
Matt is from the north-east of England, and graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BSc (Hons) in Consumer Marketing. He decided to change career path, and in 2008 received his CELTA in Budapest.
He enjoys teaching as it gives him the chance to interact with interesting people and develop their ability to communicate using English. His interests include boxing and learning.

Lena comes from Donetsk and graduated with honours from The Gorlovka National Linguistic University as a Teacher of English, Russian and German Language and Literature. Lena has both a CELTA and a DELTA and has now been teaching for over 12 years.
She first started working for the British Council in Kyiv in 2008 and before this she worked for International House as a Senior Teacher and teacher trainer. Lena is a Cambridge examiner for the most of Cambridge exams for children and adults. Her teaching interests are Business English and teacher training.
She also enjoys using media as a teaching resource in class. Her other interests are travelling, yoga and Asian culture.

Natalia is from Luhansk and has a BA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language as well as an MA in Public Administration with a specialisation in Project Management. During her studies Natalia got a scholarship from the US Department of State to participate in Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program at Clemson University in South Carolina, USA. She also has a CELTA and IH Certificate in Teaching Young Learners (with distinction).
Natalia has been teaching since 1999 and started working at the British Council in October 2008. She likes teaching adults and Business English and at the moment she is exploring task-based learning. Her hobbies are yoga, juggling, travelling, contemporary art and meeting new people.

James was born and raised in Streatham, south west London and then went on to study Philosophy and Politics at the University of Liverpool. After university he trained as a journalist, obtaining a distinction from the National Council for the training of Journalists in 2003.
He has written for the Liverpool News and Echo, and the Wimbledon News and Guardian where he covered matches of his beloved AFC Wimbledon. James passed the CELTA certificate in 2004 and is now an Cambridge examiner. He has taught in Odessa and Mykolayiv, in Ukraine, Messina, in Italy, and most recently at summer schools in Rochester, Canterbury and Bath in England.
He started working for the British Council in September 2009. James loves sports, art and design, reading, travelling, learning new languages and playing the guitar.

Nasser was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to Cheltenham, England at an early age. He gained a BA (Hons) in Politics at the University College of Swansea in 1993. Having decided that he wanted to travel around the world, he chose to take a CELTA course, and later completed DELTA. He taught in Russia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Egypt, Jordan and Singapore before starting in Kyiv in August 2011. Nasser feels that the biggest pleasure in teaching is the fact he learns just as much as his students do.
Nasser loves listening to music (a huge fan of the late, great Frank Zappa), reading (favourite authors Graham Greene, Joseph Heller and George Orwell) and watching films (best ever movie ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’). He also enjoys travelling, learning languages, hiking and eating. He adores Middle Eastern and Vietnamese cuisines.

Joel comes from Torquay and studied pharmacology at Hertfordshire University. He has been working as an English teacher for 8 years, and has both a CELTA and DELTA qualification.
He worked in Korea, Lebanon, Japan, and South Africa before coming to Ukraine, and enjoys teaching because it gives him an opportunity to experience new cultures and meet people. In his free time he enjoys snowboarding and scuba diving, and in the future would like to visit Colombia.

Maria was born in Samara, Russia and graduated from Shevchenko University in Kiev with a Master’s Degree in Spanish and English. She also studied Hotel Management, holds a CELTA certificate, and worked as a translator in Ukraine before becoming a teacher.
Maria joined the British Council in July 2010. She likes teaching adults and enjoys variety and diversity in teaching. Maria used to be a ballroom dancer, but now she is keen on cycling, hiking and travelling during her free time.

Galyna is from the Chernigiv region and received her Bachelor’s degree as a teacher of English at Nizhyn State Pedagogical University. In 2006 she graduated from Kyiv State Linguistic University as a teacher of English and German language and foreign literature. Galyna has been teaching for over four years and has the CELTA and CPE. She is also studying French and German.
Galyna started working for British Council in July 2010 and her professional interests include teaching Young Learners as well as Business and General English to adults. In her free time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking, painting, fashion design and making clothes.

Peter is a Qualified State Secondary teacher of English Language & Literature. He spent 8 years in this sector working in Leeds and the Isle of Wight, later transferring to Botswana as part of the TBRS programme. Between two 3-year terms in sub-Saharan Africa, there was a spell as English Advisor at the University Medical School of Pecs, Hungary. Subjects taught: ESP (Nucleus Medicine), CPE, CFC, Literature in English. He has also worked in The Netherlands (Delfzijl), Italy (Molise), Croatia (Pula) as a language teacher. He has just passed 7 years in Ukraine working for various private language schools and is now busy trying to be an arboreal and horticulturalist at his dacha in Osokorki. Peter used to be a keen golfer and lawn tennis player.

Matthew was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and studied in Scotland before embarking on his teaching career. He moved to Prague in 2006, where he trained and taught for several years. Prior to moving to Kyiv he worked for the British Council in Bahrain where he was actively involved in professional development networks, participating in seminars and giving workshops to Ministry of Education teachers. His current professional interests are Second Language Literacy and English as a Lingua Franca.
Matthew holds a Cambridge Diploma (DELTA), CELTA and CELTYL. He is currently studying for an M.Ed in Applied Linguistics.
When he has time he is a keen musician and outdoor enthusiast.