I finally found the fulfilling career I’d been searching for

Shakeel Adam has been the Instructor of the Canning Town study centre since 2013, although his career in education did not begin with Kumon. After studying Accounting and Finance at University and working as an assistant accountant, Shakeel sought to find a career that he believed would be ultimately more fulfilling and rewarding. With this in mind, he decided to pursue a career in education. He first worked as a teaching assistant and then later went on to become a teacher after earning his PGC qualification.

After hearing about the franchise opportunities at Kumon from his mother, the idea that he could use his background in education and combine this with his experience in business really appealed to him, and gave him the confidence to run his own Kumon centre. Today, his centre resides in the heart of the London Borough of Newham; Canning Town.

“I enjoy being a Kumon Instructor as I make a difference to my students’ education; developing their skills, enhancing them and allowing them to work at their own level and at their own pace. This is what I love about the Kumon Programmes. The worksheets are built to encourage students to self-learn and helps them build fundamental study skills like concentration, speed, accuracy and developing a study routine. It’s a great feeling when a child realises they can complete work they once thought was beyond their reach. I wholeheartedly believe in Kumon as I’ve seen its benefits first-hand, even before I became an Instructor. My little brother studied the Kumon Programmes and I witnessed how self-sufficient he became in school.”

Shakeel feels that he is making a significant impact in his students’ lives. He says, “I’d like to hope that I am role model for my students. I want to set a good example for each of them and encourage them to reach their own greatest potential. A lot of parents approach me at the end of the academic year with positive school reports. They say, “My son/daughter has improved, and a lot of it is down to Kumon and your instruction.” This makes me feel good about my centre and the impact I am having on my students.

Running my own Kumon centre means that I am able to build a relationship with parents and interact with them at a much deeper level than was possible when I was a teacher. As a Kumon Instructor, this is especially important as parents play a vital role in their child’s Kumon daily study. It also means that I am able to better support my students as I am more involved in the process of their development. When I was a teacher, I’d usually get a new class every year which meant I didn’t see the progress of the students throughout the duration of their schooling. With Kumon, students stay long term and you are able to nurture and support them for a longer period of time. I still have students from the first day I opened my centre in 2013 - I’ve seen them grow in both ability and confidence.”