Meet our new Principal at St Giles Eastbourne – Richard Kelly!

John Sutherland, former principal at St Giles Eastbourne, retired recently after a long time working at St Giles. Although we were sad to see him go, we have welcomed a fresh face to the St Giles family. Richard Kelly, who previously worked for The Bell School and Eurocentres, joined us in March and has already settled in to the St Giles routine. We asked him a few questions to get to know him better.

Congratulations on your appointment as principal at St Giles Eastbourne. You’ve been with us for a few months now. How have you settled in? What do you like most about working at St Giles Eastbourne?

Thank you.  I was really excited to start working for St Giles.  St Giles has a great reputation in the language travel industry and so I was keen to join.  I have not been disappointed – it has been educational, stimulating and good fun.   As to what I like most about working at St Giles, I think it has to be the students themselves and also the real sense of commitment that the staff have towards them.

You have previously worked at The Bell school and Eurocentres. How does your experience so far compare with your experiences in the past?

St Giles, The Bell school and Eurocentres are all organisations that are rightly known for their quality.  However, The Bell school and Eurocentres lack something that St Giles has.  St Giles is a family-run business and this helps to create a sense of family amongst the employees.  This sense of family runs through the organisation and so can be felt amongst the staff and students of the individual schools.  It is something special.

What advice do you have for students travelling to Eastbourne? What should they expect from their time at St Giles and in Eastbourne?

Eastbourne is a great destination to come and study English.  It is a very safe town and easy to travel around.  Being a seaside resort there is plenty to do at all times of the year.  We have great staff at the school and comfortable accommodation for the students to stay in.  We have an excellent team of teachers who will really push the students to improve their English while they are studying with us.  So, students should expect to have a great time and to significantly improve their English language skills.

If you were to suggest one “must see” or “must do” to one of your students in Eastbourne, what would it be?

There really are so many things to see and do in and around Eastbourne that it is difficult to choose just one.  I would say that every student should spend some time on the seafront, whether it is having a coffee in one of the many bars or cafes, going for a run along the promenade, or doing something on the beach like playing volleyball with friends.  We are also very close to Beachy Head, one of the most beautiful areas of coastline in Britain, and Brighton and London are both short journeys from Eastbourne.

Is there anything you want to say to potential students?

St Giles Eastbourne is a fantastic English language school in a unique location.  We work hard at the school to make sure every student’s stay is the best it can be.  My staff and I look forward to welcoming you to the school.

Thank you Richard, and we look forward to seeing you excel as the principal at St Giles Eastbourne!