School Immersion in Ireland – 12-18 years – Dublin region

This programme is open to motivated participants aged between 12 and 18 who wish to study for one term, 2 terms or one academic year in a state-run high school in Ireland, in Dublin or the surrounding area. This is a unique opportunity to live alongside young Irish people of your own age and share the daily life of your host family.

Communication and exchange are key to the success of this stay, as are open-mindedness and the desire to adapt to another way of life.

This option is therefore recommended for young people who are sufficiently independent, sociable and open-minded. To facilitate integration, it is also recommended that you have studied English for at least 2 or 3 years.

Why Ireland?

A land of legends and wild, grandiose landscapes, Ireland offers a unique blend of traditions that are still very much alive and conviviality. The Irish people are, by nature, artists and musicians, warm-hearted and joyful. The cities are dynamic, bustling and young.
Ireland has a long tradition of excellence in education, with over 80% of young Irish people passing their school-leaving exams.

Our partner in Ireland works with a wide range of schools in Dublin and the surrounding area (with the exception of a few schools in Limerick, Athlone, Galway, etc.).

You will be able to select 4 schools from the list in order of preference. Our partner will give these schools priority for your application. Acceptance into the school of your choice cannot be guaranteed; it depends on your application, availability and the decision of the head teacher.

Please do not hesitate to contact us to receive the school profiles. You can also find more information about the schools here.

State schools

  • Ard Scoil La Salle
  • Cabinteely Community School
  • Cabra Community College
  • CBS Westland Row
  • Coláiste Aindriú
  • Coláiste Eoin Hacketstown
  • Dominican College Sion Hill
  • Fingal Community College
  • Grange Community College
  • Kilkenny City Vocational School
  • Malahide Community School
  • Manor House School
  • Marian College
  • Moate Community School
  • Palmerstown Community School
  • Portmarnock Community School
  • Rockford Manor School
  • Selskar College
  • St. Brigids College
  • St. David’s Holy Faith Secondary School
  • St Finian’s Community College
  • St. Fintan’s High School
  • St. Laurence College
  • St. Leo’s College Carlow
  • St. Mary’s Secondary School
  • St. Mogues College
  • St. Neasain’s Community School
  • St. Raphaela’s School
  • St. Tiernan’s Community School
  • Stanhope Secondary School

What do our students think?

Watch a video testimonial here!

  • I’m learning new expressions and words every day

    I feel like I’m learning new expressions and words every day and how to express what I want to say in a varied way. Speaking is obviously the most difficult and delicate part to improve but I’m doing well. My understanding improved the most, it is crazy how is has improved! Basically, I can understand pretty well and I had good skills and a good confidence with English but I can understand more varied subjects. I’m very proud of that.
    Emma,
    17 ans, partie pendant 1 trimestre

  • One of my greatest accomplishments so far

    I would recommend this experience to the whole world it really helped me to find out who I am and what I am capable of. My confidence has also grown a lot because you can only count on yourself in that type of experience, so you need to believe in yourself. I am so proud of myself because I did it and it’s one of my greatest accomplishments so far and I really hope a lot of others are coming. The only recommendation that I would give is to go 1 year instead of 4 months. Even if I think a year is still not enough it’s longer then 4 months so yeah hahah.
    Méline,
    17 ans, partie pendant 1 trimestre

  • I loved it

    My understanding is what improved the most. I am getting used to the accents, even the strongest. I loved it. Everyone was so nice to me even if the first day was really hard. My family in general was really enjoyable and so were my friends. Kilkenny is a really nice town where you can do everything by foot and I really liked that. I didn’t have to bother my host mom by asking her to drive me everywhere.
    Amélie,
    17 ans, partie pendant 1 trimestre

  • Maturité et sérénité

    Luu-Binh a pu longuement me conter son séjour en Irlande qui s’est très bien passé, malgré les restrictions covid, et ceci grâce à la gentillesse, la joie et la bienveillance de sa famille d’accueil ! J’ai pu avoir un retour direct et très positif de la maman d’accueil. Luu-Binh a acquis une maturité et une sérénité qui est vraiment plaisante à découvrir. Et je tiens à remercier chaleureusement l’école dans l’excellence de la prise en charge, malgré les aléas liés à la pandémie…
    Maman de Luu-Binh,
    19 ans, qui a passé une année scolaire en Irlande

  • J’ai adoré

    J’ai adoré. J’ai beaucoup appris autant en culture, mais aussi en relationnel. Je me suis fait plein d’amis dont certains étaient aussi venus d’autres pays. J’ai pu aussi prendre une matière différente à l’école que nous n’avons pas en Belgique et j’ai beaucoup aimé faire les scouts.
    Célestine
    17 ans, partie pendant 1 semestre

Teaching is made up of compulsory subjects and optional subjects.

