killarney school of english

The School
The school is a family-run establishment set in the most magnificent location in Ireland. The school operates in a peaceful and stress free environment with an impressive array of facilities. We offer places for both Juniors and Adults with many courses on offer. We have a very impressive and thorough social & activity programme and top class accommodation on offer. Killarney school of English is overall a friendly school drawing on the Irish experience. Even if you come alone, you will soon find many friends.

The Classrooms
All of our classrooms are modern, light and airy. In addition all classrooms are equipped with modern videos, tape recorders and OHPs.

The Common Room
There is a common room on the ground floor with a drinks machine where you can relax and meet other students, watch satellite TV or listen to music.

The Self Access Centre
The self access centre contains excellent facilities such as a local information bank, the latest and classic text books, graded readers, reference books, dictionaries, audio books, listening tapes, videos, exam preparation materials, worksheets, pronunciation tapes, the latest educational software, newspapers, comics and magazines.

The Bank
You can open a personal account at the school and withdraw money whenever you wish. This is particularly useful for both long-term students and younger students. You can also cash eurocheques, travellers cheques and personal cheques (drawn on an Irish bank). You can draw money on your credit card (we do however make a small service charge).

The Message Centre
You can send and receive e-mails and faxes while you are at the school. We also have a telephone connection for you to connect your laptop or to make phone calls from.

Rates are available on request.

There are many different types of courses available including:

General English
Our most popular course is our General English course, which is made up of five three-hour lessons per week. The lessons are held from Monday to Friday. 9.00-12.30 with a 30-minute coffee break. Students can study for any number of weeks they wish.
We offer six different levels of General English for Beginners to Advanced. All students are tested on arrival to place them in the class that best suits their ability and age. Levels are closely co-ordinated and monitored to allow students to move up if they are getting ahead of other students in the class.
We also place students at the correct level for each skill. For example if a student is better at speaking than grammar, his/her speaking class will be at a higher level than his/her grammar class. This accurate placement for each student allows you to learn efficiently in all areas. If progress is not as rapid as students wish, special supplementary back up classes can be organised in the afternoons.
In General English there is a focus on teaching of reading, writing, and listening. Also a strong emphasis is placed on speaking skills. Conversation activities are personalised, allowing all students the encouragement to express themselves and speak from their experiences and thus share a rich variety of cultural knowledge. Daily tasks guarantees that all class time is reinforced by daily reviews. Classes are available throughout the year. A certificate of attendance and achievement is presented to each student.

One-to-one
Students can receive one-to-one tuition for spectacular results. These courses are suited to people who wish to make rapid improvement over a short space of time and wish to optimise their time in Ireland. These sessions may also suit complete beginners who may not wish to be placed in a ‘populated’ classroom.
All courses offered to groups can be offered on a one-to-one basis. Alternatively we can tailor make a course to meet your specific requirements. All students are asked to complete a needs analysis questionnaire prior to arrival allowing us to meet each students’ precise language and pastoral needs.
Classes are available throughout the year. A certificate of attendance and achievement is presented to each student.

English for families
Do you wish to have an opportunity to combine an English course with a holiday in Ireland together with your child or children?
We can offer you a specially arranged course for you and your child (ren) alone. This course will allow you to help you child(ren)’s learning of English while enabling you to develop your own English.
If parents wish to bring small babies we canorganise a baby-sitting service. Also Crèche facilities are also available locally and can be arranged easily.

English for Special Purposes
All specialised classes are carried out in the afternoon and are intended to supplement General English classes in the morning. However arrangements can be made to facilitate participants wishing only to study specialised courses in the afternoon only or simply to study specialised classes throughout the day.
Classes are available throughout the year. A certificate of attendance and achievement is presented to each student. ,br> We believe in using as much authentic material as possible. If participants wish we can integrate materials (e.g. reports, journals, company brochures, web sites) that he participant sends or brings with them.

