As an academic tutor and mentor, focusing primarily on the core subjects of English and Maths, she has helped children and adults through SATs, Eleven plus, GCSE, A level, Degree and GRE exams to gain offers and scholarships into some of the most prestigious schools, colleges and Universities in the UK and America, overseeing the application processes from start to finish, ultimately helping her students gain entry into their chosen career paths.

Amongst these were many students with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia and she is proud to have helped them overcome any challenges to achieve their dreams. One of her dyslexic students, for example, achieved 100% in her English Language GCSE, which was the top mark in the entire country. Another who has dyspraxia gained entry into an Ivy League University in America and has since graduated. Melina truly believes that with the right teaching and support tailored to the individual, anyone can achieve their dreams and this has been proved over the last 19 years.

Melina offers one to one and group lessons remotely, helping students both locally in London, those from across the UK and the globe. Here are just a few of Team Melina in the hope that their stories will inspire you to believe that anything is possible.

Please don't hesitate to contact Melina if you'd like to join the team!

#TeamMelina #tutoredbyMelina

Kaushi, 28

"Melina taught me English and English Literature during my GCSEs and helped me gain two As in the subjects. She then went on to help me edit my CV and checked my personal statement for university to study to become a doctor. She was a great help to me."

Kaushi first came to me as a very ambitious and driven teenager for help with her GCSE English Language and English Literature. She already had aspirations to become a Doctor and knew the grades she needed to achieve this at both GCSE and A level. After improving her writing style and achieving the grades necessary to apply to University to become a Doctor, I mentored her through the UCAS application process. She has since graduated with a MBBS from Barts and a BSc (Hons) at the London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Imperial College London and is now a Doctor in North West London.

Denzil, 21

"Having Melina as my tutor, not only helped me develop a greater understanding of Maths and English Literature which allowed me to achieve higher grades, her mentoring also boosted my self confidence and as a result I've been employed in my dream career."

Denzil came to me in order to prepare for his GCSE and A level exams; he began lacking in confidence in the core subjects of Maths and English, but took on board everything I taught him and did very well in his exams. With my own artistic background, I encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming a video gaming designer and he was accepted at DeMonfort University where he was awarded a BA Hons Degree in Game Art Design and has since been offered his dream job as a character artist in the video games industry with Lucid Games in Liverpool.  

Alessio, 28

"Melina is truly the most passionate, patient and optimistic teacher. It was a pleasure to spend the time together and I am forever thankful for her dedication in helping me achieve the results I did."

When Alessio first came to me, she was incredibly disheartened from the negativity she had received from both her Maths and English teachers at school. They had told her she was unlikely to achieve the grades necessary to stay on at sixth form. It was a pleasure to prove them wrong when she achieved A grades in all three subjects after all of our hard work together. As an incredibly talented artist and textiles designer, it would have been a tragedy had she not been able to get to do A levels and her art foundation course. She went on to achieve a First Class Degree from the Wimbledon College of Art, achieving 100% in her dissertation. 

Nehal, 18

“I always went into English class at school with pretty much no drive and found it unbelievably difficult for so long. Melina was infectious with her approach to teaching and managed to get me to start enjoying both English Language and Literature GCSE, introducing some really interesting psychological parts of analysis to the point where I managed to get two grade 8s. I’m forever grateful for that. We worked together remotely for two years which worked incredibly well and allowed me to spend the time I would have spent travelling to and from lessons on my other homework and revision.She was the best English tutor I had experienced by miles!”

Nehal’s Mum came to me pretty desperate as he had already tried four English tutors who had failed to improve his grades and performance. We immediately got on well and with perseverance, hard work and the correct teaching via remote tutoring, Nehal achieved the high level grades he needed across the board to gain entry into City Boys Sixth Form in London - one of the most prestigious private sixth forms in the country. He went on to achieve two A*s and one A at A level and is now studying Physics at Leeds University. Indeed, I was very impressed he had read Stephen Hawking’s books as a 15 year old! I eagerly look forward to seeing what he does in the world of physics in his future career.  

Hannah, 24 

“Melina helped me at several points in my education. First, at aged 10, where we were able to make huge progress with my spelling, grammar and comprehension. Again, at 14 when she tutored me for my English language and literature GCSE exams. English had been my least favourite subject at school but against all odds and with Melina’s help I managed to get 100 UMS in my English Language exam and secured an A* overall in this subject. And finally, I received great help a few years ago when I was working on my personal statement for University. I got into a very competitive course studying my dream subject.”

When I started tutoring Hannah as a 10 year old, her parents had been told by her Primary School teacher that she would never be able to spell properly. I was very saddened that they had written her off like that and made it my mission to help prove her teacher wrong. I used phonics and visual cards to help with her spelling. Her overall English skills improved immensely and she got into a fantastic private secondary school. She came back to me aged 14 and we worked towards her English language and literature GCSEs. I had a wry smile when she came out with one of the top grades in the country for English Language, thinking of the teacher who had written her off at such a young and impressionable age. She has since graduated from Edinburgh University with a BA in Illustration and has been taken on by many prestigious illustration agencies. She is my first port of call for the various cards I need to buy from her lovely Etsy shop!

