1. Headlines: ‘Who am I’

Limited slots left for 2023-24 academic year & upcoming Pre-test | 11+ | 13+ exams

…but I don’t gauge my success using my own qualifications and achievements. For me, the true measure of success is in fact the achievement of my students who I commit myself to. Here are some recent highlights of these phenomenal successes…

For details on services offered, please scroll further down to Sections 7/8

2. Student Successes 2024-25

✓ 23 out of 25 students gained offers from top choice UK universities, with 100% offers from Russell Group (inc. LSE, UCL, Imperial, King’s, Warwick, Durham) and / or Oxbridge (40% of all Oxbridge offers were across Economics / PPE, Management / E&M, Engineering, Medicine, NatSci, Law, HSPS, IR in the following colleges: Oxford: St. John’s, Christ Church, Magdalen | Cambridge: King’s, Trinity, Jesus, Sidney Sussex, Pembroke). Remaining offers across diverse courses (inc. Psychology, Architecture, Fashion Mgmt.) | 100% offers from European universities (inc. ETH, EPFL, EHL, Bocconi, Maastricht, Groningen, Esade)

✓ 100% of GCSE, AL and IB students (inc. home-schooled) appearing across AQA, OCR, EdExcel, WJEC, IB, CAIE, N5 and Highers achieved a 1-3+ grade improvement, with 100% attaining grade A/7/A2 or higher (32% achieved grade 8/9/A*/A1) and 5 exceeding expectations with school & national awards / 100% 'perfect' score / scholarships for stellar performance

✓ Two Year 13 students achieved Gold in Rounds 1 & 2 of the RSC Chemistry Olympiad, with one making it to the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)

✓ Three students awarded ‘Top Gold’ in Intermediate / Senior Physics Challenge and British Physics Olympiad Challenge, with one qualifying for the Int. Physics Olympiad (IPhO) and achieved Silver

✓ 10 students gained successful 16+ entry into St. Paul’s, Westminster, City of London, KCS, King’s Maths School, Sevenoaks, Perse, Magdalen | 12 students gained 13+ entry into Eton, Winchester, Harrow, Brighton, Wellington, NLCS, Dulwich, JAGS, Reed’s, Epsom, KGS (student scored top mark after being under my tutelage at a ‘satisfactory’ Ofsted-rated school) | Eight 11+ students successful for St. Paul’s, Hampton, LEH, Latymer, Tiffin, Henrietta Barnett, London / Sutton / Slough 11+ Consortiums | Four students successful for 7+/10+/12+/14+ exceptional entry route

✓ Two Year 10 students achieved Gold in Maths UKMT IMC, qualified for Cayley, Hamilton and Maclaurin, and won ‘Best in School’ award in two separate UK top 10 grammar schools. Three students achieved Gold in UKMT JMC and SMC, qualified for Kangaroo

✓ Three AL students selected as finalists across Marshall Society, John Locke Institute and Young Economist of the Year Essay competitions, with several recognised for commended submissions

You may get the perception that I only support gifted children. Not at all! This is only part of my work. The majority of my teaching is geared towards offering support to students across all capabilities. The reason is quite simple - students operating at the median level present the greatest potential for improvement and this is what I strive for.

I consciously take on a balanced mix of students across grammar, state, independent (inc. boarding) and international schools to refine my teaching skills in diverse settings and leverage best practices across the different routes.

If you or your child are aiming for Oxbridge or a Russell Group university, then you must seek guidance from someone who has ‘been there, done that’. Having attended Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College for STEM and Economics / Mgmt. courses, and excelled at these world-class institutions through achieving gold medals, accolades, awards and scholarships, along with a 13-year continuous track record of successfully supporting students to follow in my footsteps, I am in an extremely strong position to support and mentor you.

3. Qualifications | Awards | Credentials

University of Cambridge Awards: MPhil awarded with Distinction, 2011 Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarship, 2011 Jesus College Scholar, 2011 Albert Goh & Elizabeth Coupe Scholar, Ranked Top 2 in year

University of Oxford Awards: Distinction, Top Rank in Cohort with ‘outstanding’ feedback & highest scores across 7 out of 8 professional submissions

Imperial College Awards: 2010 Willis Jackson Medal & Prize, 2010 IET Prize, 2010 Best Overall BEng Student Award, Youngest Ever Graduate Award (EEE), Top Rank in class of 140+, BEng First Class Honours

Gaining 3 promotions in 4.5 years at a global management consultancy in my early 20s, I also ran financial / strategy / business modelling courses and developed professional training resources for new graduates. I now work as a Head of Department. I have trained now-successful tutors and teachers through my popular boot camps, and most of their profiles are featured on here.

