Our expert private tutors
Our highly-educated and friendly tutors have all achieved full marks on the tests that they teach, and know them inside out.
All of our tutors:
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Have achieved full marks on the tests they teach;
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Are highly educated at top US or UK universities (many have PhDs);
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Undergo extensive training in these tests;
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Know the application processes for schools and universities inside out;
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Are passionate about their subjects and about teaching;
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Have CPD-certified Safeguarding qualifications updated regularly;
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Are fully DBS checked; and
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Want you to do as well as possible.
Our tutors are selected not just for their experience and their knowledge of their subject areas but also for their communication and motivational skills. They’ve graduated from some of the best universities in the US and UK, and understand the American standardised tests inside out. They’re passionate about helping students to achieve their goals and know how to get them there through the right balance of challenge and support.
We only take on tutors who have a proven track record. Before starting work with us, tutors undergo extensive training in our teaching methodology. Our most experienced tutors have well over 1000 hours of standardised test experience.
About our Academic Director, Lead Tutors, and Senior Tutors:
Our
Tutors
are experienced specialists, who have passed the tests they teach with full marks. Our
Senior Tutors
are highly experienced specialists, who have taught several hundred hours each. Our
Lead Tutors
are our two most experienced and popular tutors and who lead on courses. Our
Academic Director
is Dan Escott, who leads on all learning, teaching, and curriculum development at UES. All our tutors have passed the tests with perfect scores, and have all gone through a thorough recruitment and assessment process.
Here is a selection of our tutors:
Aida Rocci Ruiz (Lead Tutor)
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's 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. She then went on to a second Master's in London at the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; 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 inspire young students to tell their story in a compelling and personal way in their US college applications. On top of teaching, she continues to work as a literary advisor and editor in the dramatic arts, 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.
Aida teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
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ISEE and SSAT: all sections and levels
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AP: Psychology
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US College Counselling and Application Support
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US College Essay Guidance
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Portfolio Review
Maria Blesie (Lead Tutor)
Born in the US, Maria grew up in London before moving back across the pond for university. She graduated from Princeton University in 2018 with an A.B. degree in History (summa cum laude), and her senior thesis analysed the evolution of Anglo-American informal diplomacy between 1887 and 1945. Maria is passionate about history, and was an editor for the Princeton Historical Review, a bi-annual journal of the best independent historical research produced by undergraduate students at the university.
At Princeton, Maria served as a Fellow at the Princeton Writing Centre, where she worked with university students on assignments ranging from short response papers to senior theses with multiple chapters. Her teaching emphasised equipping students with the tools to continue developing proficiency in their writing in the long-term, and she is a firm believer in adapting her tutoring approach to the individual needs of her students.
Maria teaches the ACT and SAT, and aims to work with students to develop the tools and skills they need to succeed in these exams. In her spare time, Maria enjoys reading, exploring museums, and watching football and tennis. She is also a singer, and hopes to join a choir again soon.
Maria teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
Arun Janssens
Originally from Japan, Arun moved to the United States to attend Brown University, where he earned a BA in Biology. During is degree, Arun worked as a Teaching Assistant for an advanced cell biology seminar where he helped graduate and undergraduate students synthesize information from lecture material and understand key points from assigned research literature.
After graduating, Arun continued in the education sector and became an Assistant Science Teacher in New York City where he taught students with learning difficulties such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism. With abilities and needs varying from student to student, Arun's challenge was to identify key areas where his students required support and design personalised lesson plans to target those areas accordingly. This attention to the specific needs of students has served him well at UES, as tailors each lesson towards the needs of the individual pupil.
As someone who independently applied to US universities as an international student, Arun has a personal understanding of how daunting the admissions process can feel from the outside looking in. Arun looks to make the process feel more accessible to students who may not be well acquainted with standardised tests or the US approach to education, while motivating them to do their best. Arun has passed all sections of the SAT and ACT with full marks and teaches all aspects of the exams.Outside of tutoring, Arun works as a Community Disability Advocate where he empowers clients to advocate for their rights and supports them as they engage with their communities.
Arun teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
Sarah Azamtu
Sarah graduated from the University of Bristol where she obtained her Master's in Aerospace Engineering. At university she first began privately tutoring during her free time, coaching students to achieve high marks in their A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate.
During her time at Bristol she conducted multiple research projects focusing on areas such as advanced composites and bridging the gap between human-computer interaction and materials science. She also has a keen interest in space travel and was lucky enough to work with Airbus and The European Space Agency, working on the design and development of one of their Earth observation satellites. Outside of the lecture theatre, she was a cheerleader on her university’s national champion team where she was thrown into the air hundreds of times a week! In her term breaks, she also liked to spend her time hiking and volunteering abroad and was fortunate enough to receive an award from her university for this work.