Compulsory subjects: Maths, English and Irish (Gaelic is only compulsory for Irish students; foreign students use this time for personal study).

Electives: a wide range ofsubjects are offered, varying from school to school: Modern languages (usually French or German, more rarely Italian or Spanish), Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Business studies, Accountancy, Economics, History, Geography, Music, Art, Classical Studies, Technical Drawing, Design and Technical Graphics, Engineering, Technology, etc.

International students generally take 6 to 7 subjects (depending on the class), including the 2 compulsory ones (maths and English).

Class times vary from school to school, but are generally Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.

Students can indicate four school preferences in their application, but these choices are not guaranteed and depend on the availability of schools at the time of sending the application.

English language course

Our partner offers a free English support class, 1.5 hours per week (usually on Wednesdays from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.), at their language school in central Dublin. For students who live outside Dublin, the class can be taken online.

Extra-curricular activities

The schools offer a selection of extra-curricular activities (sports, workshops and various clubs). If you have a particular hobby or sport, please let us know. We encourage young people to continue practising their favourite activity or to discover a new one during their stay. There are many local sports clubs (football, basketball, swimming, tennis, golf, etc.), as well as dance, music and horse-riding lessons. The local correspondent or your host family will help you with all the arrangements.

Our partner also offers a programme of activities for foreign students during the short school holidays.

Note: the family does not organise specific activities for the student they host. They integrate them into their family life and share their own activities with them.

Irish schools follow a curriculum established by the Irish Department of Education. All pupils therefore follow the same curriculum and must sit the same official examinations, regardless of the type of school they attend (state or private). Access to higher education is highly competitive and depends on the results obtained in the Leaving Certificate.

The secondary education system consists of 6 years of study, divided into 2 cycles, Junior and Senior.

JUNIOR CYCLE : Years 1 to 3 (ages 12 to 15): these 2 years prepare students for the Junior Certificate.

TRANSITION YEAR: Year 4 (aged 15 to 16): this pivotal year between the 1st and 2nd cycles allows students to test themselves in a number of areas to help them determine their future direction. The programme varies from school to school. This year is a little less academic and includes a greater number of subjects over the 3 terms (12 subjects in Transition Year compared with 6 to 9 in other years). It is an ideal year for foreign students who can benefit from personal development alongside the development of their language and academic skills.

SENIOR CYCLE : Year 5 and 6 (from 16 to 18 years old). At the end of these 2 years, students sit the Leaving Certificate.

The final year (Year 6) is not open to foreign students, as it is exclusively a preparation year for the school-leaving examination.

Note: in Ireland, some schools are co-educational, while others are “all-boys” or “all-girls”. Uniforms must be worn.

The Irish are very attached to family values and are known for their hospitality and friendliness.

The families are carefully selected by our partner. They meet the standards of AGPI (the Association of Guardianship Providers Ireland), of which our partner is a founding member, and are visited regularly.

Our partner chooses the family that best matches your profile on the basis of the file you have completed. In the Dublin metropolitan area (including neighbouring towns), families generally live between 30 and 60 minutes away by bus or train. They can accommodate other non-French-speaking students.

You will have a shared or single room, depending on the option you choose, and full board.

There is no typical family profile. Each one is unique and reflects the society and way of life of the country you have chosen. Your host family may or may not have children; it may be a blended family or a single-parent family, a single person whose children no longer live at home, retired people or younger people. It’s not the composition of the family that’s important, but their willingness and motivation to share their culture with you.

Info

Communication and exchange are the key to a successful stay, as are an open mind and a willingness to adapt to another way of life.

During your stay in Ireland, you will benefit from the assistance and regular follow-up of our local correspondent.

