Success Stories - Portobello Institute

I enjoy my role now; I feel that I am growing in my position every day and achieving a high level of success on my job.

I have been promoted twice since I started and I believe that the degree definitely helped my second promotion.

Once my years of experience were paired with the qualification, I was successful at the very first interview I took post-graduation.

Portobello was right for me in that it helped me gain a place in a master's degree that will allow me to pursue a career in teaching.

My qualification has opened doors with companies to allow me to work as a tour guide. I am now an independent driver/guide.

This fashion buying & merchandising course set me up to be hirable as soon as I left the course and that’s exactly what happened!

This course was 100% the right choice for me and I walked straight into a job as a tour guide which I thoroughly enjoy!

I am a Tour Guide at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The National Tour Guiding qualification was instrumental in me securing my role.

Portobello Institute is one of the few providers that meet the criteria for the Fáilte Ireland Industry Qualified Tour Guide Directory

"I loved the course. I am definitely more confident again in my knowledge after refreshing"

"The course was a great resource for someone stepping into the Irish tourism sector, the materials provided were excellent"

"I feel like my role at Primark is fulfilling my potential. This course was the perfect stepping stone for me as I began my career"

"Formalising this work with a qualification was a natural progression"

"Now I have the confidence and acknowledgement in my own expertise as a result of my journey through the Masters's"

"The course allowed me to follow my passion for preparing and enhancing the outdoor environment for children's play."

"It was the addition of going to college and getting the knowledge to deliver great service that helped me get the regional role."

"This course is a challenge to me and I feel that it is the next step I need to take to progress within this sector"

"Inclusive education has become a prevalent topic and there is a need for skilled, informed professionals within the education system"

"I have been offered a managerial role in a setting due to this degree qualification, I'm so proud and grateful to have this degree"

"If you work full-time, have a family and can only study at a certain time choose Portobello Institute and you won't regret it"

"It has helped me in my career, I moved roles just as I finished the degree programme and it was a big plus"

"Being able to use what I did in the assignments has been great. To some degree, I was writing our FM strategy through the assignment."

"I have never been out of employment since beginning my studies. I opened my preschool and worked with Enable Ireland and the HSE"

"If you want to work while studying at the highest level, Portobello is for you. All my learning needs are met and even surpassed."

"This course has definitely developed me as an individual and I feel that I know significantly more about the industry now"

"Flexibility is a huge thing for me and Portobello has it perfected."

"Studying with Portobello allowed me to achieve my dream of opening my own early years setting"

"When I feel I’m losing my passion, then I go back to college, learning and sharing knowledge brings more passion"

"I registered to do the MA in Early Childhood Studies to become an expert in the field of early years education."

“It's never too late to come back to study. Life is about learning experiences and this one has given me a huge sense of achievement."

“Portobello very much suits the working mother. It suited my schedule. The timelines were great."

"I want to make my practice with the children the best that it can be and that really was my go-to reason for doing the MA."

“It definitely has helped my career. It’s given me more opportunities. It’s been good to be able to apply the modules to my job"

“If anybody was talking to me about the whole SNA experience I would absolutely recommend Portobello, definitely."

At 63 years of age, Noel Quigley knew that his time in full-time employment would be coming to an end soon and retirement was a quietly

"I never thought I’d be able to study again at that level but it panned out. I’m delighted I was able to achieve it.”

“We are currently going global moving into the UAE, France, the UK and New York so it is very busy."

"One of the reasons I chose this program was to put the educational side with my professional experience"

After three decades working with her passion for Irish Dancing, Evelyn Shortall completed her level 5 and level 6 SNA qualifications.

With a wealth of experience already under his belt, Kieran Dowdall had to look elsewhere to see what he could do to advance his career

Returning to education with almost two decades of experience can seem daunting, but for Wayne Noonan, it was completely worthwhile

From a plane spotting kid to cabin crew across the world, Stacey Caffrey is using Portobello Institute to get to the next step.

“Between all courses in Dublin, Portobello was the most affordable and handy to do"

"The degree reinforces what you are already doing, it gives you more knowledge and more confidence. It brings us up a step"

“I've now started my dream job in the Adidas HQ offices in Germany where I've been able to combine my love of all things fitness!"

“I really am working my dream job, something that would not have been possible without Portobello”

From a PLC, to Portobello, to Physiotherapy, Sean Moriarty's path to his dream career.

“Portobello Institute helped me get a place on the PME course, something I didn’t think would be possible."

Jack Daly has taken his first steps towards a career in Physiotherapy with Portobello Institute.