I have contributed to AQA exam paper questions as part of a core subject team (roles performed: Senior Examiner, Professional Proofreader and Assessment Reviser). I have also revised excerpts from EdExcel GCSE and AL core curriculum textbooks. Having undertaken these unique roles has equipped me with a clear view of what examiners look for and can therefore prepare you for your upcoming exams with more precision.

I have also consulted Pearson to understand the needs of schools and students, and co-developed a framework to measure academic efficacy of curriculums. I conducted support clinics / classes for Cambridge University Management Studies Tripos undergraduates.

I have self-developed tailored / tried-and-tested resources, study packs and education consulting frameworks to support with decision-making across all key milestones of your educational / career journey e.g. GCSE / AL / IB subject selection, university / course choices on UCAS, pathways to postgraduate study, admissions strategy (UK, EU, US, SGP, AU or combinations).

Given I provide consultancy and advice to leading educational agencies / websites for entrance and secondary school, and develop materials for them, I have access to all resources, including paid ones, and even those which haven’t yet been publicly made available.

After completing numerous teaching residentials across Europe and Middle East, I have now settled in West London and take on a limited number of new students, given a large proportion of my students are referrals who continue until the end of their sixth form / university journey.

My past students have progressed to become successful investment bankers, asset managers, engineers, doctors, architects, barristers and entrepreneurs. If you are keen to join that list, please send me a message.

4. Support scenarios | Case studies | ‘Who are you’

Regardless of your situation and educational needs, my specialised and adaptable approach delivers results. I have a seamless onboarding process, slick tools in place to track progress / weekly homework, simple payments / scheduling, and can therefore hit the ground running fast. I am ultra-responsive to queries and usually respond within seconds. Here are some typical scenarios / case studies that I have added value to:

Super engaged parents wanting to ensure their child achieves that dream school or university offer, or their target grades
Hands-on parents in international locations, such as Hong Kong, China, India, UAE, who want to provide extra support to their child at boarding or local school (inc. BIS and AIS) to stay abreast of content / achieve their next milestone
Busy, hands-off parents in the city not able to carve up enough time to keep up with their child’s educational needs and want to bring in an expert to take accountability and fill any gaps
Ambitious GCSE / AL / IB / AP student who tends to lose marks on specific exam questions (e.g. 6-markers in Science or last few questions in IGCSE Maths) and want to master exam technique to maximise marks
Student aiming to stay on top of academics after having joined their target secondary / grammar school (pre-GCSE readiness)
Student who has missed their target grade and wishes to re-sit and reapply to university
PA, nanny, Family Office Manager or agency looking to fulfil the educational requirements for their client
Family who travels in between locations with disparate time zones for holidays / work assignments but want to ensure their child’s educational needs continue to be seamlessly met

See brochure under Resources section

5. Approach | Methodology: Motivate, Inspire, Educate | ‘How do I work’

I have a proven methodology evidenced by a strong track record of 1-3+ grade improvement and verified student reviews acquired post exam results (not after the first 1-2 sessions). Several of these reviews have come from high-achieving students and their parents (inc. professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, C-suite / NED members), with high standards themselves, which is a testament to the success of my approach.

My mantra to deliver an exceptional teaching experience, regardless of student capability and parenting approach, traces back to my strategy consulting days where I was professionally trained to advise FTSE100 clients / board members on key business challenges as part of leading major projects in the education and government sectors. I have extended the same approach to my students and their parents to deliver truly remarkable outcomes, evidenced by strong and credible client references and feedback.

I personalise my lessons around the specific needs, unique psychology and learning preferences of each student. An initial diagnostic is conducted to identify their requirements which then feeds into a targeted plan refined over time. The plan factors in the student’s distinct learning capabilities, current / target grades and parent / school feedback. Consequently, each lesson is underpinned by this structured plan, which sits within the student’s ‘live tracker’, and is followed by weekly customised prep based on their performance in the lesson. I also maximise the content covered in each session and share actionable feedback. These strategies ensure that each lesson adds significant value and hence boosts the chances of achieving the top grade.

