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Learning a language and having a ball abroad
17 January 2010 By Carol Hayes
When Michael Stein had difficulty finding a language school abroad for his teenage daughter, he decided to use his extensive travel knowledge to address the problem.
Stein, a self-confessed ‘‘travel connoisseur’’ who sold Stein Travel in Dublin in 2006, has set up Stein Study Abroad, which has operations in Dublin and on it s website www.steinstudyabroad.ie. Its backers include Stephen Burke and Diane Kerrigan, owners of technology firm EISS.
‘‘I came up with the idea for the site when my daughter and a group of friends were looking to go to France to study for a few weeks during their transition year at school," said Stein.
‘‘I was reluctant to book something online with a company which I knew nothing about, so decided there was a market for this type of business in Ireland."
He described the firm as ‘‘a one-stop shop offering travel and educational opportunities tailor-made to suit students of all ages’’. It caters for people who want to improve their language skills while sampling the lifestyles of other countries.
The company has sourced language schools in locations as far afield as China and Mexico.
Language courses can be combined with activities such as surfing, golf, horse-riding and skiing, as well as cultural activities, such as painting and cookery classes.
‘‘Why spend six years learning a language in school and then graduate being unable to really speak the language?" asked Stein. ‘‘Anyone who spent six years learning English in another country would be fluent in it. Why should we be any different in Ireland?"
Stein grew up in Dublin, and holds a master’s qualification in business studies from Trinity College. He set up Stein Travel in 1982, and ran it for almost 25 years before selling out to Slattery’s Travel in Kerry in October 2006. His timing was good - following the downturn in consumer spending, Slattery’s Travel went out of business late last year.
After a two-year break, Stein established Stein Study Abroad with an initial investment of €100,000. The company had turnover of €400,000 last year, its first year in business, and he expects that figure to double this year.
The company’s main customers, so far, have been students aiming to improve their language skills for their oral and aural exams in their Leaving Certificate, and also to list a foreign language on their CV.
However, Stein believes that the company’s service will be of interest to the wider public, particularly given the economic downturn.
‘‘With the present difficulties in seeking employment, it is imperative to add more skills to your CV," he said. ‘‘Third-level graduates are finding jobs difficult, so they go off to Mexico or Cuba to upskill their Spanish. Mandarin and Russian are also very much at the forefront at present. People in redundancy situations are upskilling, as well as many senior citizens enjoying packages like ‘Italian and cooking’, ‘Spanish and flamenco’ and so forth.
‘‘There is something of interest for all ages. We’ve also chosen locations ranging from fast city living to relaxed rural environments, and students have a choice of staying with host families or at recommended residential campus accommodation."
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