"I gained a wealth of knowledge from the theory, practice and skills demonstrations. I have also gained confidence and experience"

“Having spent the previous 10 years working in the world of accounts, I knew I did not want to stay tied to a desk for the next 30 year

“I found a passion and the tutors found a passion in me too. I completely fell in love with it"

"I have gained the higher capitation but also the recognition of having the degree and being a professional in what you do."

"At Portobello the tutors genuinely care about the students and they want to see them succeed afterwards."

"The course gives you different skills that you can carry across different industries it gives you a good foundation for it.”

"When I started I had been in the early year's sector for 24 years, I found it so incredibly rewarding, useful and a great thing to do"

"It’s open to anyone interested in child development, child welfare, anyone that has an interest n working with children."

“The practical experience in the classroom was really good. It’s so important to sit down and see how the materials work"

Shane Malone had a young family and wanted a fulfilling career that would provide for them.

"I drove up and down every Wednesday for six months from Donegal to Dublin to do the course that’s how much I loved it!"

"I was able to build a relationship with my tutor and it made me feel comfortable studying from home"

"The course taught me the importance of supporting the child`s development and how I can assist them when I have the proper knowledge"

"The workshop was great, from a Covid-19 perspective it is perfect, people felt safe and there is no obligation to go"

Portobello fashion graduate, Áine Lee, turns her life around after Covid-19 retail job loss to a new life working with a global company

“I did the course as a taster and I just found it amazing. Everything on the course was so relevant. I have gone on to do my post-grad"

Colm Dunne came through Portobello Institute's PE and Coaching degree to earn a place on UL's Teaching Masters in PE.

Dan O'Mahony earned his Masters degree from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland after graduating from Portobello Institute.

Cathal Brady runs his own sports therapy clinic, lectures at Portobello and works with various sports teams across different codes.

Donna Power's life changed when she had children. She never imagined she would become a sports therapist but is delighted that she did.

Thomas Maher is a mature student who was a qualified personal trainer in his own gym. Now he has opened his own sports therapy clinic.

Aoife Fleming helped to save a child's life when she was younger and after that she knew she wanted to become a hydrotherapist.

Tom Murphy was 18 and left without a Leaving Certificate after his professional soccer career. Portobello Institute gave him direction.

Matthew Bursey says that he owes much of his professional success to the guidance he received at Portobello Institute.

Aoife Scally was a qualified physiotherapist who wanted to help her patients even more by adding psychology to her repertoire.

Eoin Byrne turned his Portobello Institute degree into roles with RTE and Eir Sport.

"The lectures are robust, interactive and offer vast avenues to further learning as each student sees fit."

“It was brilliant, the project I picked was something I was really interested in, I’m delighted because I put a lot into it"

John dreamed of working in aviation and the Airline & Cabin Crew Studies course at Portobello Institute made his dreams come true!

As a result of undertaking Airline Studies, Amy is working in jobs she previously didn’t know existed!

"Anne Marie knows what it takes to become a buyer and has amazing contacts to help you get your foot into certain buying offices"

“Our tutors were so friendly and easy to approach which made the experience much better. My class really made my experience great too"

"I loved the course content and all the tutors were extremely helpful. I’m definitely excited to get my fashion buying career underway"

"It has given me the confidence and knowledge to believe in myself and my ability to progress into my career as a buyer"

"It has given me a sense of achievement and makes me feel good about myself – it’s never too late to reach your goals"

"This course gave me professional competence, self-respect, self-confidence, and has changed my whole understanding of childcare"

“I have so much more confidence now in this field and it has taught me that I am well able to do anything I put my mind to”

“Tutors at Portobello Institute – they believed in me, supported me and helped me every step of the way – in so many ways!"

After years in retail, Geraldine returned to study Travel & Tourism and is now employed as a Travel Consultant with Club Travel.

"I have gained a lot from participating in the programme and am very happy to have been able to put this knowledge into practice"

"My dream job is to be a successful fashion buyer in this ever-growing industry. This course has helped put those wheels in motion"

"From my internship l was offered a position in the buying department of Primark. Dreams do come true with the help of Portobello!"

Shannon Byrne opened her own clinic within a month of graduating and has since hired her first employee, who is a Portobello student.

"I thought I knew a lot, I have over 20 years experience running my own pre-school, but what I know is only the tip of the iceberg"

Ross Fagan completed the IWFM Level 3 and Level 5 courses and we are absolutely delighted to share his journey.

“The digital marketing module and utilising social media was especially relevant and are essential to any business these days"

Sheena Heavey talks on how she’s getting on in her new role as a Special Needs Assistant since finishing up at Portobello Institute.