Examination Classes
All examination classes are carried out in the afternoon and are intended to supplement General English classes in the morning. However arrangements can be made to facilitate students wishing only to study examination courses in the afternoon only or to study examination classes throughout the day.
All exam classes are inclusive of registration and entrance fees. Students practice exams under mock conditions. Students can prepare for the exams by studying as many weeks as they wish.
The examination we prepare students for include:

IELTS
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System (offered by the British Council) and is one of the most widely recognised language tests in Ireland, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada for further and higher education entrance. It is also recognised by universities worldwide as a test of English competence for academic study. IELTS is a statutory requirement for overseas medical practitioners wishing to work in the U.K. IELTS is developed and managed by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). Our course covers all five sections of the exam –Reading comprehension, Writing Comprehension, Use of English, Listening Comprehension and Oral Interview.

FCE
The First Certificate in English is widely recognised by most employers as proof of language ability at an upper-intermediate level. It is by far the most widely taken Cambridge EFL exam with over 200,000 candidates every year. Our course covers all five sections of the exam –Reading comprehension, Writing Comprehension, Use of English, Listening Comprehension and Oral Interview.

CAE
The Certificate of Advanced English Examination recognises that students can understand, read, write and speak English well enough to study and/or work in an English speaking country. At a level higher than the FCE. Our course covers all five sections of the exam (i.e.) Reading comprehension, Writing Comprehension, Use of English, Listening Comprehension and Oral Interview.

CPE
The Certificate of Proficiency in English is recognised by Employers as well admission boards (e.g. CAO, UCAS) as in indicator of an excellent command of English. This qualification is accepted as an English language teaching qualification in many countries. The course covers all five sections of the exam (i.e.) Reading comprehension, writing comprehension, Use of English, Listening Comprehension and Oral Interview.

TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language is for those who wish to study in the USA or work for an international company. The course concentrates on improving your general proficiency in English as well as on specific skills required for the exam. The course covers all sections of the exam.

ESOL
The Trinity ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) is a grade examination in spoken English for speakers of other languages provides a scheme of assessment against which candidates, teachers and parents can measure progress and development towards professional training or as a leisure activity.

PET/KET
The PET (Preliminary English Test) and KET (Key English Test) are basic English examinations which are recognised by most educational establishments and employers. Our course consists of a thorough and intensive preparation in the four skills, reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Arrangements can also be made for students wishing to study for LCCI (The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations), TOEIC The Test of English for International Communication or ARELS .

English Language Teacher Refresher Programme
A very popular course is our teacher training refresher course, which is made up of five three-hour lessons per week. The lessons are held from Monday to Friday, 9.00-12.30 with a 30-minute coffee break. Students can study for any number of weeks they wish. This course has been designed for English Language teachers from non-English speaking backgrounds who wish to increase their effectiveness in the classroom.
Although the course is designed for trained teachers those with little or no training will also gain a great deal of benefit from the course. Also participants can if they wish combine this course with one of the English for Special Purposes courses or combine this with the Social and Activity Programme.
All participants may if they wish have teaching practice observed and evaluated and/or visit a local school to observe Irish students in class. Career advice and assistance are also provided.
The syllabus covers the following topics:

Classroom Management and Professional behaviour
The main focus is on practical ideas that can be implemented in the classroom.

Error evaluation
We discuss how errors can be treated in the class and used positively in the classroom to foster further language development in the classroom.

ESP teaching
Participants examine the theory and practice of ESP teaching as well as overcoming the massive obstacles of ESP teaching. Participants are exposed to semi-authentic and authentic materials .

Fundamentals of ESL/EFL teaching
Many of the latest developments in the world of esl/efl are discussed and evaluated.

International awareness
Comparison of methods and materials in different countries.

Language awareness and grammar applications
The use of grammar and its role in language learning is discussed and analysed according to past and current SLA theories.

Language skills
We discuss theories and applications as well as useful methods of teaching each of the skill areas. Improving motivation is also discussed.

Lesson planning
Teachers are taught how to plan and organise their lessons more effectively.

Materials development and evaluation
All participants are given the opportunity to examine the most up to date published materials as well as classic publications and to produce materials suitable for their own teaching situations.

Methodology
We examine various methodologies for example theories of learner centred learning, the negotiated syllabus and communicative language teaching and the process versus product based teaching debate.

Second Language Acquisition
Participants discuss learning older and more modern theories as well as their applications. We also discuss learner strategies.

Testing
This module seeks to analyse different methods of testing and their implications in the language classroom.