Become a Fashion Buyer or Merchandiser

BIO- AM Mc Auley

Hi – My Name is Anne-Marie Mc Auley and I am head of Fashion at Portobello Institute Dublin and I also lecture On the Degree Fashion BA Programs and the QQI Level5 in Fashion Buying and Merchandising and Fashion Management , career coaching, work experience /placement, business management, business planning customer service, , retail sales, work place policies and procedures, communications, work experience, retail selling, retail administration and I have gained over 20 years’ experience in business and retail /training, Fashion. I am a fully qualified, lectuer, trainer and Life Coach.

I worked at senior level with companies such as Saks Fifth Ave (USA), The Body Shop, Claire’s Accessories, The Health Store Group, and TGI Fridays (USA). My principal areas of focus were staff training and development, as well as driving new initiatives to maximise sales. I have enjoyed recruiting, training and teaching hundreds of staff throughout my career. My expertise in assessing an operation and identifying problematic areas, then designing programmes to address and improve those areas has proven itself to be a very successful recipe.

I truly enjoy training people and facilitate in a wide variety of subjects. My sessions are informative, practical with real life scenarios integrated into the learning.

I do believe in a holistic approach to training and development and strive to promote and support success through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating.

My business experience together with my background in psychology and counselling enables me to get to the heart of the individuals needs and apply both a practical and relevant approach to my training sessions, while incorporating theories and practices of learning.

I absolutely love what I do and genuinely embrace supporting a person to develop and grow. I encourage and promote people at all levels to maximise their potential and hopefully in still a sense of purpose.

Please hear below from some of the students who have attended my classes and courses

Testimonials (in their original format)

Lenka Byrne

I just finished Fashion Buying & Merchandising Fetac Level 5 course with CMI and Anne Marie McAuley has been the best tutor I have ever had. Her knowledge and experience about the subject made every class very interesting. I would highly recommend Anne Marie and CMI to anyone who wishes to study fashion buying & merchandising.

Katie Tully- Fashion buying and Merchandising

Learning was hands on, and Annemarie always combined her own personal experience which was a great way to see what working in the industry is actually like. Annemarie always pushed us to reach our full potential and was always there to help us no matter how big or small.

Stephanie Burns- fashion buying and merchandising.

"Anne Marie has the rare ability to make learning both interesting and enjoyable. Through her amazing stories of her firsthand experience in international business, and her unique and fun teaching methods, she was able to inspire me in a way of wanting to be the best student that I could be. I was scared of going back to education after a long absence, but Anne Marie made the transition so easy. She encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, helped me recognize my strengths and gave me the confidence that I needed to go forward and pursue my dream career in the fashion industry. She is both encouraging and inspiring, and I feel so lucky to have been one of her students. She truly changed my life.

Lorna Mansfield- fashion buying and merchandising.

‘I really enjoyed my time spent with Anne Marie during my year in the Portobello institute. She takes a fun approach to teaching which makes her classes enjoyable, and learning is made easier. I found her notes through power point were very informative and the information was easy to take in and learn while studying for exams. I also found her very approachable when I needed help on my assignments or had trouble understanding something in class.’

Aubrey Angel- fashion buying and merchandising.

‘An excellent teacher with a highly recommended background. You learn a lot and learn to trust that the subject she is teaching, you can actually get a lot out of it. She's very friendly and down-to-earth with exceptional communication skills.:’

Tom Baldwin- customer service- business

Anne-Marie creates a really enjoyable learning environment. You can tell a lot of preparation goes into each class to ensure the students get the most out of class. Attendances were always at their best when her class was on."

Jacqueline Dunne- customer service- travel and tourism

‘I found your class one of the best ones in the course. I thought your notes were really relevant and I liked the way you linked the notes into the airline industry. Also, I thought the games at the start of class were a good way to start the lessons, I thought it got everyone involved and it helped everyone in the class work together as a team.’

John Christian Reyes- customer service

‘She was the best teacher in our entire semester. She’s very organized and enthusiastic. I love her. You will never get bored.’

Fadiman Moalim- business

Awesome class. Awesome Tutor. Annie Marie's group exercises are very interesting, fun and very practical. I enjoyed every class exercise, case study we have gone through and the “go out there and see things for yourself" type of approach. You really grasp the information and I'm sure that I am not the only student who really enjoyed her class. She has had a large influence on my perspective and understanding of customer service and is definitely the type of tutor that makes being at college enjoyable.Always available to help.

Jonas Lynne- customer service- travel and tourism

"Anne Marie is a fantastic tutor with exceptional knowledge of customer service! Her class was extremely enjoyable, and it was the one lecture I looked forward to most. Anne Marie is extremely motivating, engaging and enthusiastic in the way she teaches, and she is very helpful. She clearly outlined the different tasks we had to complete providing as much possible assistance throughout the college term. Thanks to Anne Marie I have become a lot more customers focused on my own job. She has also given me the skills and awareness to deliver outstanding customer service in any customer service job.Therefore, I salute you Am" - Jonas:

Caroline Mungovan- fashion buying and merchandising.

