Dublin language school closes

Staff and students of a Dublin language school found themselves locked out this morning after it ceased trading over the weekend.

Abbey College, situated opposite the Central Bank on Dame Street, employed about 20 teaching and administrative staff and provided English language classes to some 300 students.

It provided English language courses and other foundation and diploma courses for a number of qualification awarding bodies in Ireland and the UK.

"The management is currently taking steps to appoint a liquidator to wind up the company," Abbey College (Int) Ltd said in a statement posted on its website.

"Alternative arrangements are being sought for students who have not completed their tuition period for them to continue their classes...Please note that these arrangements will take a few weeks to put in place."

Staff members were asked by text message to collect documents from a courier company. Students, whose tuition period had ended, were informed that details of their attendance would be forwarded to the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

A number of students who gathered outside the college this morning said they had not been informed the college was closing and some said they had paid fees for courses in the institution as recently as last week. Among those gathered at the college today were students from Brazil, Mexico, Philippines and South Korea.

In a letter to staff, Abbey College director Mary Renden said the company had experienced trading difficulties because of the introduction of a new immigration regime for full-time non-EEA students in January.

Staff were informed the college was not in a position to pay outstanding wages, which some said ran to six weeks, and that they should apply to the Social Insurance Fund.