Talal Al-Nawab - Private Tutor in Central London

Having worked in the education space for over four years as a Senior Academic Mentor and University Admissions Counsellor, I have built up my experience of working with a wide range of students. My primary focus has been on SAT & ACT tutoring, US & UK University Admissions Counselling, and general high school Mathematics tutoring. I take a 'mentorship' approach to my work with students and focus on building a strong relationship based on trust and respect to ensure that students feel well-supported and are able to improve their abilities and performance levels.

My Education & Qualifications

• University of Cambridge, 2010 – 2014
  Manufacturing Engineering (BA (Hons) & MEng): 2:1

My Tutoring & Teaching Experience

I have worked in the education space for over four years as a Senior Academic Mentor and University Admissions Counsellor for ESM Prep in London. Prior to this, I worked in the Strategy Consulting industry at Deloitte for two years upon graduation from the University of Cambridge. My overall goal is to prepare students for their university journey and beyond, having experienced this myself not too long ago! I have provided a range of different services from SAT & ACT tutoring to UK & US university admissions counselling. The majority of students I have worked with are from the ages of 15 to 18 - in their last few years of high school. However, I have also worked with slightly younger students on preparation for school admissions tests such as the SSAT. I have experience working with students both in-person as well as online through video calling software such as Zoom or Skype. I am comfortable working with students across the spectrum of current academic performance level - my aim has always been to maximise a student's potential regardless of their current performance. I also have experience working with students who have learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

My Approach to Tutoring

My approach to work with students has always been to foster a strong working relationship first and foremost. Developing trust and respect with one another is key to any relationship and to bring the best out of students. I like to challenge students to think for themselves, but also offer the right amount of support so they still feel comfortable in a learning environment. Getting that balance right is something that requires experience in this space, but is crucial to a student's progress and confidence. While exam and test results are very important and something I keep a close eye on, I also encourage students and their parents to think about the bigger picture and the progress that the students are making as actual individuals. This 'mentorship' approach is something that I believe is crucial to allow students to fully develop.

Fun Facts About Me

Music is a big passion of mine, and I have been producing music for the last five years, working with a number of different artists more recently. It all stems back to when I began playing the piano at the age of seven! I am also a big fan of boxing and mixed martial arts, having boxed while at Cambridge University, as well as basketball which I played in high school.

