Students can join any of our courses every Monday.
General English programmes run in the mornings or afternoons from Monday to Friday with a 15-minute break in each class:
Mornings 9 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.
Afternoons 1 p.m. to 4.15 p.m.
Business English classes run from Monday to Thursday
Mornings 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Afternoons 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Classes take place in our two main buildings. Where you study will depend on your course and your level.
58 Charles Street Great (D01 Y671)
7/8 Belvedere Place (D01 EV27)
Dorset College aims to provide high-quality courses that follow the standard regulations in Ireland. For this reason, we are members of:
EAQUALS (the European Association for Quality Language Services)
ACELS (The Accreditation and Coordination of English Language Services)
ELE Ireland (English Language Education) organisation.
As members of these groups, we are regularly inspected to ensure that we meet the high standards of English-language teaching expected in Ireland.
The College has 3 well-equipped buildings with a fully stocked library and a number of computer rooms which students can also use in the main building 8 Belvedere Place.
There are also a number of vending machines which offer minerals and snacks as well as hot drinks in all buildings.
Each student is given a course book and teachers will also provide handouts and activities related to the topics covered during the class in addition to material related to exam preparation.
All students from outside of the EEA (European Economic Area) and who are in Ireland on a student visa must do an exam at the end of the course as it is an immigration requirement.
The list of approved exit exams includes IELTS, TIE and the Trinity ISE.
The standard General English exam offered at Dorset College is Trinity ISE and practice and guidance is given during the programme. Information on these exams is provided during the course and your teacher or the administration staff will be happy to give you more help and advice.
Classes have a maximum of 15 students, but the average class size is 12 students.
Before you join the school, you will be contacted to do an English test online. This will help us to get a better idea of your reading, grammar and language skills.
We will then invite you for a speaking test to get a good idea of your speaking abilities. This is done on your first Monday at the College. We offer General English courses in all levels from A1- (Beginner) to C1 (Advanced) links to levels:
If you choose to enrol in a Business English course, you will have to sit the test two weeks before your start at the College.
This is important because the Business English course is only offered to students with a minimum level of English of B2 (Upper Intermediate).
If your level is not high enough for the Business English course, you will have the option to switch to a General English course and progress thereafter to Business English.
All students who have a visa from the GNIB to study in Ireland must have a minimum of 85% attendance of their classes. If a student’s attendance goes below this, we will contact them to let them know that they need to improve their attendance.
The College tries to offer a mix of free activities and occasional trips around Dublin and Ireland to allow students to mix and practise their English while learning more about Ireland and the world around them.
Keep an eye on our website for the social programme monthly schedule, noticeboards and regular email updates to see what activities are planned.
Dorset College has an agreement with a local bank which makes it easier to open a bank account without waiting too long. We will also prepare a student confirmation letter that you can take with you as proof of your studies. Ask our staff for more details on this.
All English language students who require a study visa are entitled to take holidays during their study programme. We allow longer term students to take up to 4 weeks of holidays during the course and they have to keep 4 weeks at the end of the programme for emergency purposes.
You can speak to the management team to organise your holidays at your induction on the first day.
