Hi!

 

I’m Emma-Jane Brown, born in the UK but grew up in Ireland. I moved to Pistoia in Tuscany (Italy) in 2002 and love living here with my husband Simo and two young daughters born in 2010 and 2015.

 

I’m a Social Worker by profession but since moving to Italy I’ve had the honour and privilege to become an English Teacher. I say a privilege because that is truly what it is for me. I work mostly with children and love the way that I can help shape their future. In this way I see the wonderful union between the two caring professions- Social Work and Teaching. I work both privately and in state schools where I meet literally more than 100 children a week! My job is a joy because Italian children love English and their family and schools see an immediate result in the children.

 

This enthusiasm for the family led me to a fabulous partnership with a good friend and colleague Roberta Stefan in 2014 when we decided to “give birth” to our new adventure together . It had been maturing for years and was now ripe to harvest- FAMILIES & IRELAND!

 

The majority of my work is done on the Irish side of FAMILIES & IRELAND – working with the Irish families, schools, camps and organisations. This year (2016) I share this role with a childhood friend Michelle Phillips who still lives in our home town of Bray.

 

Families & Ireland has been a super success from the beginning as Italian people appreciate and need to speak English and realise that the sooner children encounter English, the better. They can learn the language in the same way as they learned Italian- through games, songs and fun. At the same time Irish families, particularly in Bray where we are already used to taking students (although the majority are adults or teenagers), are amazingly welcoming and love this new adventure of hosting entire families.

 

Families & Ireland is dynamic and different and as such my work is amazingly rewarding. I have met the most wonderful open-minded families during our first 2 years and look forward to meeting many more.