Summer school teachers at Kildare language course still waiting on up to €10K in wages

Teachers who were working at a language course held in Kildare this summer have yet to be fully paid and are owed a collective €10,000 in wages, the company director has claimed.

The issue arises from a course that was run for Leaving and Junior Certificate students by the Horizon International Languages group at Clongowes College outside Clane this summer. The course was independent of the college and Clongowes only leased their property to the Mayo-registered company for the French and Spanish learning students.

There were five female teachers hired to teach at the course, which costs students €465 per week.

The experienced teachers have yet to be paid however, despite receiving their P45s and wage slips. According to the journal.ie, one teachers who was supposed to be paid €500 per week has not been paid since the course ended in July.

Maria Emilia Carrizo, who taught at the course, said that she has been trying to contact Horizon International Languages but has been unable to get in touch.

“I have worked three years in Italy, seven years in Argentina and have never ever had anything like this before. It’s a disgrace and a big disappointment,” she told the journal.ie.

Company director, Frank Noone, emailed the teachers at the beginning of September to say that he was working hard to ensure they would all be paid soon, but they have still to receive their full wages.

Ms Carrizo said that she was paid €200 during the course but nothing more.

Mr Noone said that the company are having monetary difficulties at present.