Having worked with hundreds of UK state / independent and international schools spanning a period of 13+ years, I am very likely to be aware of teaching methods and any potential gaps at your school and can hence quickly and seamlessly support you in filling them.

Despite having partnered with leading UK and renowned international agencies (inc. Ivy, Crimson, Keystone, WC), I cherish building direct relations with parents and students. This has helped me intricately understand student needs first hand, meet these as part of a long-term continuous relation and ensure that nothing is lost in translation. Having said that, I do partner with selected agencies to enjoy access to some truly exceptional talent.

I provide reliable, continuous and flexible support through teaching diverse subjects from early years all the way through to university, eliminating the hassle to look for and manage multiple tutors, scheduling, payments, reports and other logistics. For subjects that I do not teach, I partner with selected, tried-and-tested experts who prioritise my referrals.

I regularly network and collaborate with other experienced tutors, allowing me to gather and act on feedback, finesse approach and hence ensure continuous improvement.

6. Approach: Optional Reading

My approach is underpinned by real-time adaptability, guided by empathy, patience and performance, a drive to unlock each student’s true potential, and structure to enable programmatic learning. I believe each session is critical and is designed to be ambitious but achievable. Due to this, I leverage my teaching repertoire to engage my students in every single lesson, knowing when to deploy certain strategies to drive the greatest impact. By understanding their psychology, operating at their wavelength and building rapport, I aim to instil a thirst for learning, ignite a passion for achievement to enable continuous development, and make it into a ‘student pull’ as opposed to a ‘teacher push’ model.

I guide my students through a series of well-placed questions rather than providing them with information to rote learn. I endeavour to remove the abstraction in concepts through simplification of seeming complex methods. My lessons expose and climatise students to harder exam questions early on so that they are not overwhelmed during the final phase of exam practice. My approach of providing visual representations of concepts works wonders in establishing a crystal clear understanding. I regularly ask students to teach back what was taught a few weeks ago as a unique way of not just revising but also improving their communication skills. I provide them with more efficient methods of doing questions to save time during time-pressured exams. I also provide predicted exam questions for popular subjects as part of my exam practice sessions.

I use my extensive experience and targeted approach to equip students with resilience-building strategies and ensure broad coverage in each session by using diverse resources (e.g. chemguide, Isaac Physics, Pretest, Atom, MadAsMaths, PMT, SME, Revision Village), practical / relevant examples, targeted exam questions and tailored homework to get the most bang for your buck. Hence, we are not only reiterating content and sustaining the school’s pace, but surpassing it.

7. Main services offered | ‘What can I help you with’

All exam boards covered: AQA, OCR, EdExcel, WJEC, CAIE, Scottish / SQA
Preparation for set reassessment tests e.g. moving up a set / aiming for top set
Covering exam technique / approach to maximising marks (inc. end of exam questions) / optimising speed
Last minute exam prep (inc. rapid identification of and support in weaker areas)
Niche subjects offered e.g. Statistics | Accelerated pre-GCSE programme offered

Detailed plan to ensure strong prep for upcoming exams / maximising likelihood of meeting target grades for university offers
Optimal resource / practice question selection based on subject and topic (inc. AI and AA)
Improve predicted grades through post summer / mock assessments and retesting
End-to-end support with IA / Extended Essay development: ideation, write-up, feedback, finalisation (subjects covered: TOK, Maths, Further Maths, Business, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, ESS)

c. Selective School Entrance Prep (7+ | 11+ | CE 13+ | 16+ | other occasional entry routes) - ‘Getting into the dream school’

7/10/11+: ISEB Common Pre-tests (CPT), school-specific tests, consortium-based tests
13+: Common Entrance for leading independent schools (day and boarding)
16+: extensive interview insight / exam material spanning last 6 years gathered from past students who have been successful at all stages for highly selective schools inc. St. Paul’s, Westminster, City of London. Regularly chosen ahead of recommended teachers from top 10 UK Sixth Form colleges for 16+ prep across Critical Thinking, Economics and STEM subjects
Special exam technique / readiness sessions in the lead up to test dates to complement prep school support (inc. feeder schools such as Belmont, Dragon, Falkner, Hall, Pilgrims’, Sussex House, Westminster Under, Wetherby)
Personal statement development / answering school application questions with impact
Access to all resources inc. but not limited to Atom, BOFA, Exam Papers Plus, PiAcademy, Pretest Plus

d. UCAS Undergraduate | Postgraduate Applications & Proposals | Personal Statements | Entrance Tests - ‘Making it count’

