At InterStudies we offer a wide range of programmes which allow our students to experience the very best of the Emerald Isle. Our students experience Irish culture first hand! They’ll learn, explore and have fun, and when they go home they will have grown. They will understand a different culture, speak fluent English, and have gained experience and knowledge that will stay with them for the rest of their life.
We have a unique three-tier system to make sure that we can provide the right level of support for each and every one of our students. Each student is allocated a Local Support Coordinator (LSC) who is there to help and guide them throughout the programme and who can provide everyday assistance and advice. Students can also contact our Student Ambassador who is there to help when they might want to speak with someone who is not so close to home. Our Head Office support team is also there to assist and all students and host families have access to our 24-hour emergency service if urgent assistance is required outside office hours.
We also have an InterStudies app, which is available to all students. This provides support, information, news and details of trips in one easy-to-use tool, and it’s a great way to get in touch quickly and easily.
It’s been brilliant! Everyone has been so nice, and I immediately made friends with Irish people and international people. I’ve made some really great friends.
On our High School programme in Ireland, students will stay with an InterStudies host family and attend school alongside local students. When they arrive in Ireland, they can attend our popular Welcome Camp, where they can meet other InterStudies students and staff. Once students arrive at their host family and start attending school, they will need to study, attend classes and do their homework! In return, they will have an exceptional opportunity to experience everyday life in an Irish school, and make friends with local students as well as other exchange students from around the world.
Students can choose to study on our classic High School programme, or if they have a specific request, take a look at our School Choice and Regional Choice programmes.
Our Welcome Camp is the best way to start the exchange programme! By attending the InterStudies Welcome Camp, students will get a soft landing when they arrive in Ireland. They will have the opportunity to meet InterStudies staff members from Head Office, as well as some of our Local Support Coordinators and fellow students. This is a wonderful introduction to life in Ireland, where students will gain insights on a wide range of subjects – from everyday language and culture to dealing with common issues.
We welcome exchange students from all around the world, giving each student the chance to experience other cultures and make new friends for life. Everybody who arrives at the Welcome Camp is in the same position – so this is a great opportunity to meet fellow students and begin new friendships! Students will also have time to explore Dublin and take in the city atmosphere, and can take part in the activities and workshops that we run.
“The tour was stunning. I made a lot of new friends thanks to the camp!” – Luigi, InterStudies student
“It was amazing! Everything definitely lived up to my expectations!!” – Emma, InterStudies student
Our Welcome Camp is the best way to start the exchange programme! By attending the InterStudies Welcome Camp, students will get a soft landing when they arrive in Ireland. They will have the opportunity to meet InterStudies staff members from Head Office, as well as some of our Local Support Coordinators and fellow students. This is a wonderful introduction to life in Ireland, where students will gain insights on a wide range of subjects – from everyday language and culture to dealing with common issues.
We welcome exchange students from all around the world, giving each student the chance to experience other cultures and make new friends for life. Everybody who arrives at the Welcome Camp is in the same position – so this is a great opportunity to meet fellow students and begin new friendships! Students will also have time to explore Dublin and take in the city atmosphere, and can take part in the activities and workshops that we run.
“The tour was stunning. I made a lot of new friends thanks to the camp!” – Luigi, InterStudies student
“It was amazing! Everything definitely lived up to my expectations!!” – Emma, InterStudies student
Our School Choice programme allows students to choose the school they’d like to be placed in! If they have a special interest in a particular sport or activity, they can pick the school which will help them to continue that. Or maybe a student has a passion or a strength for a particular subject, and wants to choose a school with a strong department in that area. Or perhaps they just really want to study in a particular part of the country! Whatever the dream is, we can help students to achieve it.
When students arrive in Ireland, they can attend our popular Welcome Camp, where they can meet other InterStudies students and staff. They will have an exceptional opportunity to experience everyday life in an Irish school, and make friends with local students as well as other exchange students from around the world.
I’m so glad that I had this experience here! With Irish dancing, English breakfast and even the Irish weather. I now have a second family 1.500km away from my house in the north of Germany
Everyone was really welcoming in school and it felt like we were all a big family. I always had someone to talk to!
Our Academic Immersion programmes are designed to give students an opportunity to immerse themselves into the local culture with a taste of life as a high school student in Ireland. Students live with a host family, taking part in family life and joining in family activities.
During the week, students will attend a local school, mixing with local students, making friends and experiencing school life. Outside school, they are given the option of joining activities and local trips with other international students. An academic immersion programme is a great opportunity for students to get a taste of studying abroad while experiencing a foreign culture and perfecting their language skills.
Staying with a local family for a period of time provides the opportunity for students to not only improve their English by talking to their host family and other people they meet, but also to immerse themselves in the Irish culture and way of life. They can choose their programme length between one and eight weeks, and our start dates are flexible to suit the student.
My host family were always there to help me, they included me in their life, in keeping the house and the garden; we talked a lot after dinner and we shared opinions, they encouraged me in living new experiences...
The country of Ireland, famous for its “craic” (good, fun conversations!) has a lot to offer. There is beautiful nature up and down the island, with small cosy towns as well as vibrant, lively cities. The people of Ireland are proud of their country and their history, and they enjoy opening their homes to international students – this gives them the opportunity to share the Irish culture, and that special feeling of being in Ireland! Our students in Ireland will have the opportunity to observe a lot of Irish traditions, including the famous St Patrick’s Day celebrations, traditional folk music and the classic Riverdance.
