FÁILTE IRELAND has announced a new scholarship aimed at encouraging foreign teachers of the English language to live and work in Ireland.

The ‘New Ireland’ scholarship, announced yesterday, will make twelve places available to people from Korea, Japan and Turkey who currently teach English in their home countries.

The scheme, being funded by the Department of Education and Skills, will further expand next year to include English teachers in China, Taiwan and Brazil.

The scholarship is being announced to coincide with the annual Marketing English in Ireland workshop, taking place this week in Maynooth.

Representatives from Fáilte Ireland travelled to Tokyo and Seoul to launch the programme last week.

Fáilte Ireland’s Fionnán Nestor said the scholarship provided English teachers “with a great opportunity to develop their skills in one of Ireland’s many high quality and accredited English language schools.”

He added that the plan could potentially boost tourism to Ireland, saying that “where teachers study, their students are bound to follow.”

Research shows that nearly 100,000 overseas students came to Ireland to learn the English language last year.