Andrew has been Principal since January 2003, having worked at Melton College since 1986, becoming Director of Studies in 1993. He studied Philosophy and Linguistics at University College, Bangor (Wales), where he did research on the use of essays in placement tests. He also studied teaching English as a second or foreign language, during which time he worked in Birmingham and Valencia (Spain).

Andrew was a member of ARELS General Council for four years, chaired the ARELS Sub-Committee on Criteria and was the ARELS representative on the Accreditation Scheme Review Committee. He was Chair of the English UK Accreditation and Professional Services Board for many years and currently represents EnglishUK on the main board of AccreditationUK.  Andrew is also the co-ordinator of the English UK North. Andrew’s other interests are mountaineering, skiing, climbing and classical music.

Other qualifications:
HSE First Aid At Work
First Aid Trainer
SPA Climbing Instructor
MLTB Summer Mountain Leader
SnowSport England Level 2 Instructor
BASI Level 2 Instructor
BASI Mountain Coach
SnowSport England Level 4 Apline Race Official

Elizabeth Hiley was born in Leeds. She studied French and English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. After university, Elizabeth taught English language and literature in Normanton before founding Melton College with her husband in 1962.

Elizabeth is a former Chairman of ARELS. She is also a former Chairman of FELCO, and of the ARELS Welfare Committee.

She was a magistrate in York for 30 years and is a former Chairman of the York Bench. In her spare time she is a keen walker and gardener. Elizabeth is also a trained volunteer guide at York Minster.

Katie has always lived in York, and likes to explore the city in her free time. Katie has travelled extensively throughout South-East Asia, finding Vietnam to be her favourite country because of its beautiful scenery, diverse culture and friendly people. Katie is interested in cinema, comedy, current affairs and music, and likes to socialise with her friends. When she has the time, Katie enjoys charity fundraising and has recently done a parachute jump for Cancer Research UK in the Lake District.

Lace has been teaching since 2005, she has spent time living in France, Poland, Spain and Bulgaria where she taught kids, teens and adults before returning to the UK to work at British universities where she trained international teachers to become English language teachers. As well as teaching and training, Lace has worked as a course designer with a special interest in developing critical thinking skills alongside language skills. When not in the classroom she does community work with green projects and loves to go walking in the countryside.

Jake was born in York and loves being able to call the city his home. He started teaching in 2014, completing the CELTA as part of his English Language & Linguistics with TESOL degree. After finishing university, Jake spent five years teaching in schools in Málaga, Spain, before being drawn back to York, which is when he started working at Melton College. When he’s not in the classroom, you might find him playing tennis, looking for new adventures across the country, or, practising his Spanish with friends from around the world!

Richard was born in Malaysia and moved to the UK with his family when he was eight. He studied philosophy at the University of Sussex before moving to Japan, where he worked for 20 years as a teacher, academic manager and materials designer. He has taught and written courses and texts for English language learners of all ages and levels, including Unlocked Pre-intermediate, a skills-based course book published by Cambridge University Press.

In his spare time, Richard enjoys cooking for friends, baking bread and playing with his cats.

Denise was born and educated in Northumberland. She lived in Botswana from 1980, and previously, Zambia for five years. Whilst in Botswana she helped established a Ballet School and ran a Cub Scout Pack. Denise gained her BA (Hons) degree in English at Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg. She has a great love of classical music and ballet and has an eclectic taste in reading.

He really enjoys teaching the Gold classes and watching students develop their communicative English for work and pleasure. Matthew’s first two degrees are in history and it remains his greatest enthusiasm alongside walking, singing and black coffee. He believes the answer to all life’s problems is a combination of hard work, joyous laughter, smooth black coffee and fresh air.

Rich was ‘born and bred’ in York before embarking on his career path as an EFL instructor.   His vocational choice has seen him complete his CELTA qualification and a Masters in Applied Linguistics and TESOL.  In 2000, Rich moved to Korea where he worked as a primary school teacher, before being employed as a professor at Inha University, while simultaneously establishing a successful after-school language academy.  Since returning to the UK in 2022, Rich has been part of an inspiring SENDs department in a local York secondary school, but has recently returned to Melton College to follow his passion for EFL teaching.

When not at work, Rich enjoys socialising with his friends and hanging out with his two daughters.  Rich also includes fishing, cooking, biking, travelling and following his favourite football team; York City, as just a few of his many much-loved pastimes.

After a successful stint in publishing, Matt decided his heart was in education rather than persuasion, so he decided to pursue a career in education which has been very fulfilling. Having completed the DELTA, Matt is in a position to really help you with your English communication needs. Feel free to approach him whenever you get the chance.
Matt grew up bilingual in German and Italian, and has lived and worked in a great number of countries around the world.
In his spare time, Matt likes to spend time with his wife Louise, son Reuben, and daughter Anja. He enjoys socialising with friends as well as travelling, music, gardening, reading and cooking.

Oscar was born and grew up in York, but his mother is Swedish, and his father is half-Irish. He also has Norwegian, Russian and Finnish ancestry!

A lifelong love of natural history and biology led him to study Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specialising in geology. His curiosity soon grew beyond this and these days he enjoys reading into a wide range of fields. He also likes cooking and going to the gym in his spare time.

Search YouTube for his appearances on the British quiz shows University Challenge and Only Connect!

https://www.melton-college.co.uk/finn-the-college-mascot/