Anne was born and educated in Ireland where she received a BA in English. After moving to Hong Kong, Anne continued her studies and received a Diploma in Teaching Business English from Polytechnic University. After working as an in-house language trainer for corporate companies for three years and as an English teacher at local and international schools; Anne pursued her PGCE at Hong Kong University and also completed a Higher Diploma course in Teaching English. 

Anne has lived in Hong Kong for 17-years and has been Director for ITS Educational Services for 7-years. Anne’s role is to work closely with parents to come up with the most appropriate academic pathway for their children. Anne offers a personalised school search service with exceptional results. This service extends far beyond simply finding and recommending a school for students. Anne and her team, offer top-notch resources for helping improve student success rates, guide families through the entire application process and advice on suitable academic pathways.

On becoming a teacher: 
I never liked school, I never wanted to become a teacher, but I did have a few teachers in my life that inspired me. Not because they were necessarily amazing at their job, but because they attempted to know me and help blossom and most of all they believed in me. I decided I wanted to be like the teachers I admired; I too wanted to help someone else achieve and blossom. You build positive relationships with students, parents, colleagues and a wide community of nationalities. 

An inspirational person: 
My dad is the most inspirational man in my world. The secret behind the big steps that I took and the victories I achieved is a wonderful man, I call ‘Daddy’. He dedicated his life to his family, attempted challenges and pursued many opportunities for his business. He was always the motivation and support I needed. He encouraged me to always pursue my dreams and he supported me through every decision I made, good and bad. 

He fought hard for years to fight cancer, his positive attitude and determination provided him with many extra days which doctors never predicted. 

My dad is not an author; he doesn’t have a big presence in the media, he never wrote a motivational speech but he is responsible for pushing me to travel, build a business and experience life with happiness, positivity and gratefulness. My dad is my inspiration and my hero!

Top tip to younger self: 
Failing doesn’t mean the end, in actual fact, it means winning. This might sound strange to you now, but believe me when I tell you that all your failures are laying out a wonderful path for you to highly succeed. It’s better to fail before you make it, than to fail when you’ve already made it and lose everything due to lack of experience and knowledge. And even if you do lose everything, you can make it all back and some more. Life is full of surprises, so take control, get ready and enjoy the journey you embark upon.