A BOURNEMOUTH teacher training school will celebrate its first anniversary after hitting a £300,000 turnover milestone. 

DC Teacher Training, founded by co-directors Danny Wilkins and Connor O’Donoghue, equips students with a Cambridge University CELTA qualification enabling them to teach English across the world. 

And the pair are reflecting on an impressive first year, having employed 23 teacher trainers and begun running courses in Bournemouth, Hove and Birmingham. 

Danny said: “When we started DC Teacher Training last year, we couldn’t have imagined we would achieve what we have done in our first year. 

“It has been a challenging first year with plenty of ups and downs, and there have been a lot of firsts for us to tackle as we got the business off the ground. 

“Within a short period of time, we have become the fourth biggest CELTA teacher training provider in the UK and we are doing all we can to break into the top three next year. 

“We are now approaching our first anniversary in a really strong position and we are determined to build on what we have done so far to grow bigger and better.” 

DC Teacher Training, based in St Peter's Quarter in the town centre, is accredited by the University of Cambridge to provide CELTA courses, the most widely recognised qualification to teach English to non-native speakers. 

After the success of its first year, with three physical locations as well as online classes, it now has plans to begin courses in Eastbourne and Colchester in May. 

It is now the fourth biggest provider of the course in the UK and the biggest outside London. 

Students doing full-time courses can qualify in as little as four weeks and become equipped with the tools to either travel the world while working, or stay in the UK to teach. 

Connor added: “To go from nothing and see where we are now, where we crossed the £300,000 turnover mark last week, has been brilliant. 

“Both Danny and I completed the CELTA course when we were younger and travelled the world teaching English, so we are able to pass on this real world experience to students and help them find employment after they qualify. 

“There is an abundance of English teaching positions across the world and it is truly a great time to look into it as a career, or simply as a way to travel the world while getting paid. 

“And as first-time business owners ourselves, the fact that we now have five sites makes us proud and has given us a really strong base to grow in our second year.”