Ireland is home to just under 5 million people, with approximately one third of the Irish population living in Dublin, the capital city. Ireland is relatively small – making it easy to get around and explore! The bus from Dublin on the east coast to Galway in the west takes just three hours. Whether you fall in love with Ireland’s bustling and charming cities, or the tranquillity of the green countryside, our students find it easy to feel at home in Ireland. Our High School programme offers the perfect opportunity to integrate into the Irish way of life for a school year!
Studying at a high school in Ireland with InterStudies is an amazing opportunity to learn and study while experiencing the Irish culture first hand! The school day starts at around 09:00 in most schools, and finishes around 15:30. Students will be able to walk, cycle or take public transport to school. They will have lunch in the school canteen (most students take a packed lunch from their host family) and many schools offer sports or other activities at lunchtime and after school.
In Ireland, depending on a student’s age, they will either be placed in Transition Year or senior cycle. In Transition Year, they will study a combination of academic and non-academic subjects, as well as taking part in a range of trips and activities. Students who are in the senior cycle, studying for the Leaving Certificate, will study a total of 7 or 8 subjects, including English, Maths, Religion, and 3-4 subjects of their own choice. All students in Irish schools wear uniform – and InterStudies students will be no different! This might be a different experience for many international students, but it really helps to integrate into the school community. Sports are a really important part of school life in Ireland, and this can be a great way for international students to get involved in the school community and meet local students.
“I really love school – especially English. The Irish school system is very different from the German school system back home, and that was difficult to get used to at first. I also had to get used to wearing a school uniform because we don’t wear school uniforms in Germany. But I love school, especially English Literature.” – Amelie, German student in Ireland
“I always say to the students that the more they put in to the year, the more they’ll get out of it. I know that at school it can be temping to speak your own language to your friends – but you’ll get on better with the Irish students if you make an effort to speak in English to them.” – Advice from an Irish host family!
Age 5-11
Primary School
Age 11-14
Junior Cycle
Age 15-16
Transition Year
Age 16-18
Senior Cycle
Our host families in Ireland are looking forward to welcoming students! Students will take part in everyday life with their host family and have a great opportunity to fully immerse into the English language and experience the Irish way of life. A family may host other students at the same time, which will offer students a great opportunity to make international friends while making the most of their insight into the local culture.
When students arrive, we will make sure that they are met at the airport and taken to their host family. The host family will ensure that they settle in well. They will be shown their room, which may be shared. The host family may also host other students, in which case they will meet others in the same situation and have the opportunity to make international friends right from the start of the programme.
Our specially chosen host families are warm, welcoming and friendly. Students will be treated as a member of the family, welcomed into the home and involved in all aspects of family life.
There’s no typical host family – just like there is no typical family, and no typical student. Each and every host family undergoes a through application process and is interviewed by an InterStudies Local Support Coordinator before being accepted as an InterStudies host family. Many of our families have hosted with us for years; we know which student will fit with which family and we place a lot of importance on making a good match.
“Hosting brings vibrancy to the house… our family looks forward to it every year!” Liz, host family in Ireland
“I feel so comfortable with my host family that they’ve become like my second family. They involve me in every part of family life, and they are really nice.” Amelie, student in Ireland
“Hosting brings vibrancy to the house. Somebody new comes in and you get to know them and their ways. Our family looks forward to it every year, and it’s interesting to see how different groups work within the family – it adds a new dimension.”
Liz, host family in Ireland
“Hosting is great for our son, who is 13, because for a good amount of the year, he gets to make new friends and meet people from different countries. And now he can keep in touch with the students on social media as well once they’ve left!”
Bernadette, host family in Ireland
“Obviously living with a host family isn’t the same as living with your real family, but I feel so comfortable with my host family that they’ve become like my second family. They involve me in every part of family life, and they are really nice.”
Amelie, student in Ireland
At InterStudies we take student support very seriously. Going on exchange is a big step. It is important to us that our students can always come to us for help and support, just as we know that their parents at home must be able to relax in the knowledge that their son or daughter is supported throughout their high school experience.
Each student is allocated a Local Support Coordinator (LSC) who is there to help and guide them throughout the programme and who can provide everyday assistance and advice. Throughout the programme, the LSC will keep in regular contact with their students. The LSC is there to advise, to solve any problems, and to make sure that they get the most out of their time in Ireland.
“I really love seeing a shy student arrive and helping them go on a journey and eventually come out of their shell. It’s great seeing them blossom and gain confidence.” Audrey, LSC in Ireland
“My LSC in Ireland was really nice and helpful whenever I talked or wrote to her.” Lina, InterStudies student in Ireland
Join our InterStudies community! By becoming a Local Support Coordinator, you will play a key role in the experience of an international student and the host family who they stay with. You will help to foster intercultural understanding and build bridges between people, cultures and countries – making a real difference to so many lives. And you will be a vital figure in the life of InterStudies students, offering care and support.
Join our InterStudies community! Hosting an international student will enrich your life in so many ways. You will be a key part of the experience for a student who has come to live and study in Ireland. Our students come from all over the world to learn about the culture and the language in Ireland. They live with a host family, go to school, and integrate into the local community.
Join our InterStudies community! Students who wish to participate in our programmes apply through international partners. We choose our partners carefully, and place a great emphasis on working with partners who share our values and approach to high-quality educational programmes.
Ready to apply? We are here to help you! Get in touch to start your InterStudies experience in the UK or Ireland!