He or she will be there to answer all your questions and sort out any little problems that may arise. He/she is also there to intervene in the event of a problem with the host family, or simply to make sure that everything runs smoothly. He/she will be your main contact throughout your stay and will check in with you once a month to make sure that everything is going well.

When you arrive, your host family or local correspondent will help you buy your uniform, books and other school supplies.

Once you are in Ireland, a few days after your arrival, you will participate in an orientation session with our local partner. This meeting will allow you to meet ISI staff and other international students too. You’ll also meet your local coordinator. They will answer any question you may have about the programme.

  • You must be aged between 12 and 18
  • Have a level of English that enables you to communicate and follow the courses (A2+/B1)
  • Good academic results over the last two years
  • Be willing to make new friends and share the daily life of a host family
  • Demonstrate the motivation, maturity, adaptability and open-mindedness that are the real keys to a successful stay.

Do you meet the conditions for participation?

  1. Fill in the pre-registration form as soon as possible.
  2. When we receive it, we’ll send you a provisional confirmation, including the total cost of the stay, a request for payment of €100 (for the language test and the motivation interview), and the full application form. We will also ask you to send us a copy of your school reports for the last 2 years.
  3. You will then be invited to come and take the language test and interview at our offices in Brussels or Paris. The cost of this interview is payable on receipt of the pre-confirmation and is non-refundable, but can be deducted from the balance of your stay if you are definitively enrolled and accepted on the programme. Part 1 of the application form must be completed and brought with you to the interview.
  4. We will confirm the result no later than 8 days after our interview.
  5. If the interview is positive, we ask you to pay a deposit of 25% of the total cost of your stay (with a minimum of €1,800) and to complete all the elements of the application, which includes letters of recommendation from your teachers and other information needed for us to study your application on site. As soon as your application is complete and we have received payment of the deposit, we will forward it to our partner.
  6. Final acceptance to the programme is given by our partner.
  7. Once your application has been accepted, our partner begins the search for and selection of a host family and school.

The registration and application deadlines are :

  • 15 April for a departure at the end of August
  • 15 October for a departure in January
  • 15 January for a departure in April

After these dates, it is sometimes possible to register depending on the availability of the schools. However, we recommend that you enrol at least 3 months before departure to ensure that you are well prepared for your stay.

For any application that has to be processed urgently (after the registration deadline), a supplement of €250 will be charged.

Please contact us for more information on how to apply. Applicants who do not meet the age or level requirements are invited to meet with us to discuss other possible options.

Arrival airport: Dublin

Transfer on arrival and at the end of your stay, from Dublin airport to your place of residence, is included in our prices.

Please allow for arrival between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm and departure between 11.00 am and 8.00 pm.

Return transfers during holiday periods are organised at an additional cost (see “dates & prices”).

Note: do not book your flight until your stay has been confirmed.

For young people under 16: some airlines, such as Ryanair, do not allow under-16s to travel unaccompanied by an adult and do not offer a UM (Unaccompanied Minor) service. It is therefore important to check with your chosen airline before booking.

Medical/accident/repatriation and civil liability insurance is compulsory for this type of holiday. You will be asked for a certificate when you complete your application.

Langues Vivantes offers full insurance cover for young people going abroad, see Insurance and guarantees

School calendar 2025 – 2026

School holidays

  • School year: 18/08/25 – 22/05/26
  • 1st term: 18/08/25 – 19/12/25
  • 2nd term: 6/01/26 – 27/03/26
  • 3rd term: 13/04/26 – 22/05/26
  • School term: 18/08/25 – 30/01/26
  • 1st and 2nd terms: 18/08/25 – 27/03/26
  • 2nd and 3rd term: 6/01/26 – 22/05/26
  • All Saints’ Day: 25/10/25 – 2/11/25
  • Christmas: 20/12/25 – 5/01/26
  • February: 14/02/26 – 22/02/26
  • Easter: 28/03/26 – 12/04/26

Accommodation is included during school holidays, except at Christmas when students must return home.

