The Institute of Education Ireland

• Location: Dublin, Ireland,
• Year of foundation: 1969,
• Number of students: about 1000,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of education: mixed.

The Institute of Education (IOE) is a private secondary education institution at the Sixth Form level, offering preparatory programs for admission to Irish, British and international universities. More than 1000 local and foreign students aged 15 to 19 study within the walls of the school.

For more than 50 years, IOE has built its reputation by providing excellent learning environments, from balanced academically strong programs to extracurricular opportunities to develop strengths and talents. Today, the institution is considered the largest college in Ireland, capable of providing a modern education focused on applied skills, internationally recognized qualifications that will open the doors of many leading universities around the world.

The Institute of Education attracts dozens of international students to campus every year, with more than 20 different nationalities among the students. Supporting conditions have been created for foreign students to help them quickly adapt to the new education system, get help in personal matters, and improve language skills. The multinational student community supports each other, interacting not only in the classroom, but also in extracurricular life: in thematic clubs, at various events.

The Institute of Education teaches three academic programs corresponding to the last years of study at an Irish school. The duration of education varies from one to three years, the curricula are aimed at preparing for admission to the university.

Academic offices, focused on helping all students, offer solutions to various issues: from immigration and visa support to finding suitable safe accommodation, arranging medical care, opening a bank account, confirming school schedules, choosing subjects and teachers, arranging a meeting at the airport if necessary. Mentors regularly meet with international students in private, give advice on the schedule of classes, the choice of subjects and the content of the course, practical advice for student life, help with any personal questions. Regular Learning Skills workshops allow students to develop a curriculum that meets their individual needs.

The International Office also plays an observational role, monitoring student progress, behaviour and well-being, communicating with parents if any problems arise during the year. Parents have real-time access to grades, student attendance, and can contact a dedicated International Student Support Officer at any time. The individual specialist, together with the career guidance department, provides support in all aspects of the search, application to the college: from personal applications to resumes, preparation for interviews and direct applications to universities.

In cooperation with the Aparto agency, IOE offers accommodation in comfortable Binary Hub residences located in the central area of Dublin. Two floors of the building, reserved exclusively for students of the institute, have single rooms with bathrooms, shared kitchens-living rooms, gym, cinema room, roof terrace, laundry room. The campus staff living in the residence are available around the clock to provide assistance, cleanliness and safety in the residential block.

The second option for accommodation during the study is host families in the suburbs of Dublin.  All families are regularly checked, carefully selected in order to provide students with the best experience of living in an unfamiliar country. Families offer different conditions - some have children, pets, a house of medium or superior comfort and other features. As a rule, foreign students are accommodated in their own fully furnished bedroom, have access to a shared bathroom, kitchen, living room, courtyard area. Host families provide daily breakfasts and dinners, sometimes lunches, if the student is not at school at that time.

IOE students have plenty of opportunities to spend their leisure time off campus: the institute's location allows them to explore the city's attractions, entertainment and cultural places, and go to the suburbs to enjoy the natural beauty of Ireland.

At the beginning of the year, the International Office holds a series of orientation events to help international freshmen adapt to educational process, make friends, and adjust to their new environment. Then students are introduced to the course of active extracurricular life, offering to participate in entertainment, sports competitions, creative performances. During the academic year, a lot of events are held on campus, most of which are organized by the students themselves: from themed evenings in honor of birthdays and national holidays, exhibitions of art works to dance, sightseeing tours.

List of the areas of extracurricular development:

• Chess
• Debate
• Creative writing,
• IT Coding
• Graphic design,
• Philosophy
• Language Club: French, Spanish, Irish,
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Table tennis
• Hockey
• Cinema Club.

• The largest institution in Ireland focused on preparing students for university,
• A modern campus in the heart of the Irish capital,
• Access to the educational infrastructure is open seven days a week, giving students the opportunity to focus on reviewing topics, self-study,
• Multinational student community,
• Partnerships with many universities including Trinity College Dublin, UCD Dublin, UCC,
• Excellent results of students in passing A-Level exams,
• The educational staff, which includes about 65 highly qualified teachers,
• About 28 subject disciplines available for in-depth study.

The school campus occupies seven large buildings on Leeson Street in Dublin city centre. Behind the original Georgian façade lies a variety of academic spaces, social areas for relaxation and socializing.

• Modern IT and digital infrastructure

In 2020, the institute invested €2.5 million in state-of-the-art digital equipment, making it Europe's largest school offering e-learning. All 39 classrooms are now equipped with advanced video and sound recording technologies.

• Scientific Laboratories

For students studying natural sciences, a modern scientific laboratory with the latest equipment, a variety of teaching methods: theoretical, experimental, has been opened.

• Computer Rooms

A computer lab is available to support research, create technology projects. A specially designed computer class allows students to devote time to self-study, analysis of complex topics, and improvement of technical skills.

• Shared kitchen

The well-equipped housekeeping kitchen includes separate workstations for students, each workstation has a microwave, oven, stove, refrigerator, food processor, utensils and storage space (all equipment meets the required HACCP standards for cooking).

• Music Room

A special space for creative students is equipped with a piano, keyboard and music board, modern multimedia computers.

• Art Room

The art studio is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to help students express their creativity in the most appropriate way for them. The bright and spacious room is equipped with all the necessary materials: from easels, a variety of drawing materials to computers, printers and scanners.

• Study halls

Large, bright classrooms are a hallmark of the Institute; Group classes on theoretical topics, seminars with invited specialists, scientific events are held here.

The institute has excellent transport links – Dublin Airport can be reached in less than an hour, thanks to which students can travel to other European countries for the weekend.

The academic year lasts from September to the end of May, includes several semesters, which are separated by holidays in honor of international holidays: Christmas, Easter. The longest holidays are summer - from May to August. Rest is also provided on weekends, days of national holidays.

Classes are organized on weekdays: from Monday to Friday. A balanced schedule includes lessons in the morning, afternoon, followed by extracurricular activities.

Some services are paid additionaly to tuition fee, such as:

• Registration fees,
• Accommodation, meals,
• Some extracurricular opportunities: additional academic aid, field trips,
• Individual materials for studying,
• Medical, property insurance,
• Airport transfers,
• Personal expenses.

Before applying, applicants can contact the admissions committee to ask their questions in person or in an online conference format. Future students will have to go through several stages:

• Filling out a detailed questionnaire, submitting the required documents,
• Passing an interview, possible entrance exams,
• Receiving an official invitation to enroll,
• Making a deposit to book a seat in the class,
• Arrival on campus: accommodation in residence, attendance at orientation events, start of classes.

The high results obtained by graduates in the final exams confirm the excellent quality of teaching. Thanks to the knowledge gained, IOE students enter leading universities in Ireland, other European countries and abroad.

Ireland has a wide range of career opportunities for graduates of international universities. With the fastest-growing economy in the European Union, many of the world's leading high-performing companies have already decided to settle here: Intel, Twitter, Pfizer, Citi, Huawei, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Novartis, among others.

International applicants must provide to the Institute:

• Personal documents: passport, health insurance, visa or residence permit,
• Academic certificates from the last two academic years,
• IELTS, TORFL, PTE Academic or equivalent language exam results. For comfortable education, the candidate needs a level of at least B2; educational staff are ready to offer additional language classes in parallel with their studies,
• Individual achievements, if any.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision