The instructors behind every Swimcore session.
Seven fully qualified instructors and assessors. Four hold RLSS Trainer Assessor status. Every member of the team is enhanced DBS-checked and current on first aid. We teach swimming, and we train the people who keep pools safe.
How Swimcore started.
I'm Teodoro, Teo for short. I have been teaching swimming since 2009, with more than twenty years in and around the water across three countries.
I learned to teach in Italy, then in Australia, then here in the UK. Each pool I worked at taught me something different, sometimes how to teach, sometimes how not to. By the time I'd worked across enough leisure centres and private pools, I'd built a clear picture of what good teaching actually looks like, and what it doesn't.
The honest truth is that a lot of swim lessons in London are not run the way I'd want for my own family. Groups too big to teach properly. Teachers handed a worksheet and a whistle. Half-trained lifeguards. Parents told their child is "doing great" when they're actually just splashing. None of that sits right with me.
I started Swimcore Academy in 2020 to run lessons to a standard I could stand behind. Four swimmers per group, maximum. Every teacher fully qualified, not in training. A real RLSS-qualified lifeguard on the deck, every session, no exceptions. Honest feedback to parents, even when it's the awkward kind. And a heated indoor school pool at Mill Hill where the water is warm enough for a nervous beginner and clear enough to actually see what a stroke is doing.
The team you'll meet below have all been hired against that same bar. They're the people I trust on the pool deck on Friday evenings, the people I send my own swimmers to, and the people I'd want teaching yours.
Three rules that never bend.
The same teaching standard applies whether you are four, fourteen, or forty. These three principles are how every Swimcore instructor is asked to run a session.
Small groups, always.
Four swimmers per group lesson, maximum. Five per lane in lane swim. Below those numbers, the teacher can actually see and correct each swimmer. Above them, lessons drift towards crowd control.
Confidence before technique.
A nervous swimmer doesn't need a stroke breakdown, they need to feel safe in the water first. We meet swimmers where they are, then build from there. No rushing, no shame.
Honest progress, not flattery.
You'll hear what's working and what isn't, in plain English. Parents get a real read on how their child is doing. Adults get told when a stroke is improving and when it's not. Polite, never empty.
We teach swimming. We also train the lifeguards.
Four members of the Swimcore team are RLSS Trainer Assessors, qualified to deliver and assess the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) and the National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC). Three of them, Teo, Oscar and Nathaniel, also hold Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) qualification, the standard that ensures our courses are run, marked and recorded to RLSS specification. Mariia is currently working towards her IQA qualification too.
It means the people running your child's lesson on Friday are the same people writing the standards for pool safety across North London during half-term courses. That depth of qualification is rare at a school-pool operator, and it's what we mean when we say "fully qualified".
Meet your instructors.
Every member of the team holds the qualifications below in full, with current first aid and an Enhanced DBS check on file. Roles, languages and specialisms are listed honestly so you can request the right person for what you need.
FounderTeodoro Ministeri
Teo runs the academy and still teaches on the pool deck most Friday evenings. Sessions are typically 1-to-1, 2-to-1, or small groups, structured and progressive, with a clear plan for what we are working on and why.
Particularly strong with adult beginners who are nervous in the water or carrying a bad past experience. The combination of patience and structure tends to work for people who have tried lessons elsewhere and given up. Equally happy with children from age four and up, building the core aquatic skills without rushing.
Also a Level 4 Personal Trainer with a calisthenics background, which means swim-and-strength sessions are an option too. Useful for adults swimming for fitness, weight loss, or general health who want more from the pool than just lengths.
RLSS Trainer AssessorMariia Smyrnova
Originally from Ukraine and qualified to teach in both her home country and the UK. Brings years of experience to lessons across all ages and ability levels, from a swimmer's first splash to refining stroke technique for stronger swimmers.
Holds RLSS Trainer Assessor status, which means she also delivers and assesses lifeguard qualifications during half-term training weeks, and is currently working towards her Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) qualification. Calm, methodical, and known by parents for her patience with anxious or first-time swimmers.
IQA MentorOscar Lau
Currently studying medicine, Oscar brings clinical-grade attention to detail to RLSS lifeguard training and assessment. He delivers NPLQ and NRASTC courses, mentors trainee assessors, and holds Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) qualification, the standard that ensures our courses are run, marked and recorded to RLSS specification.
