F.A.Q

Under Irish employment law there is a requirement for a working visa for anything over 20 hours per week. An Irish PPS no is required. To employ a non EU national one must first try to employ an EU national. This is not practical for internships.

The participant should request this from the company. If they have worked well, the company normally provides it.

Some examples to help you understand: Litre of Milk - €1 Meal in McDonalds - €7 Pair of Jeans - €70 Single Journey by Public Transport - €2.50 Cinema Ticket - €10 Meal in a Typical Restaurant - €22

To engage with a culture, you need to be immersed in it. Living with a family, most needs are met: food laundry, utilities, local knowledge, advice and support. This allows the participant to focus and get the most from the experience and the learning process. In groups/apartment living, it nets out around the same cost, without any of the other benefits to the participant -adding stress and preventing real immersion in the cultural experience. In hostels, there is inadequate privacy and security for more than very short stays.

All host families are personally vetted and spot checked for quality. Where possible we try to match the person to a family based on the information in the registration pack. Some families are particularly good with people who have weak English.

From our extensive experience, most participants prefer not to have a packed lunch, and choose their own lunch meals. When we did provide it, we found more than 50% were discarded. We do not charge for something that is not necessary.

We select the companies from our database of companies who are interested, able and suitable for hosting a trainee. The match is made based on the registration form and the interest expressed by the learner – we try to give you a company who will give you the best quality experience.

You will do work based on your skill and ability, as you demonstrate it to your line supervisor. If you show ability, initiative and skill you will be given more responsibility. Don’t expect senior responsibility - companies will test you out before they risk giving you important work to do.

We discuss solutions with everyone and resolve the problems on a case by case basis. It doesn’t happen very often because the matching process is very effective. Usually the learner will have a strong enough relationship with the host to not need our intervention.

You need either insurance or a European health card to cover this. We suggest you see both your doctor AND dentist before you travel.

Bring both enough of the medication for your whole stay AND a copy of the prescription IN ENGLISH.

Usually in the mornings, Monday to Friday, in our dedicated training centre.

Usually, there are no more than 12 in a class.