‘I started a languages degree at 15 – now I travel the world full time as a digital nomad and have visited 45 countries’

A student who began a languages degree at just 15 years old while studying for her GCSEs has travelled to 45 countries while working as a “digital nomad” having achieved first class honours, and is now engaged to her Chilean fiance.

Eileanoir Blair, now 25, who is originally from Ireland but lives abroad working remotely as Account Director for a healthcare recruitment company, was preparing for her GCSEs in 2015 when her mother started an Open University degree.

Inspired by her mother and the feeling that she was not challenged enough at school, Eileanoir decided to enrol herself in The Open University (OU), aged 15, to study French and Spanish, while still studying for her 10 GCSEs.

Waking up at 7.30am to go to school and finishing at around 3pm, Eileanoir would then complete her homework before studying for her OU degree and playing sports, meaning she would go to bed at around midnight most nights.

Despite these long days, Eileanoir was able to manage her hectic schedule, and with her OU degree progressing her language skills beyond her peers, she decided to leave school at 16 – but she still completed A-levels in French and Spanish.

Having achieved seven A*s and three As for her GCSEs and an A* in French and an A in Spanish at A-level, along with completing a cookery diploma, Eileanoir then graduated from the OU, aged 20, in 2021 with a first class honours degree.

She has since completed a Masters in marketing and travelled to 45 countries, including Brazil, Mexico, and Morocco, and spends time working remotely in South America – though she said her favourite country is Vietnam, closely followed by Mexico, “if I have to choose!”

She also recently got engaged to her Chilean boyfriend while in Cape Town, South Africa.

When she joined the OU aged 15 in October 2016, Eileanoir said she was the youngest student on her course – but she decided to enrol herself to further her language skills because “speaking another language opens up a new world”.

She explained that her peers at school were “surprised” about her decision as they thought “school was enough” – but Eileanoir “didn’t see it in the same way”.

“My mum encouraged me because I love languages so much,” she told PA Real Life.

“I was pretty good at them and perhaps a little more experienced than other people in my class at school, so she said it would maybe be a better level for me and it would obviously complement what I was studying at school.”

According to the OU, in 2022 there were 208,228 students in total and of these just 1,685 (0.8%) were under 18.

With Eileanoir being able to “craft” her Open degree, she opted to study French and Spanish and a module in beginners’ Italian.

Although she was concerned about balancing her schoolwork and extracurricular activities alongside her OU degree, she said languages were her “priority” and the university course complemented her GCSE studies.

She was given books to read, watched online tutorials, and completed activities – and apart from assignment deadlines, she said she was able to go at her own pace and have “flexibility” with her schedule.

As part of her OU studies, Eileanoir was also given the opportunity to travel to Spain to attend a residential school.

Describing a typical day, she said: “When I was doing my GCSEs, I’d be at school until 3pm, then I’d go home and do any homework, and normally take a break for tea, do a few hours of the OU in the evening, and then some sport.”

Despite Eileanoir’s course consisting mainly of mature students, she said no-one treated her differently and she enjoyed meeting new people – and she would sometimes go to in-person tutorials in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

With the OU degree enhancing her language skills “a few levels above the rest of (her) class”, she said she thought she did not need to stay at school to sit her A-levels in French and Spanish, and she therefore decided to leave school at 16 and complete the exams in her own time.

This was a controversial move, with some of Eileanoir’s teachers trying to persuade her to stay – but she was confident in her decision, and she was supported by her parents.

“People had strong opinions and because I was a top performer at school, I think I was expected to stay on,” she said.

“I got on well with the teachers, so I think it was a bit of surprise for them.

“My teachers did everything they could to try to persuade me to stay.”

When Eileanoir was 18, having completed her cookery diploma and two A-level exams, she decided to move to France to work as an English teaching assistant at a school in Nantes for one year – and she later graduated from the OU in London in 2021, aged 20.

She said she was “surprised” at how much she was able to accomplish in those five years while completing the OU degree.

“It was an amazing feeling (to graduate) because obviously it was a lot to take on, but it showed that doing everything together didn’t really affect the outcome and probably just more complemented it,” she said.

She then completed her Masters in marketing at Queen’s University Belfast, achieving a distinction, and has since become “a digital nomad” working full-time remotely while exploring the world.

She has visited 45 countries to date, with her favourite being Vietnam, and said she has learned a wealth of new skills from studying at the OU – working independently, organising her time, and, of course, her language skills.

Eileanoir speaks French and Spanish fluently, beginners’-level Italian, and a little Portuguese.

She would encourage anyone to look at the OU courses and to be open-minded about their future goals and aspirations – because at 15, she never dreamed she would have a senior position at work and this lifestyle now.

“It’s good to have the mentality of just continually wanting to learn,” Eileanoir said.

“There’s a lot of pressure to follow the same path as everyone else, but I would really encourage people not to be afraid to do something differently, and as long as they’re passionate about it and they work hard, it’s going to work out well.”

To find out more about the OU, visit: open.edu/openlearn/miscellaneous/career-ready-courses.