Meet the team

Hasina has been an ESOL and English Functional Skills Tutor since 2013. She loves to make each lesson engaging, fun and inclusive, using real life scenarios, hence making learning relevant to life. She has taught various levels from Pre-Entry to Level 1 across community centres in Tower Hamlets and Further Education Colleges. She uses interesting teaching methods and approaches to create a relaxing environment, so learners build their confidence to excel in class and beyond.

Richard is a literacy tutor who teaches Functional Skills English. He joined the team in 2013 and has taught a range of literacy and ESOL courses at Idea Store Learning and across the borough as part of the outreach team. He is also a qualified voice and speech coach as well as a trained actor. His work aims to help learners find confidence in their communication skills and to fulfil their professional and personal goals.

Rahnuma teaches IT with Employability courses and also ESOL. She has been teaching in Idea Stores since 2013. She teaches across the community in a variety of community centres and schools across the borough. She loves challenges and supporting people and her profession is a perfect match.

Jagdeep has worked for Idea Store Learning since January 2020. He currently teaches Functional Skills Maths from Entry Level to Level 2.  He supports learners with a variety of online platforms and is always interested in learning from his colleagues. He feels inspired when learners show greater self–confidence and motivation in new mathematical techniques and those who aspire to their future goals.

Saad has taught ESOL across all levels in a range of colleges and community centres since qualifying in 2010. He uses a variety of methods and approaches to meet the needs of his learners and encourages peer work to practice speaking, listening, reading and writing. He likes to use real life scenarios which are relevant to his learners.

Halima is an experienced freelance theatre maker and ESOL teacher who has worked with community organisations in the UK and internationally, including tours and projects in the West Bank, Morocco, Greece, Bangladesh and Romania. She holds a TESOL Certificate and an MA in Applied Theatre from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she researched trauma-informed approaches in theatre for education. Trained in physical comedy and clowning, Halima’s lessons focus on creative play, building trust, and bringing people together in safe, supportive spaces.

Jon has been teaching English since gaining his CELTA in 2013. He has taught abroad as well as in the UK and also works in social media as an English content creator on Instagram and TikTok under the moniker “EnglishwithArchie”. Teaching and helping learners to grow is his vocation, and he uses engaging story-based content and focuses on finding the fun in the classroom to help learners develop language skills and confidence.

Nowshad is a dedicated ESOL educator with over a decade of experience helping students thrive in English language learning. Passionate about inclusive education, he integrates a wide range of innovative, interactive strategies to create dynamic, student-centred classrooms. With a strong focus on communication, confidence-building, and cultural awareness, Nowshad empowers learners to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

Edward has over six years' experience in language education and holds a DELTA and a PGCE from UCL. He teaches across Tower Hamlets with a creative, supportive approach, helping learners build confidence and prepare for exams. He recently edited the Digital ELT website at King’s College London and is completing an MA in Applied Linguistics. His research explores AI and access in language learning. Edward studied History of Art at Cambridge, and his arts background helps to shape his creative teaching style.

Lucilia is an ESOL tutor with over 17 years’ experience with many of these being at Idea Store Learning. Her classes are usually quite dynamic as she favours collaborative learning to get the best out of her learners. Recently she has taken her passion for the environment further and helped to organise Green Week, a month long programme of events aimed at bringing awareness to climate change issues.

Kasia has taught maths from Entry Level through to Functional Skills to GCSE and beyond, as well as English (literacy, ESOL and EFL) and social sciences. She has a wealth of experience as a teacher and mentor, and has developed many successful learning programmes. At Idea Store Learning, she specialises in exam preparation for Level 1 and Level 2 Functional Skills Maths. Her motto is to keep things simple and accessible for everyone.

Shahida is an ESOL tutor. She has worked for Idea Store Learning for three years now. She teaches ESOL across the borough, mainly in children’s centres and schools. She was born and raised in Tower Hamlets. She enjoys working with the local community and meeting others who do wonderful work for the residents of Tower Hamlets. 

Zillani is the Vocational Lead Development Tutor and has been teaching ESOL and English to adults for almost a decade for Idea Store Learning. Recently, Zillani has been leading on the design and delivery of a range of bespoke English courses in partnership with WorkPath. Many of his learners have gone on to employment and further study including a range of supported employment programmes delivered by WorkPath.