Guy Acres, of Haydons Road, Wimbledon, has been nominated for a Merton Community Award for excellence in teaching in his position as a Year 6 teacher at Joseph Hood Primary School.

Mr Acres, 31, said: “It was a bit of a surprise, I wasn’t expecting it.

“It’s an added bonus to be recognized, since it makes you feel like you’re doing a good job.”

After completing undergraduate coursework at the University of Kent and studying for his postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) at South Bank University, Mr Acres travelled to Nagasaki and Kyoto, Japan, to teach, even though he was not fluent in Japanese.

Although he only intended to stay for one year, Mr Acres ended up staying for four, and was then ready to transition into his current post when he returned.

Mr Acres said: “I just wanted to explore the world a bit before settling down into a proper career, but I really enjoyed the teaching and knew what I wanted to do when I returned.”

He says one of the parts of teaching he loves is watching the children learn and make progressions through their studies.

He has been teaching at Joseph Hood for three years, and taught Year 5 in his first year before moving on to his current position in Year 6.

He was nominated bu Sue Wildgoose, of Dupont Road, Raynes Park, for his "dedication and hard work with the Year Six class at Joseph Hood Primary School."

Nominate someone by voting online at www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/mca or fill out a form in the Wimbledon Guardian newspaper