Tim, 22

“If you are in need of extra academic support, then I could not recommend Melina more. She is an outstanding tutor, who has helped me prepare for entrance exams into Secondary School and GCSEs. Her warm personality and patience in her sessions are melded with wisdom and discipline, cultivating an environment in which I ‘wanted’ to do well, despite struggling to do so. For my 11+ entrance exams, she helped me reach my full potential, earning me an academic scholarship at the City of London School for Boys (which I accepted), while also getting me in to Dame Alice Owens, Habs Boys and Latymer. Melina has a talent for taking what appears to be a weakness across an entire subject and re-dressing it as just a few simple skills that need mastering. When I was preparing for my English and English Literature GCSEs and did poorly in my mock exam, she recognised that the majority of my issues stemmed from just a weak ability to analyse text and write ‘P.E.E.L’ paragraphs. In just one term of weekly one hour sessions, she took me from a C grade to an A*. Melina’s overflowing enthusiasm has not wavered once in the many years I have known her. She is an absolute pro, who truly cares about the achievements of every single one of her students. I highly recommend Melina for anyone seeking a top-notch tutor who will go above and beyond to help you succeed.”

I have had the pleasure of seeing Tim grow and mature as a person and a student from age 10, to taking his GCSEs to now, at the University of Bath, studying an MEng in Civil Engineering, where I have helped mentor him to become a Maths tutor himself! We always had lively enjoyable lessons and I will forever be proud of his incredible achievements and the person he has become. I’m very happy that he is passing my knowledge and teaching on to the next generation too!

Joseph, 19

"Melina always goes the extra mile and sees potential in all of her students"

Joseph came to me struggling to get the GCSE grades he needed in order to stay on at his school's sixth form to do A levels. With my experience of balancing sport and academic life, having been a county tennis player, I helped Joseph, a promising young athlete, cope with the demands of both, helping him with maths, English and revision techniques. I saw the huge potential Joseph had even when he couldn't see it himself and after three years of hard work together, his writing improved exponentially and he was accepted into every university of his choice and decided to study Geography at Queen Mary's University in London. He is currently in his first year and still pursing his running at a London athletics club. 

Georgina, 30

“I was one of Melina’s first pupils. She is incredible and helped me get my A* in English Literature GCSE. She was also incredible with helping my younger brother out with his English language and literature GCSE lessons. I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor! As a family, we stay in touch with her still today.”

Georgina was indeed one of my first pupils recommended to me by my old English teacher from Secondary School. She was really struggling with her English but soon started flourishing with my help, resulting in a fantastic A* in her English Literature GCSE a rise of many grades from when I took her on. I am so proud of what she has gone to achieve. She is now a Deputy Head veterinary nurse in London and also teaches other nurses. She recently gave a speech in front of a large number of veterinary nurses. I was always struck by her love for animals and I’m so pleased that she now has a rewarding career looking after them!

Naomi, 18

“I was preparing for entrance exams into secondary school and while my maths was solid, my English skills, on account of my dyslexia, was subpar. I struggled with comprehension and fast paced creative writing. Melina was a great help, she set extremely useful homework that improved my reading, analysis and writing skills. She brought out the best in my work and helped me get offers for all of the Secondary Schools I applied for - a scholarship at Palmers Green High School, Latymer Grammar School, Dame Alice Owens Grammar School, Henrietta Barnet, scholarship at Haberdashers for Girls, and City of London School for Girls (which I attended and gained two level 9s in English and English Literature for GCSE referring to Melina’s notes). The lessons with Melina were engaging and I saw continued benefits into my first year and beyond at Secondary School in terms of my ability compared to classmates. Would heavily recommend her for tutoring!”

Naomi was such a pleasure to teach and I will forever be so proud of her immense achievements as a dyslexic student. She is currently studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge University and I was pleased to hear that she still uses my dyslexia coping techniques, such as using a highlighter to pick out key words of questions to ensure a secure understanding of the question. She is a true inspiration and role model for my current students with dyslexia. 

Wendy (mother of Oliver and Jessica)

“Melina was instrumental in building my son’s ability and confidence in both Maths and English. He had the inherent ability but lacked the self belief. Melina’s style of coaching, encouragement and mentoring helped him realise his potential. Melina coached my son for his entrance exams and he successfully gained places at the two prestigious schools he applied for - St Albans Boys and Haileybury. She also helped my son greatly in the run up to his Maths GCSE - for which he gained an A grade. Melina inspired a love of English and Literature in my son - so much so he studied English at Nottingham University and is now training to become a teacher! The flexibility and range of teaching methods that Melina successfully implemented was very evident when she tutored my daughter for her entrance exams, again with great success. She got into the prestigious Palmers Green High School for Girls and Queenswood. Her infectious enthusiasm and drive motivates and inspires the young people she tutors; many of my friend’s children have also greatly benefitted from her tutoring and mentoring.”

I thoroughly enjoyed preparing Wendy’s son for his entrance exams - he was an extremely intelligent and capable student but needed guidance and the correct tuition to achieve his potential. I particularly loved how he would perform the stories we had written together in preparation for the English creative writing part of the entrance exams - he certainly had a flair for the dramatic! Later, it was a pleasure to help him achieve an A in Maths GCSE. I was also very proud that he was chosen to give a Ted Talk on Chaos Theory and won the children’s version of Blockbuster, showing off his incredible general knowledge and self confidence in front of a camera! He will be a fantastic teacher I am sure! Likewise, Wendy’s daughter was a real pleasure to teach and mentor in preparation for her entrance exams and had an incredible flair for Maths - she has since flourished academically at Queenswood and Haileybury and I have high hopes of her representing women in STEM in the future!