I thoroughly enjoyed your class and I have gained a lot of knowledge from you about the fashion buying world, which I have been able to put to good use this summer in my internship. For this I want to say thank you for everything.

James Burke- Fashion Buying and Merchandising

Delighted with those results. You’re a fantastic tutor and I thoroughly enjoyed the course.

Suzii Delaney- business management

During my 12 weeks of Customer Service with Anne Marie Mc Auley I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the class. Anne Marie made the class as much fun as possible, and this made it easier learning all the different areas of customer service. Every Tuesday morning, I was greeted with a big 'Good Morning' and a warm smile. The class was a great confidence builder as she made us engage in role plays and discussions amongst each other.
I would highly recommend Anne Marie Mc Auley and her course to everyone.

Lorna Kennedy- business management

I really enjoyed this class as Annmarie makes it very interesting as she is a book of knowledge and is highly skilled in customer service. Annmarie is also a lovely and has a very caring nature about her which makes you feel very comfortable in her class! I would highly recommend customer service with Annmarie.

Niamh Reilly- business management

Customer Service was very enjoyable, and I learned and gained a lot from it. I did struggle a little with the understanding of assignments, but Anne Marie helped me out hugely. Anne Marie was so caring and very smart. She made us feel so welcome and comfortable in her class. She has so much knowledge about customer service and is a very talented woman and someone to look up to.

Paidi Doyle- business management

I really enjoyed your class. It was my favourite module from semester one. I learned a great deal about how important good customer service is for any business to be successful. I thought how we were split into teams for the role plays in class and the hotel observation was a great way for all the students to interact and get to know one another. You bring an element of fun and excitement to your class. You were always there if we needed advice and we appreciated you having a coffee with us all on our last day.

Dear Anne Marie- Business Planning

Being one of your students has been the best experience in my tertiary education. I enjoyed each and every single class with you. Being an international student, coming all the way from Botswana to be in your class was worth it and it’s an experience I will cherish forever. You were always supportive, positive, and patient with me, on and off class you were available to assist me with my studies. You did not criticize, you encouraged. You motivated and inspired me to do my best. You treated us equally in class and it made me feel free to ask questions and participate in class. Your approach teaching made me to have so much respect for you and push myself even further to work hard. Not only did you teach theory, but you were also very practical and explained and showed how everything applies in the real world. I will carry with me the knowledge and skills I gained from you forever. I just wish you would have taught me in all my modules.

Thank you very much for the wonderful experience.

Kind Regards

Mpho Morwaeng- business Planning

Dear Anne Marie,

Just a quick note of appreciation for the Fashion Buying and Merchandising classes recently completed.

I found the course both interesting and informative and the group discussions which you skilfully facilitated were particularly thought provoking.

I would also like to thank you for your support and encouragement with regard to progressing one or two personal goals identified as part of the course. Thanks again,

Gay Byrne

Kim O’Sullivan- Fashion buying and Merchandising Major award.

When I left school, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do so I took two years out to work in retail. I had always been interested in fashion but during this time I decided I wanted to pursue a career in the industry. That’s when I decided to do the Fashion Buying and Merchandising course.

Although we had a few tutors we had Anne Marie McAuley for two or three classes every week. Because of her vast experience this really helped us to get a real insight into what it’s really like to work in the buying world. She also kept all of our classes current, taking into account what’s going on now rather than teaching us what was going on when the curriculum was made. What was really nice about Anne Marie was she helped everyone to settle in really quickly and her classes were always enjoyable, even when we had a few assignments to hand in or had an exam she always managed to make you feel at ease and was always there to help. I feel this made a huge impact on the way I worked in Portobello because if you have a tutor, you feel you can’t approach or ask for help, your work might not reach its full potential.

Frankie Farrell- customer service, career coaching

The 12 weeks I spent with Anne Marie were amazing. I developed so much self-confidence and self-esteem in myself. Anne Marie strives to do her best for each student and wants us to be at our full potential.

We got many interesting assignments and role plays which are very helpful as they are an easier way of getting marked on exams, we also got to do a lot of assignments in the streets which were fun and interesting.

Anne Marie is a lovely teacher who has many interesting stories and amazing experiences which she loves to tell. Anne Marie has the patience of a saint when it comes to explaining the work to students who may find it hard to understand what to do the first time. The students that have Anne Marie in the future are going to be very lucky and have an amazing time.

Dear Anne Marie,

I absolutely loved your class. The three-hour journey up to Dublin in the mornings never felt a burden as I always looked forward to your classes. I learned so much in such a short time about fashion buying but also you gave us great tips on interviews, c.vs and general insight and advice on what it was like to be a fashion buyer. You always listened to our opinions and always made the class interesting. When leaving your class, I always learned something new, and I am more prepared and confident now when applying for buying jobs.

thanks so much for sharing your wisdom and experience.

