Let’s face it – it’s hard to hand over your child to an educational guardian whilst they study in the UK. Can you trust that they will be there for your son or daughter no matter what? Will your child get to know their guardian, feel supported in their studies and able to confide in them if something is wrong?
How we build supportive relationships
As experts in educational guardianship, our team at Oxford Guardians understand how to build the supportive relationship your child needs. From international travel and education to indulging favourite sports and pets, our guardianship team has a wide range of skills and interests. We use our shared experience to get to know every child and help them succeed.
So, in this blog we take a peek behind the scenes to share a bit more about our team. Read on!
Shared experiences and interests
Something as simple as a shared love of sport or pets can help students and their educational guardians get to know each other. A quick look at our team shows that Educational Guardian and Host Gladys has a small dog and loves being out in nature – plus she’s training for two half marathons and the renowned London Marathon in April 2025.
Guardian, Leena, lives in Ealing West London and knows London like the back of her hand; those lucky enough to stay with her are treated to amazing walking tours discovering lesser known parts of this culturally rich & exciting city whilst Account Manager Sarah’s main hobby is following her ice hockey team, Coventry Blaze. This takes up most of her spare time between August and April, as she attends home games and travels to away games too.
Diverse professional skills
Although Oxford Guardians is closely connected to the world of education, many of our team have professional experience outside the sector. We find this is a great way to inspire young people to broaden their horizons, as well as helping to support their education.
Fiona (educational guardian and host family) is Irish and moved to the UK after completing her degree in Civil Engineering. She worked as an engineer designing roads and bridges for 10 years; and as a data analyst for a marketing company whose clients included Coca-Cola, British Airways, and many government departments.
Gill & Andy look after our younger sts at a prep school in London & get up to amazing adventures & treats with their sts – Gill’s primary teaching background & Andy’s sense of fun mean there’s never a dull or inactive moment! As well as being a Football Association registered football coach, host Chris is a Business Development Manager for a hotel consolidator, whilst another Chris is the Orchestra Manager of the Hallé Orchestra.
Negar recently achieved a PhD in Forensic Psychology; Qian has a Master’s degree in Sports Management. Guardians Manager Lexi is hoping to be a published children’s author after achieving a Master’s degree in writing, and Admissions Manager Jodie has been involved in journalism, including design and editing.
Building trust
It’s important to us, and to the families that we support, that we build strong relationships of trust. By meeting regularly with their international students and sharing interests, our educational guardians get to know them well. This is key to securing that special ability to know when a child is holding something back.
As Lexi notes, “Our guardians are brilliant at understanding what challenges students may be facing, and how to encourage them to talk about it so that we can support them.” As a result, Oxford Guardians builds wonderful personal relationships with the students in our care.
The thrill and challenges of international travel
Many of our team have lived and worked abroad, and their experience and empathy has helped us successfully look after 670 students of 55 nationalities. When students first arrive in the UK to study at a British school or university, culture shock and homesickness can be very real. Luckily, they are in good hands.
Having experienced international travel for themselves, members of the team at Oxford Guardians are well-placed to help students through the excitement and challenges of adapting to a new culture and language. Homestay Manager, Jella Bolton-Smith, for example, has lived and worked in Europe and the Middle East, whilst our Safeguarding Lead, Kevin Bacon, has travelled widely as an army officer and subsequently in the Foreign Office, visiting schools in over 70 countries.
Experience of language barriers
Some of our team have studied in the UK as international students, so they understand what can help families in that position. Educational Guardian Qian arrived in the UK from China as an international student herself, coming to study in ‘very cold’ Newcastle at the age of 20. Qian believes that Oxford Guardians’ native language speakers in Russian, Farsi and Chinese bring familiarity with their home culture as well as language help for such families.
“I see some students arrive feeling very shy, where language is a bit of a barrier. With our friendly advice and support, and a little translation, they soon become more confident. It’s fantastic seeing my students become proficient in English and really flourishing in their studies!” says Qian.
Our native Russian speaking educational guardian Liliya agrees: “When I came to the UK, I was glad my husband helped me open bank accounts, register with a medical practice, and even find the right shops. It’s great to be able to help my guardianship students do the same – ironing out any difficulties and helping them gain confidence.”
Negar, our educational guardian from Iran, says “I know how much reassurance I give to my students and their parents by understanding their situation, because I arrived here with an educational guardian myself. It is great that we can give our students and their parents peace of mind!”
Caring for each student
Educational guardians offer more than simply educational support: we care for each student’s welfare. Our aim is for every child to thrive, as well as to succeed academically.
Right from the outset, our founder Sarah Bacon knew she wanted a caring team. Having worked in schools where educational guardians did not offer proper support, she has always focussed on recruiting staff who understand the challenges of moving to a new country and have the empathy to know when a student needs help.
“In my past life as a teacher I saw children whose guardian relative was hundreds of miles away, and never responded to the child or to the school,” agrees Lexi. “Oxford Guardians are very different: highly responsive to whoever may need them, and ready to jump in a car and visit if it helps.”
International education experience
Part of our job is to support your child’s education in the UK, which means understanding the different ways that students learn. Our guardianship team has extensive experience in international education, so is especially well placed to understand teaching and learning. This means we can offer excellent educational support to our students.
Guardians Manager Lexi Dyer has worked in international schools for most of her working life, including in administration, teaching and welfare. Our founder, Sarah Bacon, started out as a young teacher in Algeria and has since lived in seven countries as well as the UK. She has valuable experience in teaching and management in schools, universities, the British Council and other international organisations.
Even some of our host families draw on their experience in education. For example, host Galina has a professional background in education in Kazakhstan. Before arriving in the UK fifteen years ago, Galina studied English and German at university and went into teaching, then worked as an inspector in education.
Oxford Guardians also has strong links to Wendover Online School, which allows us to offer individual or small group lessons to help international students catch up or extend their studies, should they wish to do so.
Wide range of experience
As you can see, our team at Oxford Guardians has a huge range of experience, giving your child the best chance of enjoying their time in the UK and succeeding in their studies. We’re not just expert educational guardians – our business pulls together professional and caring individuals from a range of backgrounds. We work as a team to look after international students for you whilst they gain an English education.
Whether it’s baking cakes and biscuits, volunteering for conservation projects or simply brewing up a great cup of tea, we are proud to draw upon the personal and professional experience of our team to develop the strong relationship of trust that will help us support your child and your family.
