Midland Language Center
The Concept of Homestay
The basis of all our programmes is the fact that students do not reside in a school, residential centre or hostel but enjoy the real Irish experience, staying with an Irish family. Our network of welcoming, responsible families has been personally built up over the years. Students are placed in families with children of a similar age, are carefully matched in terms of interests and hobbies, and the focus is on participating in daily family life and activities. An extension of this is the Farm Stay programme, which includes exactly the same elements as the Homestay, but the student asks to be accommodated on a farm to experience the Irish farming lifestyle.
This programme takes place at the same Outdoor Activity Centre used for our Watersports programme, and involves a fantastic combination of learning and activities. The course runs for 7 days of the week. On Mondays to Fridays, there are 3hrs of English lessons each day (15hrs per week), the class size is a maximum of 15 students and includes all materials and a certificate upon completion. The other part of the day is for an activity such as raft building, orienteering or sailing. On Saturdays, there is a full-day trip to Dublin. On Sunday there is a full activity day, e.g canoeing or hill trek. Students can also opt for English Classes and Sailing as the only activity. This is an action packed programme for students who like to be busy.
This programme involves the student being placed in the home of a TEFL qualified teacher, and the classes are designed around the students’ English ability and are structured as 50 minute sessions. Students on this programme enjoy the same cultural exposure, and if requested we can aim to match the student to a teacher who also has children, although this cannot always be guaranteed at the busiest times of the year.
We have a bank of TEFL qualified teachers across Ireland, available to tutor students in their host families. Classes are designed around the students’ English ability and are structured as 50 minute sessions. This is a very popular addition to any of our programmes, and we can offer any number of hours, as requested.
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