Register for our next Open Event.

A Business tutor at Nescot has been chosen to be part of a national campaign promoting teaching in Further Education colleges.

Mehnaz Ibrahim-Khan, who balances teaching with working in accounting, is featuring on The Guardian’s website and podcasts, and will appear in The Observer magazine later this month.

Mehnaz has four children, ranging in age from one to ten, and said she is hoping to show them that anything is possible when you work hard.

“It’s definitely tough to juggle a career in two industries with bringing up a family, but each of my jobs complements and enhances the other,” Mehnaz said.

“My students love hearing real-life examples, and the extra context helps them to understand accounting better, which in turn gives them a deeper understanding of how businesses work.

“At the same time, my experience of teaching at Nescot makes me better in my accounting role, because it gives me a fresh perspective and new ideas of how my company can keep improving.”

Mehnaz studied Business at a Further Education college, before reading Business Management at university and then starting a career in accounting.

She trained to teach at Nescot, studying for her PGCE at the college as well as doing a placement at a different college, and has been teaching on Level 2 and 3 Business since 2019.

Mehnaz said teaching in Further Education is an ‘excellent’ way of developing yourself, as well as passing on the skills and knowledge from your industry to a new generation.

“I was really inspired by my own teachers at college, and it feels good to be going full circle by doing the same for students at Nescot,” she said.

“I love that I’m using what I’ve learnt from my studies and my career in a way that genuinely inspires my own students and shows them what they’re capable of in their own future careers.

“It can be a tough challenge to juggle both jobs and a busy home life, but Nescot has been amazing at supporting me and putting together a teaching timetable that accommodates me.”

Students at Nescot are taught by trained and experienced tutors who typically have experience from working in the industry themselves and are able to pass their knowledge on at college.

This ranges from Travel and Tourism staff who have worked as cabin crew to Construction tutors with their own businesses as well as Performing Arts staff who continue to act, dance and direct shows.

“We’re really proud of Mehnaz being chosen for this national campaign,” said Joseph Hanke, Head of Business and Computing at Nescot.

“Mehnaz has inspired lots of our students since she trained as a teacher, so it’s fitting that in this campaign she will also be able to inspire the teachers of the future.”

Nescot offers Business qualifications at levels 2 and 3 and university-level, as well as offering part-time courses for adults and distance learning options. You can find out more on our website.

You can read the article featuring Mehnaz on The Guardian's website here.