Live with an Irish host family, study at a local secondary school (the Irish term for ‘high school’) and experience an exciting and utterly unique cultural experience by participating in IECT’s Academic Year in Ireland programme.
This programme is intended for teenagers who want to broaden their horizons, learn more about another culture and way of life and, of course, improve their English.
This exciting and challenging programme is suitable for students between 15 and 18 years old who are both mature and motivated. Participants will be sure to develop a whole new set of life skills, while also gaining a more international perspective and a broader understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures. To put it another way, it will be a year you won’t forget.
Participants will stay with welcoming and caring Irish host families, carefully selected and trusted by IECT. They will also attend a local school where they will meet Irish teenagers. Accommodation is on a full-board basis in the host family. Throughout the stay, there will be regular contact with a local director, either by phone or in person, who will assist in settling in and adapting to the daily routine.
All schools have a compulsory school uniform which can be purchased locally.
Transfers on arrival and departure (from Cork Airport) are included and all schools are in the Cork-Kerry-Limerick areas of southern Ireland. The programme runs from the end of August each year to the end of May with a pair of two-week breaks at Christmas and Easter when participants will get the chance to return home.
Remember: at a young age, a single year of immersion in the English language — both in an academic and social setting — is often all it takes to be fluent for life.
We currently operate two Academic Stay centres, in Killarney and Cork. Click the links below to find out more about each location.