Teaching Social Skills

Etiquette Academy of Ireland (EAI) was founded in 2014 when Therese McCullagh-Melia saw a niche in the market with regard to her observing very poor manners and etiquette.

To-day young people are highly educated but lack basic social skills. While in the past young people especially young ladies were groomed in Manners & Etiquette either in the school they attended or they went to Mannequin Agencies where such courses were taught. The very rich went to Finishing Schools in France, London or Lucerne in Switzerland.

This is no longer the case while jobs are scarce you need something extra in order to stand out from the crowd. With this in mind Therese established Etiquette Academy of Ireland.

Therese McCullagh-Melia

Therese is originally from Dublin and while still at school attended Betty Anne Whelan’s Mannequin Agency on Grafton Street. While there she learned Poise, Deportment & Social Behaviour and she feels this has stood to her up to the present day. She was chosen at this time to follow a career in modelling but declined. She is also a former student of Betty Anne Norton’s School of Elocution & Drama.

Therese worked for many years in the Estimating Department of a well know Irish Construction Company.  When she married she left to live in Monaghan and while there she became involved with the ISPCC of which she held many positions. There were in volunteering, fundraising, spearheading many activities through young people’s involvement in the Society. She was Company Secretary for a number of years and also served on the Board. 

She took a career change some years ago and went back to college to complete a course in Auctioneering & Estate Agency. She spent the following four years working in Property Management where she found the level of civility from the general public astounding.

She has been toiling with setting up the Academy for some time and with this on the agenda, a week spent at Minding Manners/International Etiquette & Protocol Academy of London, was very beneficial. This included the Art of Entertaining & of the Table, Personal Image & Society Dress Code, Poise and Posture through Ballroom Dance.  She received a Certificate having successfully completed this course.

Therese is a member of the Society of Certified Etiquette Trainers and she holds a certificate for ‘Teaching Etiquette to Teenagers’

Therese has travelled extensively so she knows the importance of personal social skills first hand.

It is being able to interact with people of different race and class while making them feel at ease.