Latest news with #grinds
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Carl O'Brien: ‘Are grinds really worth it?
I was writing today on how white-hot competition in the grinds sector is leading, in some cases, to eye-watering salaries for the most sought-after teachers. One of the new arrivals to the private tuition scene is online provider Grinds360, which has poached teachers from established operators like the Institute of Education and the Dublin Academy of Education. The grind schools, which are heavily oversubscribed, insist students fare best in-person with real teachers. Most Leaving Cert students avail of grinds nowadays. Photograph: Cyril Byrne Either way, business is booming in a sector estimated by some to be worth as much as €60-€80 million. But maybe a more significant question is: why? What factors are at play in driving so many to secure whatever advantage they can get? READ MORE High stakes The high-stakes nature of the Leaving Cert and CAO points system is an obvious one. Some argue that competition for top college courses has intensified due to grade inflation and rising points requirements. Others point to increasing anxiety, with more students feeling pressure from their own expectations or those of their parents. What is clear is that grinds have become normalised and are now an accepted part of exam success for most students. The grinds culture in Ireland is well in excess of many other European countries. According to a 2022 ESRI study , about one in five final-year students (16-20 per cent) get private support in Germany compared to more than half (55 per cent) in Ireland. Yet, the study's authors, Prof Selina McCoy and Prof Delma Byrne , found that private tuition only appeared to pay off for students with lower levels of achievement, with 'little, if any' gain for their middle and higher achieving peers. Nonetheless, grinds remain a lucrative business in Ireland, with costs ranging from €80 per hour for private grinds to more than €11,000 for full-time grind schools. The popularity of grinds raises uncomfortable questions around the quality of teaching in regular schools. Teacher shortages in key subject areas mean many students have either reduced subject choice or may be taught by an unqualified or 'out of field' teacher. Shortages Parents often are unaware, given that principals fear reputational damage if they highlight these difficulties. Some schools, especially in the South Dublin area, have been losing significant numbers of students to grind schools as a result. It remains to be seen whether Leaving Cert reforms – with a greater emphasis on project work and continual assessment – will affect demand and, in turn, the business model of grinds. Or perhaps the growth in the number of alternative pathways into further and higher education will take some heat out of the CAO points race. Anything that eases some of the acute stress experienced by students must, surely, only be a positive. How were the exams for you? We'd love to hear your feedback on this year's Leaving Cert exams: what were the hardest ?; what kind of toll did it take on students?; what changes would you like to see?; are you concerned about grade 'deflation' and its impact on CAO points? Please take a few minutes to complete our survey, below, and we'll share the results soon: Later this week: In advance of the CAO deadline, we'll share a last-minute checklist, as well as updates on what course areas have additional places and our analysis of how the 'deflation' of grades this year may affect this year's CAO points.
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert grinds industry: ‘Salaries scales for the top teachers can be 100 to 250 grand'
The final Leaving Cert exams are over – but another competition has been raging among grind schools where top teachers have been snapped for eye-watering salaries. The race is for a slice of a grinds industry estimated to be worth up to €60-80 million. Grinds360 is the newest competitor on the market, which raised more than €3 million from investors who include former and present rugby players such as Brian O'Driscoll , Caelan Doris and Jordan Larmour . It describes itself as a 'hybrid' service, combining an app which streams weekly grinds across 20 subjects, a Netflix-style catalogue of video lessons as well as in-person workshops at certain times of year. The cost, which has varied since its launch almost a year ago, is currently €1,399 a year. The company started out by poaching several teachers from rivals such as the Institute of Education and the smaller Dublin Academy of Education on huge salaries for the sector. READ MORE The circumstances of one those cases – maths teacher Rob Browne, who left the Dublin Academy of Education to work for Grinds360 – was at the centre of a High Court row last September, which was subsequently struck out. Brendan Kavanagh, chairman and co-founder of Grinds360, says the firm started out hiring about teachers from its competitors for key subjects like maths, English, Irish, sciences and business. The going rate to attract some of the top teachers from its rivals initially was, he says, 'anywhere from 100 to 250 grand'. 'Are they worth 200 grand or 250 grand? For the hours they had to work – they were working six, seven days a week in day school and night school – I'd want that kind of money – especially for teaching!' Kavanagh laughs. At the online platform, he says, they are able to work fewer hours but play key roles in the developing the future of the company. 'It's not really apples for apples. The more experienced grinds teachers are able to add a lot of value as we train other teachers throughout the country [who are now working for the company].' Some, he says, were also attracted by the idea of becoming involved in ownership of the firm. 'If you earn that kind of money, you pay a lot of tax. So I think the opportunity for them to become stakeholders in the business ... created a new sort of environment there.' Subsequent teachers have been hired part-time, on different contracts, from schools in Limerick, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Roscommon. The result, he maintains, is they are making grinds 'accessible and affordable' for students, while disrupting the 'superstar teacher' narrative which he says has been pushed by some grind schools. 'I'm off a few Christmas Card lists and I've been referred to as the Michael O'Leary of grinds. I'll take it if making overpriced, over-glorified education finally compete on fairness, access, and transparency earns me that comparison,' he says. Nearly one year on from launch, Kavanagh says Grinds360 has seen 'explosive growth' with more than 3,000 paying members and 18,000 app users. Backed by a €3.2 million seed round, he says the company is set to 'double revenue' in 2025-2026 and claims the company has established itself as the 'go-to alternative to traditional grind schools'. 