Every Monday, dozens of new students come through our college doors to begin their life in Dublin and start their English Language programmes. Many of them have never been so far away from home. They are in a new city and culture. At City Language School we know it can be tough to get settled in a new city and we aim to make our students feel as welcome as possible from the moment they arrive in Dublin.
“We want to make people feel safe and welcome when they come to Dublin,” says Oscars CEO, Will Dowling. “The school should be like a sanctuary for the students really; a place where they can feel safe and welcome. We want people to come here and learn but we also want people to have a great experience and have fun.
As part of that ethos, Oscars gives new students an orientation tour of Dublin City Centre every Monday afternoon. Our dame Street campus is right in the centre of the city and is close to some very famous landmarks. Trinity College and St.Patrick’s Cathedral are less than five minutes walk from the school. The famous Temple Bar Cultural Quarter and George’s Street are even closer, while Ireland’s main street O’Connell Street is just a short stroll across the River Liffey.
“Giving the students a sense of place is very important to us,” says Brian Hopper, Centre Manager at Dame Street. “But it also helps us as well. By interacting with the students we get to know them and they get to know us. We get a sense of why they have come to Dublin and how adventurous they are. In terms of language, I can also monitor their level of English.”
Above all, our Monday orientation tour is about making students feel they are at home in Dublin.
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Another part of making people feel at home in Dublin is our host family policy. When students first arrive in Dublin, many of them stay with Irish families. Read about one student\’s experience here.