooking, and kick-boxing.

Laurence firmly believes that the key to a student’s success is in their developing a strong understanding of material, rather than their learning exclusively how to implement it. He is greatly motivated by his own experience in education, and understands how valuable it is for students to experience successes in their study that allow them to develop positive associations with the subjects they are covering. Having taught and studied in both the US and UK, Laurence has a deep understanding of the differences in approach, curriculum, and grammar between the two countries and so is able to    He has tutored both in test prep, and as a supplement to classroom education. At UES, Laurence tutors all sections of the ACT, SAT, ISEE and SSAT, as well as both levels of the SAT Math Subject Tests.

Jackie Sams

Jackie recently earned her MA at University College London, studying Education, Health Promotion and International Development. Originally from the United States, Jackie earned an undergraduate degree from James Madison University in Virginia.

Following university Jackie worked for the US government in the AmeriCorps NCCC program developing community engagement and educational program planning. Following her time there, she served as a case manager where she continued to engage with her community working one-on-one with clients supporting them in their employment applications. These experiences are now something she has translated into helping students achieve success in their US college testing and applications.

With over 8 years of tuition experience, Jackie has applied her experience to help students earn top marks on the SAT and ACT exams. She is certified in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) giving her a unique English instruction background well-suited to help students of all English abilities preform their best.Jackie's strong background in theoretical and applied education has led to her full-time employment at UES, becoming one of our most sought-after tutors. Her unique ability to apply education theory to her teaching allows her to tailor each session towards her student's needs in the most productive manner, all while providing encouragement along the way.

Bassam Beidas

Originally from Lebanon, Bassam earned a full-ride tennis scholarship to Pepperdine University in California, where he earned a BSc in Business Administration. After reaching the top 500 in the professional tennis world rankings, he founded a thriving start-up in Beirut that later brought him to London.

Having amassed over 500+ hours of US standardised tutoring, Bassam has honed his teaching abilities to work with students of all levels. He places a heavy emphasis on understanding how the test-writers think and getting his students to identify the traps that are waiting for them. He also leverages lessons learned from his time as an athlete, working with his students to improve their diet, sleep, and more in order to bring out peak performance on test day. Bassam has worked with students from many of the top schools in London such as Eton, Harrow, American School in London, and Brighton College.

In London, Bassam successfully gained entry to the London Business School for his MBA. Bassam’s journey to business school required him to master the GMAT, which further honed his skills in mathematics and English. Bassam used his own teaching methods for the SAT and ACT to help inform his own GMAT studies. Bassam channels his recent test prep into his teaching, as he understands first-hand the pressures of standardised tests such as the SAT and ACT. In the process, Bassam developed the belief that anyone can conquer a standardised test if they are willing to work hard and try different methods.

Olivia Munk

Olivia grew up in Queens, New York and attended Harvard University in 2012. She graduated Cum Laude in 2016 with a degree in English and a minor in Mind/Brain/Behavior. At Harvard, she was an active theatre director and wrote for The Crimson's magazine, Fifteen Minutes ,  for which she served as Editor-at-Large. She blogged for Harvard's Office for the Arts, and was a Becky Greenwald Ledecky Fellow for Harvard Magazine, which allowed her to write columns, news articles, and personal dispatches. After graduating, she went on to pursue a Master of Studies in English (1900-present) at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. She was awarded a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa in order to found her theatre company, Part of the Main, which focuses on improving the representation of women creatives and women's stories in the professional theatre industry.

At UES Olivia specializes in assisting students with both the Maths and English sides of the SAT and the ACT, as well as the SAT Subject Tests. Olivia approaches tuition is a friendly manner, taking special consideration of a student's comfort. Olivia believes that when students feel supported in lessons, they are able to better engage and take an active role in their studies. Olivia excels at making the content approachable, particularly for students who may feel intimidated by the harder maths concepts such as algebra or complex American grammar concepts.

As well as tuition, Olivia also provides application support for personal statements, essays, and college choice. 

Matt Lukacs

After graduating from the University of York with a degree in Theoretical Physics, Matt joined the accountancy firm KPMG to begin a career in finance. Having a change of heart, he then decided to study for his PhD in nuclear fusion at Imperial College, investigating the safety analysis of commercial fusion power stations.

Matt headed various seminars during his time at university and volunteered to help younger students tackle set problems. Since then, he has amassed hundreds of hours of tuition covering a wide range of exams from GCSE English to university physics. He now specialises in US standardised tests and has experience leading courses covering all sections of the SAT and ACT at top schools including Charterhouse, Southbank, King's Canterbury, Ardingly, and Bradfield College.

Matt is a firm believer that anyone can solve complex problems if they’re explained in the right way. His passion for the subjects he teaches can be seen in his approach to lessons, not simply repeating facts but allowing a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the subject at hand. As Matt has vast experience teaching the entirety of the SAT and ACT, he's able to help students apply their strengths in one section or another to the areas they struggle with most.

Aida Rocci Ruiz

Aida grew up in Spain and always considered studying in the United States a distant dream more than an actual option. She began studying Business Administration and Finance at CUNEF, in Madrid. After three years, she ventured into the peculiarities of the US application system on her own and became one of the twelve transfer students accepted into Harvard University in 2011.Aida graduated from Harvard Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors in Psychology in 2014. Her experience led her to co-found a non-profit organization to empower and coach Spanish students from non-international schools to access top American universities.

Shortly after, Aida returned to Harvard to pursue a Master in Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Theatre Studies at the American Repertory Institute in collaboration with the Moscow Art Theatre. During her postgraduate studies at Harvard, she became a teaching fellow, assisting top field professors and leading several undergraduate classes. Now, as a professional dramaturg, she helps playwrights and directors to find their unique voice to express their ideas. She uses the same skills to she can inspire young students to tell their story in a compelling and personal way for their application essays. Currently, she is pursuing a second masters in London at the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. On top of teaching, she continues to work as a literary advisor and editor in the drama and writes for The Theatre Times.

All of these experiences inform how Aida approaches tutoring. She focuses in developing the student’s learning tactics for long-term gains. Utilising skills from her academic and professional experiences, she curates how students learn and connect different materials with both rigour and ease. In a relaxed, friendly, and supportive atmosphere, students often find that they already had the key to learning in them and leave with long-lasting strategies to tackle new learning challenges.

Ryan Denny

After graduating from the University of York with a degree in Mathematics & Physics, Ryan worked for Applied intelligence, the technology consulting arm of BAE Systems. Following this, he returned to academia to begin his PhD at Imperial College, with his research focusing on modelling arterial haemodynamics with a view towards developing a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of heart failure.

Ryan is passionate about education, and has several years of experience in tutoring exams in a range of exams covering English grammar to university mathematics. He now focuses on the US entrance exams and, in addition to hundreds of hours or private tuition, has led courses in all sections of the SAT and ACT.

Ryan does not believe in a one-size-fits-all tutoring approach as every student is different; as such, he tailors his lessons to suit the individual needs of the learner. While he adapts his method of teaching, his overarching goals stay constant: to help a student develop both a comprehensive subject knowledge and the confidence to tackle problems independently.

Outside of tutoring Ryan’s main interest is sport, and he plays both squash and football regularly.