Who We Are and What We Do

IELA is privately owned  and run, offering a unique hands-on, personalised approach to sourcing schools and to learning.

Our experienced Student Co-Ordinators are located close to our partner schools,  across Ireland, and our head offices are located within 20 minutes of Dublin airport, we offer accessibility and diversity to our students.

Our Culture

We are a values driven organisation and they play an important part of our culture:

  • Creative ingenuity:Creativity exists as a red thread through everything we do, from our very solution solving and finding new and creative ways to solve complex problems and evolve internal process.
  • Always excellent:We deliver excellence to our agents/parents/students and host families and that requirement filters through to every element of our culture. Our organisational excellence and attention to detail underpins all we do.
  • Passionately proud:We are immensely proud of our dedicted team and and our amazing host families.
  • Talk:We operate a safe and inclusive environment. Awareness and understanding of every individuals lived experience is valued.  We talk openly and ask you to do the same.
  • What’s next?:If the last year has taught us anything, it is that we can never know what’s around the corner. We always have one eye on the horizon and are continually asking ourselves … what’s next?

Meet The Team

Emer Curran
Emer CurranDirector, IELA
Emer started her career in the Public Service sector over 30 years ago where she gained a wealth of experience working within various departments.

Emer has a passion for problem-solving and the challenges it brings and is responsible for fiscal management and planning, sales and marketing and strategic business planning with Ireland’s Eye Language Academy.

Outside of IELA, Emer’s enjoys walking in Sutton & Howth, practising yoga and spending time with friends and family. Emer is married to Michael and mother to Cillian, Bríana & Siân and lives in Sutton.

Geraldine Newport Cooling
Geraldine Newport CoolingOperations Manager, IELA
Geraldine has an academic background in the ELT industry and has 15+ years of experience in various roles in Ireland and abroad – from teaching to programme co-ordination and management as well as sales and marketing. She graduated from Dublin City University with a BA Degree (HONS) in Languages for International Communication with German and French and completed an Erasmus year in Universität Hildesheim studying Translation and Interpreting.
She is a fluent German speaker and having studied and worked abroad, she understands the students’ perspective and is passionate about International Education and its benefits.

She enjoys yoga, travelling, and spending time with her husband and son.

Joan McCann
Joan McCannStudent Co-Ordinator
Joan McCann is a mother of three children. Joan has a diploma in European Studies with languages and business studies. After her studies in Ireland she went on to study in the IUT in Annecy , France.

She is a fluent French speaker, and she has worked in various international industries including tourism and transportation. Joan hosted students for six years and she has gained a wealth of experience from hosting over the years.

In her spare time Joan likes to travel and read. She lives with her Husband and three children in Leopardstown.

Nicolette O’Dwyer-Mooren
Nicolette O’Dwyer-MoorenStudent Co-Ordinator
Nicolette is a mother of two teenagers and has been living and working in Ireland since 2018. Relocating with teenagers to a new country, she knows as no other what it is like adjust to another culture, to speak a new language, to make new friends and to feel homesick.

Having worked as a Special Needs Assistant in an International School in the Netherlands and setting up her own business in helping children ‘how to learn’, Nicolette has a wide experience in working with children and teenagers in particular.

In her free time she enjoys yoga, walking and exploring all the lovely nature Ireland has to offer.

Nicolette lives in Clonmel and is our local student co-ordinator for Tipperary.

Laura Nixon
Laura NixonStudent Co-Ordinator
Laura is originally from Sutton Co Dublin and is a mum of three boys. She holds a degree and postgrad in Business Studies from Trinity College and she began her career in corporate banking. She holds higher diplomas in Adolescent Counselling and Child and Adolescent Psychology. She also holds a higher diploma in Early Childcare a sector she has been employed for the past 10 years during which time she owned and ran her own childcare facility.

Laura really enjoys working with children and teenagers and loves to get to know her students well and ensure their time here is enjoyable, safe and well supported.

Laura loves the outdoors, walking her dogs and spending time with her family.

Fiona Hanratty
Fiona HanrattyStudent Co-Ordinator
Fiona started her career in the financial services industry primarily with AIB Investments and Banking. Having achieved a degree in Business and International Marketing, she then moved to Paris for a year to study French. Fiona has excellent communication skills, is very reliable and conscientious. Having hosted students on many occasions, Fiona’s personal skills and natural warmth is a great asset to IELA Language Academy.

Fiona is a mother of 4 children and lives in Howth with her family. She enjoys Music, sport, reading and walking on the local beach.

Katey Boyle
Katey BoyleSales Administrator
Katey has many years’ experience working as a client relationship manager and
loves working with and helping people.

She graduated from Ulster University with a BA Degree (HONS) in Applied Languages and Translation Studies with Spanish and French and completed an Erasmus year abroad in Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria studying Translation and Interpreting.  She spent a number of years working on Gran Canaria.

She is a mother of two young boys and in her free time, she enjoys travelling with her family, cooking and fashion.

Jean Lyons
Jean LyonsAccounts
Jean began her career with Bank of Ireland in 1986. She worked in various roles over almost 30 years such as customer service, new entrant training, project management and website content training. Jean then set up a successful driving school which she ran for 5 years. This gave her great insight into running a small business and she thoroughly enjoyed working with young people.

Outside of work, Jean enjoys playing tennis, reading, walking, theatre and cinema. She lives in Raheny with her husband and 2 sons.

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