Oscar focuses on the training side of the team rather than swim lessons. If you book onto an NPLQ or NRASTC course at Mill Hill, there's a good chance Oscar is the person assessing whether you pass.
H&S LeadNathaniel Thomas
Nathaniel has spent his career in the leisure industry and is currently Health and Safety Lead at a major leisure centre during the week. With Swimcore on Friday evenings, he delivers and assesses RLSS NPLQ and NRASTC courses, and quietly raises the bar on operational standards across the team.
Years as a trainer-assessor mean he has seen most things go wrong on a pool deck and has thought hard about how to stop them happening here. If you sit an NPLQ at Mill Hill, you'll almost certainly meet Nathaniel.
Swim TeacherMahdi
Mahdi began his swimming career in Iran, where he became a national champion in youth and junior competitions and earned multiple coaching certifications. After moving to the UK, he completed his STA Level 2 swimming teacher qualification and his lifeguard training.
The competitive background shows in his teaching, particularly with swimmers who want to refine technique or build endurance. Equally happy with beginners, with a strong focus on building confidence in a calm, supportive environment.
SEN-ExperiencedKaska
Kaska, also known as Kasia, is a qualified swim teacher and lifeguard with over four years of experience. With a background as a gymnastics teacher, she brings a strong understanding of body awareness, coordination and technique into the pool, particularly useful for younger swimmers who are still figuring out how their bodies move.
Has a natural affinity with children and significant experience supporting swimmers with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Parents often ask for Kaska by name when their child needs a calmer, more individual pace. Lessons with SEN swimmers are typically run as 1-to-1 or 2-to-1, with a short discovery chat first.
Senior LifeguardKashyap
Kashyap is our Senior Lifeguard, with over five years of competitive swimming experience and a meticulous eye on the pool. NPLQ qualified with AED, current first aid, and the kind of calm, friendly presence that keeps both anxious parents and rowdy kids on the right side of the rules.
Currently working towards his swim teaching qualification alongside his lifeguarding duties. For now, his job is keeping every Swimcore session safe, and he does it well.
SEN-experienced instructor available.
Kaska has practical experience supporting swimmers with Special Educational Needs and finds this work especially rewarding. Lessons usually run as 1-to-1 or 2-to-1, with a short conversation beforehand so we can match the pace and approach to your child. WhatsApp us with a few details and we'll plan the right format together.
How we vet every instructor.
The same checks apply to every Swimcore hire, whether they're teaching their first lesson with us or assessing NPLQ courses. No shortcuts, no exceptions, no "they came recommended so we skipped a step".
Before anyone joins the team, they pass through every one of these. Documentation stays on file and is reviewed on renewal.
- ✓Enhanced DBS checkCurrent Enhanced DBS, verified before any contact with swimmers, re-verified on renewal.
- ✓Minimum Level 2 teaching qualificationSwim England (ASA) Level 2 or STA Level 2 swimming teaching qualification, in full.
- ✓Current NPLQ lifeguard qualificationRLSS National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, current and in date, for everyone on the pool deck.
- ✓Current first aid certificationIn-date first aid as part of the NPLQ requirement, plus separate refreshers where applicable.
- ✓Reference checksVerified references from prior teaching or leisure-industry roles before a first session.
- ✓Trial observationAn observed session at Mill Hill before being signed off to teach independently.
- ✓Ongoing CPDRLSS, STA and Swim England requalifications kept current, plus internal review of standards.
- ✓Safeguarding-trainedAll staff trained on safeguarding for children and vulnerable adults, in line with Swim England guidance.
Want a specific instructor?
Instructor availability flexes by week and term. The fastest way to get matched is to WhatsApp us with what you need: SEN, water anxiety, stroke correction, kids age 4 to 6, lessons in another language, NPLQ training. We'll tell you straight away who's available and when.
Real reviews from real swimmers.
Pulled live from Google, where Swimcore Academy currently holds 4.9 stars. No hand-picking, no editing.
About the team.
Honest answers to the questions parents and swimmers ask before booking.
Come and meet us at Mill Hill.
Friday evenings 5:30pm to 10:00pm in term-time, plus full half-term weeks. Lessons, lane swim, and RLSS training, all in one heated indoor pool in NW7.