'The numbers speak for themselves – there's a real hunger for a new model of academic support,' he says. Yet, business is also booming at the Institute of Education on Dublin's Leeson Street, which itself was a disruptive force in the education sector 57 years ago when it started the trend for exam-focused tuition. Yvonne O'Toole, principal of the Institute of Education, Leeson Street, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill The institute was sold to a UK-based schools group, Dukes Education, in 2023 for just under €135 million. This year, the institute is forecasting a record enrolment of 1,700 full-time students in September across fourth, fifth and sixth year, with students paying annual fees of up to €11,000 a year. It also runs grinds, crash courses and online learning for up to 10,000 students attending other schools. Yvonne O'Toole says demand is growing not just for exam results but because students have 'moved on' from single-sex, religious schools and uniforms by the time they are in senior cycle. While it lost some teachers to Grinds360, she says 'crazy salaries' are not the norm, but that teachers are paid well on the basis that they are 'expected to go above and beyond'. 'They do a lot more hours ... there are extra classes – morning, evening – and they're expected to be available. They put their heart and soul into it.' The institute's main competitor, the Dublin Academy of Education in Stillorgan, south Dublin, is also running at capacity. It had about 350 full-time fifth- and sixth-year students last year and says it is on course to grow to 400 when it moves to a larger premises in Blackrock in September. It expects numbers to grow to 500 in 2027 when it launches a fourth year offering. Chris Lauder, founder of the Dublin Academy of Education (left) with Dawn McCarron and Padraig Hourigan at the new location for the grind school. Photograph: Maxwells Founder Chris Lauder says while it also lost some teachers to Grinds360, it has 'a deep squad' and was able to 'march on'. The academy, he says, is always looking for top teaching talent. 'What we used to do was ask our students if they knew of great teachers and surveyed them. Teachers also know other great teachers. And, these days, you also find them on social media,' he says. He questions whether some of the top salaries being mentioned are sustainable for the sector and insists the best teachers ultimately want to teach students in-person rather than online. 'We pay more than what the public sector has to offer, and in some cases a lot more – maybe 50 per cent more,' he says. 'Our teachers want to work for not just for remuneration; they like teaching students who are serious about academics. This is senior cycle only. They're young adults, not children. They are driven – and they are a joy to teach.'
Irish Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Leaving Cert is not a meritocracy. Elitism is baked into Irish education
There's a version of the Irish education system that exists only on paper, one where every student is given an equal chance to succeed, where the Leaving Cert is a meritocracy, and where hard work alone determines outcomes. But in practice, that promise is being steadily eroded, not because grinds exist, but because of how a broken system is being exploited. There has been a lot of discussion about the unfairness of grind schools, and rightly so, but the issue runs deeper than a handful of elite institutions. We need to start talking about grinds as part of a larger problem, one that reflects how elitism is baked into the infrastructure of Irish education. A system where access to additional support is shaped not by need, but by postcode and income. A system where grinds, once intended to support struggling students, now operate as yet another instrument of advantage for those already ahead. [ Classroom to college: our essential Leaving Cert guide for parents, guardians and students ] Grind schools with full-time timetables and five-figure fees have become the poster children of this ecosystem, and they warrant scrutiny not just for who they serve, but for how they've normalised a model that commercialises success. Their extensive part-time offerings, evening classes, weekend blitzes and Easter revision camps, are marketed with precision and priced at a premium. Alongside an expanding network of private tutors and agencies, they reflect a broader reality: public education is no longer perceived as enough. READ MORE Grinds have been part of Irish education for decades, but what was once viewed as a remedial safety net has evolved into a shadow economy, one where high-achieving students turn to extra tuition as a competitive necessity. Over half of Leaving Cert students now take grinds, and that number is rising . This year alone prices have increased by as much as 23 per cent, with some providers now charging up to €100 an hour, meaning a single subject can cost families over €1,500 for the year. For households managing two or three grinds, the total can rival private school tuition, with none of the systemic support. This inequality is geographical as well as financial. The most widely known, incumbent grinds options are concentrated in and around South Dublin. These are areas where transport links are strong, marketing budgets are high, and families are willing and able to pay. Students elsewhere, in rural communities or underfunded schools, often have to settle for far less. Less choice, less structure, less access. And so, the gap widens, quietly but relentlessly. The State tells students they all sit the same paper, but some will walk into that exam hall with ten months of extra teaching behind them, others will walk in with none The impact is not just financial, it's emotional and cultural, with grinds becoming a shorthand for doing everything possible to get ahead. For students who can't afford them, it can feel like being left behind before the race even starts. Just imagine being told your classmates are getting extra notes, mock papers, and exam strategy sessions, all while knowing you can't access the same because of where you live. That pressure shows up everywhere, in the anxiety that builds as the CAO deadline approaches, in the hours spent commuting to revision courses, and in the narrowing of education to what's examinable. The State tells students they all sit the same paper, but some will walk into that exam hall with ten months of extra teaching behind them, others will walk in with none. The idea that this is fair is a story we tell ourselves, but it's not one our students believe. The truth is that grinds are just one part of a broader national story, a symptom of a society increasingly divided along lines of income and access. In housing, in healthcare, in education, we see again and again how opportunity is being privatised, how those with the means to pay are stepping further ahead while others are locked out. The grinds economy reflects that same logic: if you can afford it, there's a door. If not, you're left behind, watching others walk through. Grinds aren't the problem, access is. Extra tuition can play a powerful role in supporting students, teachers, parents, and schools. When done well, it gives learners the best possible chance at success. But right now, grinds operate like a premium product, reserved for those who can afford it. That's not a reflection of their value, but of a broken model. It's time to break that cycle, grinds schools are elitist, but they do not have to be. Brendan Kavanagh is founder and chief executive of the global EdTech company, Olive
