High school in Ireland for international students

Studying in Irish schools for international students after grades 8, 9, 10 is an excellent option for those who want to get a high–quality European education in English with an optimal price-to-level ratio of educational services, experience living abroad, the opportunity to enrol after receiving an internationally recognized certificate in prestigious universities around the world. The foreign students mainly enrol in high schools in Ireland, offering various boarding programs to receive secondary education in Ireland. Prestigious independent schools allow you to better prepare for the final exams according to the national program, International Baccalaureate, A-Level, to enrol in prestigious universities.

Senior Secondary School is a two–year program aimed at preparing for admission to higher education. During this period, the student studies 6-8 subjects: English and mathematics are mandatory among them, the student chooses all other disciplines based on his future plans. At the end of their studies, students take an exam and, with good scores, receive a Leaving Certificate (LCE). LCE is an analogue of the British A-level and is recognized by all English-speaking countries. Yesterday's Irish student can apply to universities in Ireland, as well as American, Australian or English universities.

• Affordable tuition, which does not affect the quality of educational services;

• As part of the studying, a gradual introduction of specialization is provided, which allows foreign students to choose disciplines taking into account individual goals and preferences;

• Providing comfortable living conditions, guaranteeing the round-the-clock safety of students on school grounds;

• The widest list of disciplines to study and educational programs focused on the comprehensive development of schoolchildren.

• Ireland is a country with a special cultural identity, speaking its own language, while English is a universal means of communication here, common along with Irish Gaelic. Educational courses are taught in English, which is one of the reasons for the popularity of local education among foreign children and teenagers.

• Ireland is the European base of more than 1000 leading international companies. Prestigious companies invite qualified specialists, graduates of local universities to work. The percentage of university graduates' employment is high: they find jobs in the field of ICT, social media management, pharmaceuticals, finance. Companies such as Google, HP, Apple, IBM, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pfizer, GSK, Genzyme work here.

Joel Venson

Russian and the CIS Students Admission Specialist at Myddelton College and Adcot School

Do all schools offer additional ESL lessons to foreign students? Is it really that important?

Typically, schools that accept students from overseas run ESL English courses in order to provide maximum academic support for newcomers. 

All parents sending their children to study abroad expect their children to be able to speak and learn English fluently, so the ESL program meets parental expectations too.

To enrol in TOP schools in Ireland, the international students need to provide the following package of documents:

• Copy of passport
• Report cards with school grades for the last two years of study, the share of excellent grades should be at least 40%
• International language certificate, confirming the high level of English knowledge
• Recommendation letter from teachers of Mathematics and English; in some cases, it is necessary to provide a letter from the school principal
• Motivation letter of the student, which indicates the reasons for the desire to receive secondary education in a particular leading private school in Ireland.

Requirements are rarely limited to the list above — you may need to provide additional documents. In addition, a foreign student needs to demonstrate a sufficiently good level of language and academic knowledge. The requirement for writing an entrance test in English and mathematics is not excluded.

The package of documents should include all awards and regalia received for high results in sports and creativity. Admission to some rated Irish schools requires an interview via Skype + passing additional tests in mathematics and other academic subjects.

Preparation of the package of necessary documents should be done in advance — the majority of prestigious private schools in Ireland accept applications until January.

Democracy is a key characteristic of the cost of education in prestigious private schools in Ireland.  Compared to the UK, USA, Switzerland, then the cost of studying in Ireland is about 20-30% lower. However, the infrastructure and technical equipment of educational institutions, the quality of educational services is often even higher than in the leading boarding schools in England and America.

The price of studying, taking into account accommodation and meals, on average ranges from 10 to 15 thousand euro. Considering educational institutions in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, high-quality secondary education can be found from 9 to 14 thousand euro (the price of education includes the curriculum, school uniforms, educational materials, meals and accommodation).

• EC Dublin English

• Palmerston Park Dublin Emerald Cultural Institute

• Blackrock College Dublin 

• Midleton College

• Waterford English Language Centres 

• Villiers School 

• Monaghan Collegiate School

•  St Andrew’s College

• Royal School Cavan.