Our Expert Tutors and Counsellors

Simon Lewis

Simon is a director of UES Education and Head of College Counselling. 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

Born in the UK, Laurence grew up in Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego, and went on to do his M.A. in Professional Acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In addition to tutoring, Laurence is an actor, and has toured nationally and internationally. He is passionate about theatre, cooking, and martial arts.

Laurence believes that working within a growth mindset is key to helping students maximize their potential, and that too many students incorrectly believe that the limiting factor in their success is their innate ability, as opposed to the effectiveness of their strategies. 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 content between the two countries, and is experienced in bridging these gaps. He has tutored both in test prep, and as a supplement to regular 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.

Dan Escott

Having recently moved to London with over 5,000 hours of test prep experience, Dan utilizes his past decade of work in the United States as an ACT & SAT tutor to meet the needs of all students. He has taken over 80 ACTs and SATs in order to fully understand the test patterns and to be able to deconstruct both tests into clear, learnable entities.

Collaborating with his students, Dan breaks down each section into question types, patterns, and strategies that can be mastered through practice. This approach empowers his students to develop comfort, proficiency, and overall fluency with the standardized test. Dan works with both the students and their parents to ensure that his students set goals and remain accountable through purpose-driven homework. Interpersonal relationships are important to Dan, so he focuses on developing a strong rapport with his students and getting to know their motivators.

Dan holds a BA from Wake Forest University and an M.Ed from Eastern University. Prior to becoming a full time test tutor in 2014, Dan was a member of the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows’ eleventh cohort, an organization that seeks to bring high quality teachers to the most economically disadvantaged schools in the Philadelphia School District. Within the PSD, Dan taught social studies to students from 7th-12th grade and ran SAT workshops. Outside of education, Dan has recently relocated with his wife and two cats from Philadelphia to Crouch End. Dan religiously follows the Philadelphia 76ers (his hometown’s basketball franchise) and remains active through basketball, running, swimming, and lifting.

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.

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.

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'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.

Ezra Harker Shaw

Originally from Scotland, Ezra is one of our most experienced English tutors and teaches the full spectrum of US standardized tests including the ISEE, SSAT, SAT, and ACT, as well as UK tests including Common Entrance exams. Since graduating with a 1st Class English Degree, Ezra has gone on to obtain a MA in Russian Literature from UCL and is currently undertaking a PhD on Collaboration in Literature.

A tutor for nearly ten years, Ezra has taught the SAT and ACT in top schools around the UK including City of London Boy's School, Uppingham, Marymount and LAE Tottenham. As part of UES, Ezra has helped their students gain places at top colleges in both the USA and UK. They particularly specializes in working with students who have dyslexia or other learning difficulties.

A published poet, Ezra runs poetry workshops and also teaches English & Creative Writing at university level. Their experience with writing and literature helps inform their teaching style, as their teaches students to think critically while encouraging their talents and building their confidence. Using this wealth of experience, Ezra is able to tailor their teaching in order to be effective when working with students of all different ages and backgrounds.

Maria Blesie

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.