My Guardians

About Us

We are an educational guardianship company, based in the county of Kent, in the South East of England and half an hour away by train from London. Our office is located near the picturesque towns of Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.

Our location allows easy access to many boarding schools in Kent, East & West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and London. Our guardianship students are based at schools close to us, allowing us to visit them easily and to attend any school meetings.

At My Guardians, we work as a team to support you and your child.

I’m Irina Bowman, the founder and managing director.

I originally trained as a teacher and am passionate about helping children achieve their academic potential in a safe and happy environment.

Born in The Caucasus, I moved to England 30 years ago after studying English and English literature at Moscow University. I have first-hand experience of learning English as a second language and also of moving to England myself, which makes me ideally placed to understand the needs of overseas students here and to be able to support them.

I’ve worked for a variety of international companies, both abroad and in Britain. Working with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds is something I’ve always enjoyed doing and I love helping students from all over the world to get the most out of their time in England.

In my role as guardian, I get to know my students well and have a holistic approach to supporting them. I’ve previously hosted overseas students in my own home and I select host families very carefully, placing students where I know they will be very well looked after. I’ve built up great relationships with the staff at the schools and I regularly visit my students. I love seeing them progress over time, both in academic ability and in confidence and I enjoy hearing the positive things their teachers say about them. Acting as an approachable go-between for parents and the school, I can provide information and answer questions, to help everyone to feel at ease.

I form positive relationships with my students and their families. As a result, some of my previous students have stayed in touch with me for over 20 years, exchanging messages and sending me little updates.

Louisa Fennell, Host Families Coordinator.

I’m Louisa.

I work with our students and host families, ensuring that students are matched with suitable hosts.

Living in East Sussex, I am in easy reach to get to know and support both the students and the host families.

Haoli Zhang, Admissions Coordinator, China.

I’m Haoli. I work with our students and parents from China.

I advise them on the choices of British boarding schools and the admissions process.

I thoroughly understand British and Chinese culture and education systems and am invaluable to Chinese-speaking parents and students.

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