Full-fledged personal statement development across foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses (Masters, PhD, MBA): ideation, narrative selection, framing / shaping / instilling impact, phasing / sequencing, feedback, finalisation / proofreading
Different support packages available (e.g. flagship, light support): university admissions strategy / course selection (inc. ‘preferred’ subjects to course mapping), personal statement development, oversight on school reference submission, general advice (e.g. predicted grades)
Boot camp-styled preparation for BMAT, UCAT, ENGAA, TMUA, NSAA, ECAA, LNAT, PAT, MAT, STEP, TSA, AMAT or similar entrance tests
Historic database of actual university decisions to share insight beyond websites and Unifrog e.g. specific university likely to drop offer as adjustment based on specific subject grades / combination / contextual offer
Assistance with research proposals for postgraduate, doctoral-level university applications

e. Boarding School Boosters - ‘Topping up performance’

Revision boot camps / sprint sessions over half-term, exeat weekends / rec leaves, Christmas, Easter and the summer geared at intensive catch-up, covering topics in advance, polishing / refinement of exam technique / areas where student needs improvement
Online sessions during boarding / in-person in West London during breaks

f. Home-schooling | Privately-taught Subjects - ‘Simulating top school teaching at home’

Extending high quality teaching and subject specialism to the comfort of your home environment whilst fulfilling your unique needs / supporting your extenuating circumstances
End-to-end support offered for privately opted subjects not offered / available at school
Extensive support offered for resit / gap year students

g. Independent Career Advice and Mentoring - ‘Supporting across the marathon’

End-to-end / ad hoc / independent, right time, right advice throughout or at key milestones across the educational journey e.g. GCSE subject selection, line of sight from A levels to university course to job role types
Glide-path to Oxbridge and Russell Group admission readiness: long-term strategy and planning / short-term application finalisation
Draw from own personal experience of successful Oxbridge university admissions and highly competitive strategy consultancy job applications
Tailored advice on university / career pathways based on strengths and intrinsic motivators (above and beyond standardised approaches such as Morrisby)

h. University Coursework and Module Support for Accounting, Business Management, Economics, Finance, Maths - ‘Offering guidance outside university lectures’

Support offered for foundation (UFP), undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD-level courses across UK and international universities (e.g. Imperial College, UCL, LSE, Brunel, Kingston, Royal Holloway, Roehampton)
Supported students across entire university courses spanning multiple years e.g. MSc Management at Imperial College across Accounting, Business Analytics, Business Economics, Corporate Finance, Corporate Strategy, Operations Management
Support extends to assignment completion, module exam prep, quizzes / tests and dissertation / thesis development

i. Internship and Work Experience Prep | CV Development - 'Packaging it all up’

Gaining 3 promotions in 4.5 years at a global management consultancy in my early 20s and now working as Head of Department, I can help you break into competitive city jobs. I go above and beyond to help funnel the right talent to the right career and have a passion to support the new generation to achieve their highest ambitions
I support and advise school / university students, fresh graduates and young professionals in the early phase of their careers (work experience of up to 5 years) looking to apply for jobs in competitive sectors like consulting and investment banking
End-to-end application support: company / role selection, CV / cover letter review / preparation, psychometric test prep (inc. SHL, Kenexa, CEB, Gartner), assessment centre readiness, interview coaching (competency-based, motivational), strategy consultancy case mock interview prep (inc. M&A, market sizing, pricing)
Having a well-established network in the city / corporate world through my 13-year+ experience in this space and through students / their parents that I have supported over the years, I can make introductions for niche and demanding roles
I teach with the end goal in mind and provide ongoing mentoring to raise my students’ awareness of emerging roles in the job market (e.g. AI / machine learning) and provide relevant anecdotes / draw from my own professional experience and proactively demonstrate the link between what they are studying and how it relates to the skills needed beyond academic life

8. Specialist Services offered | ‘Offering niche support’

j. School Selection Advice - ‘Providing a Holistic and Impartial View’

Given my end to end support model, from helping students gain admission via the 7+/11+/13+/16+ to helping them through to GCSE / A levels and beyond, I am uniquely placed to gain a true sense of how good the school was on paper at the point of admission to how the actual experience, leading up to AL / IB / AP, has been in reality. I can share this invaluable, impartial and unbiased view with students and parents to put them in a strong position to make the best decision for themselves

k. Interview Prep for Entrance Exams (Schools and Universities)

