Hi, my name is Romano.
I come from a family of teachers: music, English, chemistry, primary and secondary school, so I think teaching was always going to be part of my life. I’m also the son of a psychotherapist, so I grew up with a natural curiosity about people and how they think. That interest in the psychology of learning has definitely influenced the way I approach teaching.
I qualified as a teacher in 2004, and my first teaching job was in Abruzzo, Italy, where I worked in a language school and also provided in-house training for companies. When I returned to Ireland, I continued teaching privately before moving to Murcia, Spain around 2010, where I taught privately and attempted to understand Murcia’s version of the Spanish language. Dios mio!!
I’ve been based at Castleforbes College here in Dublin since it opened in 2012, teaching students from elementary to advanced levels and preparing them for IELTS, Cambridge and Duolingo exams.
In between, I spent time in Thailand (2017-2019), where I taught medical English to doctors and nurses in hospitals. A complete culture shock but in a good way. While I was there, I also ended up ghost-writing a children’s book. Thailand has a funny way of putting you in situations you never saw coming.
During the summers, I’ve taught Erasmus+ courses at Trinity College Dublin, and I continue to work with private students both in person and online.
I’ve taken a few breaks from teaching over the years too. Burnout is real when you genuinely care about what you do, and sometimes a little time away from all those monsters is the best way to recharge my enthusiasm and enjoyment for the battle!
I’m Irish, by the way. My father was Italian and my mother Irish, hence the name. Unfortunately, despite having an Italian father, I never learned the language myself. A wasted childhood!
Before teaching, I trained in culinary arts, which has actually been really useful when working with chefs, waiters, and people in the hospitality industry. I have a better understanding of their world because of it. Over the years, I’ve created courses for culinary students and people preparing for careers in hospitality and catering, as well as CV and interview preparation programmes in partnership with Irish recruitment agencies to help students find jobs when they move abroad.
Outside of teaching, I have a few hobbies: perfumery, cooking, carpentry, travelling, and learning about other people’s lives and cultures. Living and working abroad has given me some amazing memories, some funny mistakes, and a lot of stories that I still enjoy telling… and some that I probably shouldn’t!
One of the best things about teaching is that you meet so many new people from different backgrounds and cultures. Over the years, I’ve made friends all over the world, and many of the people I’ve met have added something new to my own story. That is one of the things I enjoy most about what I do.