After achieving her master's degree with First Class Honours, her interest in space led her to a role at a cutting-edge reusable rocket engine company in Oxford. Tutoring has always been something she has enjoyed and she is particularly drawn to the challenging style of the SATs and ACTs. She believes it is important to excite and encourage her students so that they are eager to learn, especially as the tests require students to think differently from what they may be used to with the UK curriculum.
Sarah teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
Yinka Banjo
After earning his BSc in Biological Sciences at UCL, Yinka left the UK to join a Chinese tech startup on a scholarship from the British Council. Since his return in early 2018, Yinka has continued to pursue his passion for technology through participation in hackathons across the capital where most recently his team had the opportunity to pitch to investors and VCs.
A keen believer in the power of education to transform and access to a quality education being a fundamental human right, Yinka began his life as a private Tutor helping underprivileged students obtain top grades in STEM subjects. Since then, Yinka has amassed over 1000 hours worth of tutoring experience across GCSE, A Levels and university entrance exams with a particular affinity for US standardized tests.
Yinka’s passion for teaching is a direct product of his passion for learning and he always endeavours to not only help students improve their attainment, but to also cultivate a genuine desire to know more. Yinka believes in meeting students exactly at their point of need, using language and strategies which are bespoke and centered around their unique requirements.
Outside of his work as a Tutor, Yinka can normally be found rebooting his computer after writing buggy code.
Yinka teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
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SSAT: all levels
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ISEE: all levels
Honor Granville
A recent graduate from Georgetown University where she obtained a degree in Government & Politics (with minors in Music and English), Honor has personal experience of the process of applying to US colleges from the UK.
Before moving to the US, Honor worked as both an Academic and Peer Mentor while at Latymer school, which involved private, confidential counselling for students on a regular basis as well as academic support in English, Maths, and French. In addition, Honor has also worked at Notting Hill Preparatory School as a Gap Year Assistant, where she was selected by the Special Educational Needs Department to work individually with younger students. Most recently, Honor took part in Georgetown's Sursum Corda Program, meeting twice weekly with students to build literacy and reading comprehension.
Having studied in the US, Honor has extensive knowledge of and insight into the admissions process, including SAT/ACT tests and college essays. Honor uses her past experiences in both tutoring and mentoring to build relationships with students and work collaboratively with them throughout the testing process. Through this approach, she is able to transmit her enjoyment of the teaching and learning process in each lesson.
Honor teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
Laurence Collin
Laurence Collin is a full-time professional tutor specialising in US university standardised testing. With over 6 years of professional experience in the field, Laurence is one of our top senior tutors specialising maths and sciences.
Prior to studying physics and philosophy at the University of Bristol, Laurence attended Highgate School here in London. There, he earned two prestigious scholarships and excelled in his studies. Laurence's experience at Highgate School allows him to connect with students attending similar schools as he knows first-hand the demands of being enrolled in a top UK institution. Laurence has helped students with US standardised tests from excellent schools around the UK including Harrow School, Tonbridge School, UCS, and LAE Tottenham.
Laurence believes a key tenet to doing well is to identifying the student's motivation. Whether from curiosity, wonder, the thrill of learning, or the more prosaic desire to succeed and get qualifications, students need to have motivation to learn. Finding out a student's driving reason for tuition helps him tailor their sessions to best revolve around the student reaching their goals.In his spare time he likes playing tennis and listening to podcasts.
Laurence teaches:
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ACT: Maths and Science sections
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SAT: Maths sections
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A Level: Maths and Physics
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Specialist Subjects: Maths, Physics
Martine Gagnon
Martine has worked with US applications for over ten years. Her past students have been accepted to a range of selective colleges in the US, the UK, Canada, France, Spain, and Argentina. She helps students with every step of the admissions process, from creating balanced college lists and drafting essays, to editing portfolios and researching financial aid. She is also the in-house College Counsellor at Wetherby Senior School and Charterhouse.
Martine received her BA in Spanish Literature and her MA in Translation Studies from Concordia University in her native Montreal. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a year at the University of Toronto. She has taught English and Translation classes at University College London and the Sorbonne in Paris. Her love of everything university-related has allowed her to teach and work across three continents, in three different languages!
Martine teaches:
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ACT: all sections
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SAT: all sections
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GRE and GMAT: Verbal and Writing sections
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ISEE and SSAT: all sections and levels
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UCAT: all sections
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US College Counselling and Application Support
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US College Essay Guidance
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UK University Essay and Personal Statement Guidance
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Specialist Subjects: English Literature, World History, French, and Spanish
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