Prices 2025-2026

WPCS 42.0.3
Education, homestay accommodation & meals, all registration fees included
DuréePrices with shared roomPrices with private room
School year (40 weeks)€ 16.195€ 17.795
1st term (18 weeks)€ 9.195€ 9.895
2nd term (11 weeks)€ 7.095€ 7.595
3rd term (6 weeks)€ 5.295€ 5.595
1 school semester (24 weeks)€ 10.135€ 12.195
Terms 1 & 2 (32 weeks)€ 12.945€ 14.795
Terms 2 & 3 (19 weeks)€ 9.575€ 10.795
Supplement
Transition Year (Year 4)€ 500
Additional transfer (outside of official departure and arrival dates) - per trip€ 110

Note : single room not guaranteed, subject to availability of host families at time of application.

The above prices include:

  • Pre-application interview
  • State school tuition fees
  • Full-board accommodation with a host family (packed lunch from Monday to Friday)
  • Accommodation during school holidays except Christmas holidays from 20/12 to 5/01
  • Return transfer from Dublin airport to the family (on the 1st day of arrival and the last day of the programme, as well as at Christmas)
  • Personal assistance, support and advice from our local correspondent
  • School reports
  • 24/7 emergency number

The above prices do not include

  • Travel to your destination on the dates you will be given
  • Accommodation during the Christmas holidays
  • Compulsory uniform, books and school supplies (these costs vary from school to school and according to the subjects chosen), excursions and activities. A deposit of €200 is required.
  • Local transport card
  • Additional transfers
  • Any outings or excursions organised by the school
  • Placement in Transition Year (Year 4)
  • Optional insurance

School calendar 2026-2027

School holidays

  • School year: 20/08/26 – 30/05/27
  • 1st term: 20/08/26 – 19/12/26
  • 2nd term: 2/01/27 – 20/03/27
  • 3rd term: 3/04/27 – 30/05/27
  • Semester 1: 20/08/26 – 31/01/27
  • Semester 2: 2/01/27 – 30/05/27
  • 1st & 2nd terms: 20/08/26 – 20/03/27
  • All Saints’ Day: tbc
  • Christmas: 20/12/26 – 1/01/27
  • February: tbc
  • Easter: 21/03/26 – 2/04/26

Accommodation is included during school holidays, except at Christmas when students must return home.

Prices 2026-2027

WPCS 42.0.3
Course, host family accommodation & board, enrolment fees, taxes includedShared roomPrivate room
Academic year€ 14.760€ 15.725
1st trimester€ 7.870€ 8.295
2nd trimester€ 5.715€ 5.995
3rd trimester€ 4.715€ 4.915
School semester 1€ 9.695€ 10.230
School semester 2€ 9.475€ 9.995
Trimesters 1 and 2€ 11.755€ 12.465
Extras
Transition Year (year 4)€ 500
Extra transfer (outside of official arrival and return dates - per transfer€ 80
Provision fund€ 200
Special dietary requirements (vegan, coeliac)€ 40
Special dietary requirements (lactose intolerant, vegetarian)€ 20
Additional night with host family (shared room)€ 40
Additional night with host family (single room)€ 50

Note : single room not guaranteed, subject to availability of host families at time of application.

The above prices include:

  • Pre-application interview
  • State school tuition fees
  • Full-board accommodation with a host family (packed lunch from Monday to Friday)
  • Accommodation during school holidays except Christmas holidays (the student must go home)
  • Return transfer from Dublin airport to the family (on the 1st day of arrival and the last day of the programme, as well as at Christmas)
  • Basic uniform (trousers or skirt, shirt or blouse, and jumper or sweater) & school books
  • A full-day orientation upon arrival
  • 1.5 hours of English lessons per week, outside of class (free & optional) – either at ISI Dublin or online
  • Personal assistance, support and advice from our local correspondent
  • School reports
  • 24/7 emergency number

The above prices do not include

  • Travel to your destination on the dates you will be given
  • Accommodation during the Christmas holidays
  • Mandatory uniform (additional clothing), sports uniform, books and school supplies (these costs vary from school to school and depending on the subjects chosen), excursions, and activities. A deposit of €200 is required.
  • Local transport card
  • Additional transfers (excluding the first day of arrival and the last day of the programme)
  • Transport to medical or hospital appointments
  • Any outings or excursions organised by the school
  • Placement in Transition Year (Year 4)
  • Insurance cover

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