Meet the Team

I have been in this business for over 30 years. I started out as a teacher in Ireland, then a teacher of English in some other countries, and finally as a director in a language school in Dublin – before starting my first company, ETE (Education Through English) in 1988, providing high school programmes in Ireland. Those of you who know me are familiar with what happened after that, but in 2002 I started my new company, HSI, in both Ireland and the UK. I have also been involved in high school operations and start-ups in the US, Canada and Australia.

I love this business and have a great network of friends and colleagues in all corners of the world. I love the impact that a high school experience has on kids and their parents and families.  This keeps me motivated and interested.

I have been fortunate with a great team of colleagues – some have been with me for 30 years and they make my life easier and a lot more enjoyable.

Although I spend a lot of time travelling, I love home life and I play really bad golf when I can.

Since graduating from University I have been consistently working in teaching and administration and have taken on a huge variety of roles and duties in arts and education from Assistant, Drama and Theatre Facilitator and Tutor to Manager and Coordinator. Specialising in the social, creative, personal and individual development of young people, I have been working with children, teenagers and adults for twelve years.

For me the child is paramount and I strive everyday to ensure that our students are cared for and are getting the most out of the developmental opportunities that their international experience has to offer!

I have a B.Sc in Education Studies – I did my studying in Marino Institute of Education, however since my college is affiliated with Trinity College Dublin I got to have my graduation ceremony in the beautiful Trinity. When I started college I was sure I wanted to do primary school teaching, but after finishing my degree and my subsequent travel experiences that soon changed.

After my final year of college I decided to do a j1 where I lived and worked at Walt Disney World in Florida. I lived with people from all around the world including England, Canada and Hong Kong – and I worked alongside a LOT more. This was when I discovered my love of working with international people.

When I came home I decided to then go to work at Disneyland Paris. Again, I was working with people from different countries while also improving my French language skills – so I understand what it can be like for these students coming to Ireland where English is not their first language.

After spending five years in the hospitality industry I joined High Schools International where I could use my experience working with international students and my degree in Education. I am new to the team here in Ireland, and this is my first job in the area of International Education, but I have been welcomed here with open arms. Usually I am in the office liaising with the agents and schools and assisting with any enquiries, but I will also be looking after Visa appointments and registrations for the students too. I love the variety of my work so far and I can’t wait to see what else my colleagues can teach me here.

My role involves managing agency and student accounts, the day-to-day financial operations of Head Office.  In addition I oversee the area of IT and technical support.

I love working with a small team of people, having been part of larger organisations in the past.  The friendly, supportive environment of HSI makes it easier to get up in the morning and “go to work”.

Before HSI I worked in marketing and corporate affairs with a major international retail chain as well as in my father’s small wholesale business.

I play drums for fun … it keeps me sane!!

My name is Katie and I am a student advisor for HSI Ireland. I graduated from Marino Institute of Education (accredited from Trinity College Dublin) in 2015 with a degree in Education Studies. I have always had an interest in working with children of all ages and abilities. I am also a qualified gymnastics coach and began coaching when I was 16 years old. I am a volunteer coach and manage my own group of gymnasts. I have plenty of experience working with children and have done so for many years now, having worked as an afterschool teacher, resource teacher and special needs assistant. I love my role at HSI so far, travelling all around the country meeting new people, visiting the students and their host families, and working in a close-knit team. It’s very diverse and every day is different to the next.