Foreign student firm scoops award

A LIMERICK woman who brings hundreds of foreign students to north Cork every year to learn English, has won a major award for rural business.

Bernie Carroll from Bruree in Limerick operates her business from Charleville, Co Cork.

She won the top business prize in the 2011 JFC Innovation Awards for her company — Student Programmes Ireland — which places young foreign students in secondary schools to help them perfect their English.

Bernie had worked with a company which organised student home stay recreational and educational visits for years, but two years ago set up her own business following a chance inquiry.

“I got a call from a local secondary school saying they had an inquiry from the Slovakian Embassy if they would take some students for the academic year to learn English. I met the embassy officials in Dublin and before I knew what was happening I had done a deal to bring almost 100 to Ireland.”

She set up Student Programme Ireland to develop the model further. “Ireland has a great reputation for English and the idea of living with an Irish family in a rural setting was an added incentive.

“We used to have difficulty getting host families but with the recession we have a waiting list as people see it as a way of bringing in additional money.”

In 2010 she placed 160 students in secondary schools all over Munster and Connacht.