5 minutes with
Asif Musa
Managing Director of West London English School
business I had set up in a deprived
trust to build the business with, and
one of the biggest crises I have
area of Gloucester. I started out as
one admin staff member. I offered
known for our business, caused by
an estate agent in Ealing before
to start a new company and take
the pandemic. Today’s success, with
starting an accommodation agency
over the lease of the building and
30 staff members and a turnover
helping international students find
asked if they would be interested in
of £1.15 million in 2022, is nothing
accommodation.
working with me. They accepted, so
short of a miracle.
I had an offer to get involved in marketing the West London Business College in 2005. From around 2012, the school’s EFL (English as a Foreign Language) side of the business started to decline as there were several immigration
Who are you?
After some marketing analysis,
Asif Musa, Managing Director and
I worked out the need to have a
founder of West London English
more centrally located campus, and
School. I was born in Gloucester,
I advised the board to move the
but my family moved back to Nairobi Kenya until the coup in 1982, when my father sent me back to the UK on a plane at the age of seven, when Kenya became unsafe. The 1982 Kenyan coup d’état attempt was a failed attempt to overthrow President Daniel Arap Moi’s government. Leaving my family at such a young age was difficult. However, we did reunite about a year later when my mother and two younger sisters came to the UK, with my father joining us a little later. I dropped out of college and lost interest in education as a teenager, not realising its importance. My parents worked all hours of the day to ensure we had food on the table
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changes that affected the industry.
in January 2015, the West London English School was was founded and is a proud member of the chamber.
What’s your business all about? Teaching English as a foreign language and helping our clients pass examinations required for work, business, and further studies.
EFL campus to Ealing Broadway
Three words to describe yourself?
to attract students coming for
Ambitious, passionate, and generous
much shorter courses. Ealing is
Biggest gripe? All the injustice in the world, children without shelter, food, or water caused by unnecessary war.
Your inspiration? My Mum and Dad and Ali Ibn Abu Talib who was the Prophet Mohamad’s nephew, a great warrior, philosopher, and humanitarian.
Philosophy in Business? Having strong values: Honesty, Integrity, Transparency, Dedication, Belief. Creating opportunities for my staff and creating a great environment for them to prosper. My staff and team feel very much an important part of school and have a vested interest, having the students’ interest at heart and always doing their best. I have the philosophy that we can always do better and be better, starting from the top.
an attractive place to market a
Ideal Customer?
cosmopolitan suburb with many
One that trusts the process and
good schools, parks and transport
advice given to by the advisors and
links, and it is very accessible to any
academic team. Motivated, focused
potential clients who have migrated
individuals who recognise that they
with family or for work, business or
need help in achieving their goals
further studies.
and objectives.
The West London Business College
Biggest achievement?
Sporting Hero?
My two wonderful sons for sure!
I have a few, starting with Roy Keane, as a Manchester United fan. I also have huge respect for Ronaldo after seeing him achieve greatness through sheer hard work, determination, and belief. I could also mention Rafael Nadal, Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. To be honest, I could go on.
continued to primarily focus on and invest in its Higher Education provision rather than EFL, and in 2014, due to continued issues with overseas students getting visas to come and study in the UK, the board decided to close the school and we were all given notice for redundancy.
After starting the business in 2015, the same year I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was told we may not be able to have children, and after years of trying we conceived a beautiful baby boy in 2019, followed by another boy in
after moving to the UK. I started a
Against all advice, I believed in my
2021. My other source of pride is
small business, a sports retail shop
vision for the provision of English
what we have achieved at WLES,
Language Teaching in Ealing and
Biggest tip for success?
through the Princes’ Trust, and then
against all advice, due to a difficult
moved to London in 1997 for work
in the team of teachers and staff I
environment for the industry, along
and opportunity, after realising I
worked with. I approached a few
with being diagnosed with cancer.
had limited opportunities with the
of the teachers that I knew I could
Another achievement is surviving
Vision, belief and trust in yourself, hard work, determination, honesty and trusting your staff. For me, faith and trust in God.
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