Professional passport or personal interest, the study of a language is often as
much an advantage as a major need for any student or international traveller.
You have decided to come to study a language in its mother country, or you wish
to improve your English, you will have several possibilities that we will see
below:
The linguistic trip
For young people, taking advantage of the school holidays to improve their foreign
language, trips abroad are organized for a few weeks period. The stay is usually
with local families, boarding (pack-lunch at lunch time). Language courses with
small groups occur during the day, with cultural activities and visits. It costs
usually more than 600 EUR a week (and normally last for 2 weeks).
Intense and Evening courses
According to the school infrastructure, you can work in a language laboratory,
have free access to study rooms, libraries or the Internet. In addition, extra-curicular
activities can be offered, such as cultural visits or trips.
An English test is asked at registration time, in order to assess your level.
If you want more information, look on this school website :
Exams
TOEFL For the past 40 years, the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) has been the leading academic English proficiency test in the
world.
Each year, more than 800,000 candidates register for the exam worldwide and test
their capacity to master the English language in writing, speaking, listening
on paper or with a computer.
The test covers several sections:
- Listening and Understanding
- Structure
- Reading
- Writing
Your result is a number of points for each section. A lot of institutes ask
500 points minimum for the paper test, or 250 points for the computer test.
Cambridge (ESOL) Tests of English for Speakers of Other Languages
(ESOL) of Cambridge University are assessed each year by about 1.5 million of
people in more than 135 countries. This exam is suitable for English teaching
and is recognised internationally.
You will find more information on the official website: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/
A list of recognised EFL schools and organisations in Ireland : http://www.acels.ie/search.htm
For more information, have a look in Irish Council for International Students
: http://www.icosirl.ie/