• SAT & University Admissions Counselling
  "Talal's commitment, passion and support in his role as University Admissions Counsellor and Test Prep Mentor was excellent. We always found him to be very approachable, friendly and supportive of Mackenzie (my daughter) and myself! Additionally, Talal never let things slip through the net: he would always bring to my attention any upcoming test and application dates/deadlines. I also appreciated his sense of responsiveness towards any outstanding issues that needed to be resolved fairly quickly - he promptly gave us his suggestions. His teaching style is attentive and patient, to achieve top marks for his students. He was straightforward, honest yet very polite, and his professional communication style is also worthy of note. Talal clearly understands the goals and needs of his students, and he’s a pleasure to work with. I look forward to working with him again as he supports our son Theo: I know our son will be in good hands!"
• SAT
  "Talal worked with me on my SAT test preparation as well as helping me prepare for the SAT Math II Subject Test. At the beginning of the test preparation process, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to master everything I needed to know for the SAT Math sections, which were my main areas for improvement. Talal taught me that there was no point running through thousands of practice problems right away: instead, taking the time to learn the curriculum material thoroughly at first and carefully going over your mistakes is a more effective approach. Talal was always very friendly and patient, helping me through moments of frustration. I could tell that he really cared about my results. I appreciated how he managed to strike a balance between using our time efficiently while also making our sessions enjoyable."
• SAT & University Admissions Counselling
  "Talal greatly supported me on both my US and UK university applications as well as my SAT test preparation. Having studied in the UK, I was very unfamiliar with the US university application process in particular. It was clearly a complex landscape and I struggled to know where to start. Talal provided me with clear direction in terms of narrowing down my university choices to a carefully considered range of options - 10 universities - that were a best fit for me and working carefully through the application process with me. The essay drafting process can be particularly challenging and I greatly appreciated Talal's approach to helping me get the most out of my essays. He allowed my voice to come through in an eloquent way. Talal's strong knowledge of the UK university system also meant that he was able to fully support my UCAS application by narrowing my choices down to 5 universities and helping me draft my personal statement. Talal also worked with me on the SAT. My English and Math section scores both improved considerably through our work together. I really appreciated Talal's patience, positivity and encouragement to keep me motivated and aspiring for the highest score I was capable of. His knowledge of the curriculum and specific test-taking strategies made a real difference to my score."
• ACT & University Admissions Counselling
  "Going into the journey to university at the start of Year 12, I feared that seeking advice about my personal interests, regarding university and my future, with someone that I did not know might result in inadequate advice or shifting of my opinion towards some sort of ‘standard’ university choice or future path. Just after the first session with Talal, I could tell that I was mistaken in thinking so. Talal made me feel so comfortable with making many important choices. He let me know what was objectively favourable while at the same time keeping in mind that my opinion and interests were the main driving force influencing the process. His academic mentorship was highly valuable and helped me stay on track with my IB at school as well as allowing me to fully explore my academic interests through suggested summer programmes. Along the way, Talal also gave me help to prepare for the ACT test, formulate my personal statements and application letter, and ultimately come down to making the right choice. His sense of confidence and his undoubting manner of answering my questions took me from a wide field of choices and doubt to an assured set of possible paths and opportunities to consider for my future as I ended up applying to top universities in both the UK and Europe. I could not have been more pleased with Talal as a university counsellor and mentor to guide me along my path."
• SAT & University Admissions Counselling
  "Talal and I first started working together at the end of my Freshman year (Year 9) to support me in my high school Math classes as I was taking the most advanced course that my school offered. This continued into Sophomore year (Year 10), and he also then worked with me on my SAT test preparation from the beginning of Junior year (Year 11). Always patient and encouraging, Talal's tutoring and test preparation help was invaluable to allow me to excel in my school studies and prepare me for university. He challenged me to think on my feet and push my academic abilities. My confidence in Math continued to grow along with my GPA, and I am very grateful for his support. In the SAT, I was able to improve my score significantly through our work together which put me in a fantastic position for my university applications. Towards the end of Junior year (Year 11), Talal also began supporting me as a US university admissions counsellor. He helped me finalise a strong list of my best-fit universities and ensured that I began the essay drafting process in good time ahead of my Early applications. He guided me through the crucial essay process through careful and well thought-through iterations of my essay drafts to end up with highly personalised and impactful essays. He also ensured that I always stuck to my deadlines. I truly valued Talal's support and academic mentorship along the way, and I highly recommend him as a tutor, test prep coach and university admissions counsellor."
• Mathematics, ACT & University Admissions Counselling
  "Our son worked with Talal during high school, initially as a math tutor during Sophomore year. They hit it off right away and quickly established a positive and successful working relationship. We then hired Talal to tutor our son for his upcoming ACT exams (he had done mock exams for both the ACT and SAT and we decided that the ACT was best for him, given his learning profile). Talal was extremely helpful in guiding our son through the process by keeping him organized and motivated… celebrating the victories, while focused on the work that still needed to be done. He was very flexible working with our son’s busy schedule and other commitments, keeping the stress level down. Our son's ACT composite score increased by an impressive 6 points! Talal also helped with the university application and essay process. It was the best thing we could have done, taking us parents out of that already highly-charged process. Talal kept him to a realistic schedule, with milestones set over a number of weeks, so there was no crazy 'crunch' as application deadlines approached. The essays were supported at just the right level: edited mostly by Talal for grammar and punctuation, allowing our son’s voice, personality and story to shine. We are so grateful and appreciate Talal’s steady hand, kind manner and patience in guiding our son through the university process."