Kindest Regards,

Siobhan Cryan- Fashion buying and Merchandising

Hello Anne Marie,

"I've had Anne Marie as a lecturer at the Portobello Institute for two modules: Workplace Statutory Policies and Procedures and Work Experience. She had extensive knowledge in both modules and sincerely took into consideration our various learning styles in order to effectively deliver the subject matter to us in a palatable way. From day one, her classes were completely inviting. When she set the tone for the workload that was ahead of us, she encouraged us and pushed us to simply do our best. She was exceptionally understanding when it came to past deadline submissions on assignments and was considerate of all the other classes that we had heavier workloads for. I loved her classes because it taught me the value of teamwork and helped me to hone my public speaking skills because class participation was key to learning in her classes. She will always be one of the most highly respected lecturers in my academic career because she was extremely passionate about my colleagues and I actually learning the material instead of simply regurgitating what we were supposed to learn. As an international student, she was understanding of my cultural differences and made an effort to relate to not only myself but to all the other international students in my class. It was a blessing being in her class. Fun, challenging and one to remember."

Thanks again for caring.

Eddie Russell III

I thoroughly enjoyed AnneMarie's Fashion Buying and Merchandising class. It was obvious from day one that she had an extremely solid knowledge of the inner workings of all aspects of the business. Her notes were thorough and structured, she explained things well and allowed time for real hands-on practice - her class had a good balance of practice and theory. She was very obliging in terms of questions, help and advice and her communication with students outside of class was very good also, I would highly recommend Anne Marie as a fashion industry expert and teacher.

Hope you're enjoying the summer.

Regards,

Kerrill- CMI fashion buying and Merchandising.

Roisin Meehan-FBM

Anne Maire creates a relaxed and interactive learning environment, everyone in the class is encouraged and expected to share their views and experiences about each topic. This means the class becomes a real-life case study where students can help each other learn through discussions that apply to real life situations. It also helps us, as students, challenge our own views and learn to look at things from the perspective of someone else. Keeping open class discussion on track to ensure that it is relevant to the course topic can be challenging, but Anne Maire does this seamlessly by always steering the debate back to the main topic. Even after a long day in the office, I always looked forward to the classes as I knew I would come away with new and interesting knowledge.

Stephanie Boland- fashion buying

I really enjoyed the class, it was fun, and you were always very clear on everything you taught me and kept it very interesting. I learned a lot. Thanks for all your help throughout. Stephanie.

Vanessa Correa- Fashion buying

About your classes I can only say they were very good; I learned a lot this last 10 weeks and your classes only made me want to get a job in the fashion business even more. I really like the way you teach; you are very spontaneous and confident. All I have to say is thank you for the classes, I really.

enjoyed it.

Paulina Wach – Fashion buying

I really enjoyed last 10 weeks.

Classes were very interesting, and I loved idea of working in groups.

All sort of exercises and presentations afterwards were very helpful getting use to talk to the people who you don't know that much or at all - that was brilliant.

Thanks, a mill for everything. It was a thoroughly enjoyable (albeit intense) 10 weeks. I definitely feel a lot more confident & prepared going forward for when I've completed the course. If you're not currently in the business of life coaching, you should be.

I'll probably be tormenting you for advice in the future - but you did offer.

Thanks again for everything.

Megan Gallagher

Beginning my first fashion course, I was delighted I could finally study something that I enjoyed.
Anne Marie gave me so much insight into the fashion industry and the career that I hope to one day have, that could only be known from firsthand experience. I came away from the course filled with the knowledge and skills I believe will set me apart to pursue my career as a buyer. Anne Marie's classes were exciting and always fun. Travelling from Donegal every week was a pleasure as I knew I would come away with more passion and enthusiasm for my course and

Paul Donnelly

Hi Anne Marie, I want to say that the course you gave was fantastic and your style in communicating the information really keep us energized.

I learnt a lot more that I had anticipated and in a fun way.

Shauna Pidgeon

I had six modules with Anne Marie. I can honestly say that her modules whereby far the best modules, with the best structure and layout.

These were the modules that I felt I benefitted from the most, and that will actually help me in the buying industry.

Anne Marie as a lecturer was amazing; she was very helpful, very approachable, pushed her students to the best of her ability and clearly gave her all as a lecturer. I do believe that without Anne Marie as my lecturer I wouldn’t have enjoyed the course as much or learned as much.

I found this great as it was very hands on and practical and not just reading through pages of notes. The lecturer was excellent as she had experience in the past and was able to share it with us.

Everything was delivered clearly. What I particularly found great was the small class size which everyone was able to get that extra bit of tuition.

Regards, Aco

Anne Marie is the backbone of the Fashion Buying and Merchandising course. Her dedication to the course and to each and every student goes above and beyond. She is a very good judge of character and will recognize your strengths while nurturing your weaknesses and help give you the confidence to reach your full potential. Anne Marie is a mentor as well as a tutor and she supports her students in every way possible whilst always delivering the course content clearly and efficiently. I am personally very grateful to her and would highly recommend anyone thinking about doing this course to go for it.

Stephanie Tempany.

Hi Anne Marie,

I got the internship with Harvey Nichols, I'm so excited to start, Ian sounds lovely. I just want to thank you again as you have been such huge help to me not just with the internship but got me really motivated and feeling back on track, and as I know you have hundreds of past students as well as present. I really appreciate you taking time to even get back to me never mind showing me which direction to take and above all recommending me.

Thanks again Anne Marie,

You're a superwoman.