Interview training technique which empowers you to impress with confidence, influenced by various professional training courses which I attended as part of my career in consulting
Approach deep-rooted in creating impact by delivering ‘peak performance’, akin to a symphony orchestra, achieved through tailored practice, a winning mindset and synergistic communication - using words, intonation, hand gestures and facial expressions
Experiential learning based on insight from past students who have relayed questions, feedback and learnings right after their interviews e.g. questions for Economics in King’s College School’s 16+ interview in Nov 2017, Imperial College Aeronautical Engineering in 2021, Cambridge Law in 2019, etc.

l. NDA-protected Support for HNW | UHNW | Royalty | Celebrities

Consistent track record of supporting high net worth families from the UK and globally (inc. Middle East, Russia), including members of ruling families, business magnates, C-suite, ambassadors and celebrities
Advised on education strategy and associated pathways for children of politicians and royalty on glide-path to becoming future leaders
Smooth NDA process in place to ensure confidentiality of arrangement
Extensive experience working with Family Offices, Office Managers, EAs, PAs

m. Olympiad and Academic Competition Preparation

In addition to tests / competitions covered under the headlines section, I also support with Hans Woyda, Bebras, Maths in Motion, Top of the Bench competitions

n. Targeted Support for Aspiring Professional Sports Individuals

Taught UK national swimming champion, fencing and tennis players, boxer, national horse show jumper and an Olympian adult learner. Designed tailored study plans to complement their intense training regimes

o. SEN Support

Experience in successfully teaching students with ADHD, Asperger’s, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dyslexia

9. Experience: UK Schools

10. Experience: International Schools

11. Experience: Taught Modules for Universities and Foundation Programmes

Bangor University (Marketing) | Cambridge University (Economics and Management) | Cambridge University (Management) | Cambridge (Masters in Finance) - Financial Reporting & Analysis module - Highest mark in year | City University (FP Economics) | East Carolina University (Economics) | EPFL (Maths) | HEC Paris (MBA) - Microeconomics module - 84% (second highest in year) | Imperial (eMBA) - Marketing module - 77% (First) | Imperial College (MSc Management, Economics, Finance and Data Science) | Into Manchester (Accounting and Finance - Foundation) | LSBU (Digital Marketing - Foundation) | Nottingham University (Chemistry - Foundation) | Southampton University (Maths) | Tufts University (MBA) | Warwick University (BSc Economics)

12. Experience: Online Schools

Pearson Online Academy | Wolsey Hall Oxford

13. Notes

Enhanced DBS / CRB certified
Note to parents / students: proposed rate will be dependent on subject and level of study. Displayed rate typically applies to early years / standard exam boards; free first lesson applies to 11+ students starting in Year 4 only
If you have been an existing client through a concierge service or educational consultancy, kindly note that I will require authorisation before potentially taking you on direct
Note to tutors: kindly refrain from copying excerpts from my profile. Please note that my solicitor has registered my profile with the UK government’s Intellectual Property Office. I will therefore actively pursue any infringements if I find that this copyright material has been copied in any shape or form. A legal notice will be shared directly with the relevant tutor without first involving First Tutors

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Joanna

We asked Umer to help our son with his AQA Physics. This was after changing tutors thrice as we could not find anyone able to teach this specification effectively. He amazed our son in the first session and shared a plan to get him exam-ready over the coming weeks. This as a major relief as we needed someone to boost our son's confidence for his Imperial College offer. Umer is a seasoned professional and a rare find. We were lucky to get his time over the busy exam season. He committed to my son and ensured we were all supported as a family. Top gun!

habrothe

KeremFirst Tutors

Umer harika biri, onunla tanistigimdan beri matematikte cok yol aldım. Matematik alanında bildigi kısa yollar sayesinde uzun konuları kolaylıkla bana öğretebildi. Cok kati bir hoca degil, dersler akici ve rahat ilerliyor o yüzden matematiği yorucu bulan kisiler icin Umeri öneririm.

KishoreFirst Tutors

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ElleFirst Tutors

Umer taught my son GCSE and A level physics. He’s a very good tutor. We are very happy with him. He is thorough and responsible.

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Umer

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