Slaney Language Centre goes fr celebrations to dogged fight to s
TOTALLY RELIANT ON INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, THE SLANEY LANGUAGE CENTRE HAS SEEN ITS ENTIRE BUSINESS WIPED OUT BY COVID-19. OWNER LISA BARTSCH OPENS UP ON THE STRUGGLE THEY FACE TO STAY OPEN, WRITES
IN MAY of last year the Slaney Language Centre (SLC) on Upper Rowe Street in Wexford celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since opening it had grown from teaching one solitary Italian student how to speak English into a thriving local business, employing 16 staff and welcoming thousands of international visitors to Wexford on a yearly basis.
Those present at the anniversary celebrations reflected upon the past, looked forward to the future, and toasted one of the county’s true success stories.
And it was a future which looked incredibly bright. At the start of 2020 bookings were at an all-time high, with twice as many students set to arrive in July and August than in any previous year.
Of course we all know what happened then. The outbreak of Covid-19 caused the SLC, like so many other businesses, to go into hibernation, to shut its doors, cancel all bookings, and wait for restrictions to lift.
But whereas other businesses, including those in the tourism industry, have slowly emerged from their cocoon, the SLC remains closed, its immediate future uncertain. What makes the centre unique is how it falls between two stools; considered neither part of the tourism sector nor its educational counterpart.
‘ The entire English Language Teaching (ELT) industry is suffering really badly,’ explains owner Lisa Bartsch. ‘Obviously we depend entirely on international travel, so Covid-19 is wiping out the whole industry.
‘Fáilte Ireland is supporting
SIMON BOURKE
the tourism industry but we’re classed as education so we don’t receive anything. Lots of sectors are getting funding, pubs and restuarants, but we seem to be the forgotten industry. We bring so much into the country, but we’re entirely dependent on international travel.’
Attracting students from all over Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Lisa estimates that the SLC brings €500,000 into the local economy each year, €300,000 spent on accommodation alone.
The length of stay varies, some come for a week or two, others may be here for a year, but all come not just to learn English, but to immerse themselves in Irish culture.
‘We could do our courses online, but people don’t want that,’ Lisa says. ‘ They want to come and experience life in Ireland, the culture, the lifestyle and so on.’
One of the people who helps to ensure that experience is a positive one is Carol from Wexford town. One of 150 hosts dotted around the county, she has been welcoming international students into her home for some years now and says it is about much more than just financial gain.
‘I enjoy having the kids here, making friends with them. It gives me an interest,’ says Carol. ‘I make sure they’re okay, I cook for them, take on the role of an Irish mammy. It’s not just about the money element, I want to help them they enjoy their experience in Wexford.
‘I might do something like go out to the Heritage Park and buy them a little memento to remember Wexford by, that’s all money going into the local economy.’
And when the children return home, whether it be to Spain, Italy, Japan or beyond, they invariably do so with happy memories, not just of Wexford, but of their Irish mammy.
‘A lot of the time their parents will write to me and say how much their children enjoyed their stay, which means a lot to me. You are a mammy to them – some children might only be ten or eleven and there can be some tears at times. You have to be able to give them a bit of comfort, there’s a lot to it,’ Carol says.
Lisa estimates that without government funding, up to 90 per cent of ELT schools in the country could close. But she is determined to ensure the SLC is not one of them. ‘We’re fighting at the moment, we hope we will make it, the landlord here has been really good to us. The plan is to reopen in March but nothing is certain at the moment.
‘So much work has gone into establishing the centre, so many people depend on us. I just hope the government realises it is a business as well as a source of tourism.’
Figures released by the ELT Industry of Ireland reveal that, annually, 150,000 students come to Ireland from more than 100 countries to learn English each year.
And it says the Covid-19 pandemic will see the industry lose 80 per cent of its revenue for 2020, an industry worth almost €1 billion to the Irish economy.
‘ There will be an estimated 80 per cent decrease in revenue in 2020. The knock-on effect of a summer with no English language students will seep into the Irish economy in the coming months.
‘ The total value of language schools to the economy is estimated to be at least €880m. The sector employs more than 3,000 full time workers and a further seven thousand seasonal and part time workers.
‘ The local businesses supported by the sector are as varied as they are many. They include the host families, private bus companies, public transport, OPW sites, catering providers, state schools that lease their premises during the summer and countless businesses within the tourism sector such as accommodation, bars, restaurants, tours, sports and outdoor activities.’
Calling upon the new government to intervene on behalf of schools like the SLT, the statement says failure to do so could have a ‘devastating effect’ on the tourism sector.
‘ The Irish government has shown strong leadership in how they are handling this crisis but further financial support is necessary to create a sustainable recovery that will have positive repercussions for Irish host families and other stakeholders that benefit directly from the sector. In the absence of continued support from the government a significant number of schools will struggle to stay in business through the quiet winter months. There is a real danger of a series of closures, effectively wiping out the industry, leaving many thousands of in-country students in limbo and devastating knock on effects to wider tourism services services sector.’
WE’RE FIGHTING AT THE MOMENT, WE HOPE WE WILL MAKE IT... THE PLAN IS TO REOPEN IN MARCH BUT NOTHING IS CERTAIN AT THE MOMENT