Sheila Agnew

Highly experienced international lawyer and CELTA-qualified ESL teacher with considerable not-for-profit experience seeks challenging opportunity in the charitable sector in Ireland.

Available onsite from July 2, 2025.

Dual Irish/U.S. Citizen.

Teaching and Pro Bono Experience

Lead ESL, ELA (English Language Arts) and Creative Writing Teacher, Summer Advantage U.S.A., Long Island City May- September 2015

• Taught children aged between 6 and 13 in class groups ranging from 17 to 22 in size.
• The students were financially disadvantaged children of Hispanic immigrants with varying levels of English ranging from basic beginner to advanced.
• Employed a wide reach of student-centred teaching techniques.
• Collaboratively wrote a play with the students culminating with a wonderful performance for the parents at the end of term.

Volunteer ESL Teacher, The Dream Project, The Dominican Republic, March/April 2015

• Taught English to impoverished students aged between 16 and 23 (basic and intermediate levels).
• The purpose of the teaching program was to enable the students to take up positions in a work-placement program in the hospitality sector in the Dominican Republic.

ESL Instructor, Teaching House, New York, NY Oct/Nov, 2014

• Taught pre-intermediate and upper-intermediate ESL classes of 12 – 14 adult students from various cultural backgrounds.
• Worked with Global, Cutting Edge and English File course books.
• Designed and implemented an original syllabus for the last week of lessons, including a reading and writing lessons based on my own published books.
• Wrote a needs-analysis of individual students and created tasks which targeted weaknesses in specific areas of grammar and pronunciation.

Pro Bono Lawyer Sanctuary for Families and In-Motion, New York, NY 2003-2011

Represented migrants in domestic violence, family and immigration cases before the New York Family Court.

Creative Writing Experience: Author of the highly acclaimed Evie Brooks series of books for children aged 9-13 published by The O'Brien Press in Ireland 2013-2014 and organised and presented dozens of creative writing workshops for children in Ireland and the U.S.