Boarding schools offer an alternative to the host family option for students who wish to immerse themselves fully in the school experience. Boarding provides a community-oriented way of life and is particularly suited to students who are outgoing, sporty, and adaptable. It offers a comprehensive academic and extracurricular environment designed to help each student develop their full all-round potential.

The ED campus is a self-contained community that gives students a healthy degree of independence and freedom to explore, while maintaining a safe and secure environment. Student well-being is central to our boarding provision. With a generous staff-to-student ratio, we provide 24-hour supervision and care within a happy, well-structured setting. Staff actively foster a friendly, lively, and family-like atmosphere so that students feel comfortable, confident, and supported throughout their stay.

The college accommodates residential students on-site, mainly in comfortable double or triple rooms. All accommodation provided for language school students is of high quality. Bedrooms are located close to modern wash and toilet facilities or include en-suite shower rooms. Each student is provided with a wardrobe, drawers, desk, and chair.

The catering facilities offer a variety of hot and cold meals, along with a wide selection of snacks. The dining area is open before school and during break times, ensuring students have regular access to nutritious food throughout the day.

Students attending programmes with ED normally stay with carefully selected host families. All host families are inspected and approved by our accommodation officers, who maintain regular contact with each family throughout the student’s stay. Families are conveniently located close to the colleges and many have years of experience hosting international students.

Accommodation is provided on a full-board basis, including a packed lunch from Monday to Saturday.

Students usually share a bedroom with another student of a similar age but a different nationality. Wherever possible, and unless specifically requested otherwise, there is only one student of each nationality per family.

Students typically travel to classes each day by public transport, such as bus, DART (suburban train), LUAS (tram), or Tube, depending on the location. Private transfers can also be arranged at an additional cost.

Living with a host family provides students with valuable insight into Irish or British family life. Daily interaction with host families plays a key role in developing language skills and building confidence in real-life communication.

All staff at ED are committed to providing students with the highest standard of education during their stay. We encourage and motivate students to work diligently so they can effectively improve their English language proficiency.

Our experienced teaching staff are well trained and highly qualified in their subject areas. They remain up to date with the latest methodologies in teaching English as a foreign language and combine academic excellence with a sensitive and responsive approach to each student’s individual needs, talents, and potential.

All ED teachers are university graduates and hold recognised qualifications in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). They are widely respected for their expertise, professionalism, and dedication.

The activities programme allows students to experience cultural heritage in a fun and relaxed environment, while continuing to develop their English skills. This informal and social aspect of the programme plays a key role in improving communication and gives students from different nationalities the opportunity to interact outside the classroom. Many of the friendships formed through ED last a lifetime.

Students travel to activity and excursion locations with their group leader(s) and one or more ED activity leaders.

All students are fully supervised by ED activity leaders. During the day, students participate in supervised classes, training sessions, activities, and excursions. In the evening, students also take part in a structured programme of supervised evening activities.

For added peace of mind, all students have access to 24-hour emergency assistance throughout their stay.