After he graduated in 1902, he ran a private teaching studio, the Chelsea Art School, with Augustus John but also returned regularly to Dublin to teach at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, where his pupils included Grace Gifford.
After he graduated he ran a private teaching studio, the Chelsea Art School, with Augustus John. Between 1902 and 1915, Orpen returned regularly to Dublin to teach at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, where his pupils included Sean Keating and Grace Gifford.