Airfare
Airport Pick-up
Host Family Placement
Meals
School Placement
Individual Contact Person
Medical Insurance
24/7 Emergency Support
School Materials
Continuous Support

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Deadline - Friday, 29th November

Scholarship Overview

15 -17 years (on 1st June 2025)
1 x scholarship available
Fully-funded
Secondary School – local enrolment
Accommodation – Host family
Duration – 3 months (late Aug – early Dec 2025)
Language option: French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Czech, Latvian, Serbian & Slovak
Youth Citizenship Camp in Brussels in Dec 2025
Application = Online form + ‘why choose me’ + Reference form
Action at Home project – on your return share your learning with your community
Mentor programme
Local Coordinator in country
24 hour emergency phone

Important Dates & Info

Interview – Saturday, January 25th, 2025 – Shortlisted applicants must attend
Winners announced – March 2025
Pre-departure Orientation – must attend – May 2025
Departure – late Aug 2025
Return home – early Dec 2025

Deadline for applications: Friday, 6th December 2024!

How do I apply?

Follow these simple steps...

Complete all sections in English.

Step 1: Fill out the online APPLICATION FORM.

Step 2: Contact your 2 referees to submit their Reference Form.

Step 3: Submit your signed Terms and Conditions & My Commitments Form together with any videos/ artwork answering the personal or ‘Why choose me’ questions (if applicable) to [email protected]

IMPORTANT- you need to be available for interview on Saturday, January 25th, 2025 in Dublin

Deadline for all steps is 6th December 2024!

You have until 6th December 2024 to complete and submit your full application including references.

Need help?

Contact [email protected] if you have any questions or need help with the application.

Why Choose me?

In English, answer all three questions in your submission.

Why do I want this scholarship?
What difference would this scholarship make to me?
Who else would benefit if I won this scholarship?

Types of submissions:

● Writing – Write not more than 500 words (in the online application form).
● Photo/Art – Create a piece of not more than 2 x A4 pages front-to-back, with a combination of photos (5), art, drawings, and writing.
● Video – Create a video/audio not longer than 5 minutes

If you chose the photo/art or video format, email your video/artwork answering the ‘Why choose me’ questions above to [email protected] before the deadline.

What is the selection process?

Online application form + signed Terms and Conditions/Commitments Form + 2 reference forms (+ videos/art works if applicable) submitted all together to [email protected] by deadline
All valid applications are read and shortlisted by a team of experienced past participants, volunteers and staff of EIL AFS Ireland and Languages Connect
Shortlisted candidates are invited to interview on Saturday, January 25th, 2025 in Dublin
All successful/unsuccessful candidates will be contacted by March 2025

Learning Outcomes & Educational Model

Your Learning Outcomes

After this scholarship programme, a participant will be able to demonstrate increased…

Foreign Language & Communication skills
Interpersonal & Teamwork skills
Self-confidence & Self-awareness
Problem-solving skills & Self-efficacy
Reflective critical thinking
Cultural Competence – (Ability to act effectively and appropriately in diverse cultural contexts)

Our Educational Model

At EIL, all our programmes have education at their core. We develop and deliver our programmes based on the four pillars of our educational model :

INTERCULTURAL LEARNING… the process of developing intercultural competence. This is your ability to act and relate appropriately and effectively in various cultural contexts….

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING…. a learning process where the participant learns by ‘doing’. They take part in an experience, they observe that experience by living it, they think about how it is affecting them and finally apply this learning to their future actions…..

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS…..the additional skills which carry personal and professional value. E.g. self-confidence, problem-solving, team-work & leadership and interpersonal skills. They are also highly valued in the workplace, increasing employability and lifelong career advancement…..

GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS…. the awareness and understanding of our rapidly changing and unequal world. It encourages people to think critically, consider their rights and responsibilities as global citizens, as well as their potential to effect change for a more just and equal world….

Host Family & Accommodation

Your Host Family

Our host families have a genuine interest in learning about other cultures and sharing their own culture by hosting students.

Students are considered a member of the family, equal in rights and duties, and they share day-to-day life, including leisure and outings. In return, they are asked to comply with family rules, which might include some minor tasks like washing the dishes or cleaning their bedrooms.

All host families are sourced, vetted and screened through our partner organization. After an interview and home visit, host families are carefully selected by the local coordinator according to very definite selection criteria: open-mindedness, availability, receptiveness, good sense of welcoming and good accommodation conditions.

The host family is seen as responsible for the students’ welfare and our partner office insists on their role as “parents”. Host families come in all shapes and sizes; single parents with children living in the house, nuclear families, older couples whose children are no longer at home, as well as young couples who may not have children, are all considered potential host families. Our main criteria is a warm, caring, and comfortable home environment for students to be nurtured and thrive in. Applicants cannot reject host family placements and must agree to accept them without prejudice and to go into the programme with an open mind.

Where will my placement be?

You can be hosted anywhere in your host country.

We have a team of local coordinators based throughout our host countries who live in the local areas. Placements can be in rural areas (countryside) and medium-sized towns, but very rarely are in the centre of big cities. Students can be placed in any region of the country, so they must have an open mind to this when applying, as there is no guarantee of geographical preference in the placement process.

Language & School

Language options

This year we have the following language options:

French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Czech, Latvian, Serbian and Slovak.

Host Countries depend on availability. I.e If you are interested in French, you could be placed in Belgium or Switzerland. If you are interested in German, you could be placed in Switzerland or Austria.

