28-year-old Damien Glavey from Mayo in the West of Ireland, has been working with City Language School for over five years. This summer, Damien is our Director of Studies at our Dublin City University campus and he is really looking forward to it.
“Last year I was Director of Studies in our campus in Killester,” says Damien, “but because we are becoming so popular we have had to go to a bigger campus to accommodate all the people who want to be part of our summer programme in Dublin.”
“Last year was great. I worked with a great time and we had a lot of groups from various different parts of the world. We had a nice mix, Russians, Chinese, lots of Italian, Belgian students, Mexican, Spanish, French so a really healthy mix so it was good from a cross cultural aspect. They mixed quite well and to a certain extent they had to use English as their medium which is a great way for them to practice.”
As Director of Studies, Damien’s role is to facilitate the teaching and learning of English. As well as assessing a student’s level he works with teachers to build our summer programmes and organise activities that will supplement them.
“So we try and get the right balance for students,” says Damien. “Make sure they’re at the right level and that they are getting feedback so they can progress properly and we cater for people who are here for anything from one week to six weeks.”
The constant flow of students and groups passing through our campus means that people on our Oscars Experiences make new friends all the time. For Damien, having great facilities makes all the difference.
“There are all weather football pitches, basketball courts, canteen, table tennis, tennis courts,” says Damien. “So there’s lots to do and great fun to be had. The classrooms are top quality too with whiteboards and wi-fi.”
When he is not looking after our students, Damien plays Gaelic Football with Dublin club, Parnell’s. He is also a fan of tag rugby and enjoys hanging out with his friends on a summer’s evening.
“Anything with a ball, I’ll play it,” says Damien. “So I suppose I bring that with me to the summer camps. Yes, I do look after the academic side of things but when I can I like to contribute to the social side of the camps too. We’re a good team here at Oscars and our main focus is making sure the students enjoy themselves, make friends and go away with great memories and better English.”