Studying at a local school

You’ll either attend lower secondary school (if you are under 16 years old), which teaches a wide range of subjects, or upper secondary school (for students between the ages of 16 and 19), where students are prepared for university. Either way, you’ll learn a foreign language, history, science and maths. Most mainstream schools do not wear a uniform.

Secondary schools, are chosen jointly by the family and the local coordinator. If the host family has children of its own, they try to place students in the same school as their children, but this cannot be guaranteed. The local coordinator will consult with school officials in order to place the students in the school and grade best suited to their backgrounds and needs. Placements will also depend upon the particular schools available in the homestay area. Students may be placed in a class lower than their Irish equivalent depending on language ability and the community.

The average school day: Typically 8am – 4pm. Actual start and finish times will vary according to each local school. A timetable will be provided by the school and should be confirmed with the school after arrival.

Youth Citizenship Camp

All scholarships winners will meet in Brussels for 4-5 days at the end of their stay. Joining 400 other students from around Europe, they will participate in a youth PEACE camp reflecting on their 3 months learning experience abroad, engage with intercultural & citizenship activities and visit the sites of Brussels. PEACE stands for “Peace in Europe and Asia through global Citizenship Education”. All flights and transfers to the camp are organised and covered by the programme.

Aims to enable participants in:

Gaining a wider concept of citizenship
Appreciating global diversity
Being a global citizen
Recognising the importance of intercultural dialogue as an element in promoting peace
To implement global citizenship activities throughout the program and in the future

Important Conditions

Important terms and conditions about participation

Individual placement. This is a programme designed for independent and individual students. Emphasis is on full language and cultural immersion.

A student may not return home for the duration of their programme. This includes bank holidays or mid-term breaks.

No family & friends visits. In our experience, to allow the student the best possible opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture and their community, visits from family & friends from home are not allowed. They disrupt the adjustment process, lead to further homesickness and integration problems.

Students and parents cannot ‘reject’ a host family placement in favour of a new one. Once host family details are sent to the student, they are final.

Expectations. Participants are placed in safe and welcoming host families in local communities. Like in all countries, accommodation, food and pasttimes vary. Students should be open to a lifestyle & culture different to their own in Ireland.

Finally...

EIL and Language Connect reserve the right to send home any student whose health requires it or whose conduct is considered improper or offensive to the host family, community or school. Such conduct includes drug use, unacceptable sexual behaviour, excessive drinking, violation of the law or failure in schoolwork. In the event that the student is returned home, either alone or accompanied, parents or guardians are responsible for expenses. If a student chooses to end the programme early on his or her own accord, parents or guardians are responsible for expenses.

EIL and Language Connect reserve the right to cancel or curtail a programme in circumstances where “force majeure” presents (e.g.
natural disasters, civil war, global pandemics, etc.).

Further conditions of participation are included in the Winner’s Information Pack & additional paperwork.

We are sure you have lots of questions and we will do our best here to answer the most common, but if you have any specific questions [email protected] would be only too happy to answer them for you 🙂

In what language do I complete my application?

All applications, submissions and references need to be made in English. There is no foreign language assessment required in the selection process.

What costs are covered by the scholarship programme?

Flights & transport in-country
Accommodation
Meals
School materials & fees
Medical Insurance
Orientations & preparation materials
24 hours support & emergency phone number
Local Coordinator in host country
Mentor (past participant)

What is NOT covered:

Personal spending money
Personal travel outside of school transport
Entertainment or socialising costs (e.g cinema, concert, coffee)
Medical prescriptions & medications
Special dietary needs & preferences

It is suggested to budget approx €80/100 month for personal spending.

What standard is the accommodation & food?

Are family visits allowed?

Will I host a student in return?

Who can apply?

Can students request to be placed in private schools or boarding?

Can you offer placements in specific types of schools, e.g. music focus, science focus, sports available, equestrian, etc.?

What are some typical clubs that students would be able to join?

Do teachers grade exchange students on the same level as their classmates?

What is the selection process?

The process involves:

Online application form + submissions (signed terms & conditions/commitments form and if applicable videos/art work) + 2 reference forms submitted to [email protected] by deadline
All valid applications are read and shortlisted by a team of experienced past participants, volunteers and staff of EIL AFS Ireland and Languages Connect
Shortlisted candidates are invited to interview on Saturday, January 25th, 2025
All successful/unsuccessful candidates will be contacted by March 2025

Covid 19

Living & Studying with Covid 19

Our communities have changed dramatically since the Covid 19 pandemic. We have learned to adapt our ways of living and working to maintain our daily lives and relationships. Traveling abroad to study has also seen changes, however as always your safety comes first.

As part of a global network of organizations, we are actively re-assessing conditions for study abroad programs on a country-by-country basis. The safety and well-being of our participants remain our number one priority. We are closely monitoring health and travel recommendations from authorities, as well as receiving information from our robust, on-the-ground volunteer network. We pledge to be open and responsive to circumstances as they change.

Partnership

Languages Connect aims to build awareness of the many cultural, social, personal and career advantages of having foreign language skills and to make foreign language learning more appealing to everyone. For more information of the benefits of foreign language skills, news, events and competitions follow Languages Connect on social media or check out our website at www.languagesconnect.ie

Post Primary Languages Ireland

Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) is a unit providing expertise and support for foreign languages education in Ireland. Its focus is on enhancing and broadening the opportunities available to students for learning foreign languages relevant to Ireland’s future cultural, social and economic needs.

PPLI has responsibility for implementing key actions in Languages Connect – Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026, which was published by the Irish Government in December 2017.

Contact [email protected] with any questions

or speak to an EIL member in Cork on 021 4551535