EMERALD CULTURAL INSTITUTE 10, Palmerston Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6 Tel (353) 1 497 3361 - fax (353) 1 497 5008           E-Mail emerald@eci.ie - website www.eci.ie

Founded in 1986, The Emerald Cultural Institute has built up a reputation for professionalism and academic excellence. We have a staff of highly-qualified and experienced teachers and are ISO 9002 accredited. 

THE SCHOOL

General and Professional English courses are held year-round at our headquarters in Palmerston Park, a spacious Victorian mansion in one of the prime residential areas of Dublin. Set in its own gardens and overlooking the beautiful Palmerston Park, it offers students the chance to study in a peaceful and stress-free environment and yet the city centre is only fifteen minutes away. 

GENERAL COURSES

Throughout the year we offer general courses at our headquarters at 10 Palmerston Park, a beautiful Victorian House in one of the leading residential areas of the city and yet within minutes of the city centre. The Emerald Cultural Institute puts the emphasis on quality and aspires to make the learning experience a cultural one. Our reputation for excellence is founded upon the fostering of the students’ needs, interests and abilities. Courses are given at all levels, from beginner to advanced, by our highly qualified and experienced teachers. There is a maximum of 14 students per class and the average is 10 (depending on the time of year). Students attending our General English programmes must be aged 18+.

INTENSIVE COURSE

CODE: GEN 1

The Intensive Course is designed to provide a thorough knowledge of general English at all levels. It course covers the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and is especially programmed to lead you to communicate in spoken and written English. As we concentrate on oral communication in the classroom, you will quickly gain fluency in English.

COMBINED COURSE

CODE: GEN 2

Individual lessons in the afternoons.
The Combined Course is designed to provide a thorough knowledge of general English combined with a focus on particular areas of interest or learning weakness for an individual student. The course consists of 20 hours of group tuition per week in the mornings followed by five hours of individual tuition per week in the afternoons.

INDIVIDUAL TUITION

CODE: GEN3

This course is designed to suit the student who wishes to learn and practise as much English as possible in a short amount of time or who has a particular area he or she wishes to concentrate on. Each course will be tailor-made to suit your particular needs. The number of private classes and the learning areas to be covered during the programme can be arranged in advance or when the student arrives at the Institute. Individual tuition is offered at all levels from complete beginner to advanced. Supplementary materials are interesting and innovative and designed to suit your needs.

INTENSIVE PLUS

CODE: GEN4

The Intensive Plus Course offers twenty-six hours of tuition weekly. The morning lessons are the same as those offered in the Intensive Course. In addition there are six hours of small group conversation classes three afternoons per week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) at a maximum of three levels: Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate and Advanced. The focus in the afternoon classes is on improving fluency skills. Further information is available on request.

CAMBRIDGE EXAMINATION COURSE

CODE: GEN 5

The Cambridge Examination Course is designed to prepare students for one of the following examinations: First Certificate, Advanced Certificate, and Certificate of Proficiency. The course consists of 20 hours of group tuition per week. Courses are run subject to a minimum number of 6 bookings for each level. Students should begin their course 12 weeks prior to the examination dates in mid June and mid December. We cannot accept students for any examination course until we have confirmed that they are at an appropriate level to join the class. Therefore all students are advised to arrive one week before the class opens for a week of assessment. We have a notably high success rate in examinations.

At the Emerald Cultural Institute you can also study for the following examinations:
Pitman Examinations (held in the school),
London Chamber of Commerce Examinations in Business and Tourism (held in the school)
IELTS
TOEFL.

SUMMER COURSES (university summer course)

Summer courses at the Emerald Cultural Institute are lively and friendly, combining expert English language tuition with a daily programme of extra-curricular activities. Our summer courses are offered in the period from the end of June to the end of August. These courses are designed to meet the needs and interests of participants and our different centres allow us to provide the best learning environment for each learner.
In addition to the full programme of afternoon and evening activities, weekend excursions are offered as an optional extra to students (cost of trips not included in the price). These comprise 1-day or 2-day trips to places of scenic, cultural and historic interest around Ireland.
Our summer courses are divided into two separate categories. Our junior programme (SUM 1) is designed for younger students between the ages of 10 and 17. Our senior programmes (SUM 2/ SUM 3) are designed for students’ aged 18+.

PERSONAL INTENSIVE COURSE

CODE: SPC 1

30 hours of individual lessons per week
Days: Monday - Friday
Normally 3 hours tuition in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon.
This course is designed for the professional who wishes to concentrate on a particular area or who would like to learn as much English as possible in a short space of time. The course will be tailor-made to suit the particular needs of the participant. The schedule of the lessons is flexible. The focus is on the four essential skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing using vocabulary relevant to the profession in question. Sufficient notice must be given to enroll in this course.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME

The Emerald Cultural Institute organises a weekly social programme for the students outside of class times. The programme includes a daily film shown in the school, information on visits to places of interest and recommendations for evening activities including cinemas, theatres, pubs etc. We encourage our students to integrate into the Irish way of life and to learn more about our rich heritage in history, music and literature.

SENIOR INTENSIVE SUMMER PROGRAMME

CODE: SUM 2
This programme is designed for students aged 18 and over. It combines expert English Language Tuition with a full programme of extra-curricular activities. The course aims to provide a thorough knowledge of general English and covers the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Monday-Friday Afternoons: Activity Programme
Evenings: at least 2 activities per week
Weekends: choice of 1 or 2 day excursion options at an extra charge

This course is available in July and August. Please check availability with the Institute before confirming any booking. Once the booking is confirmed students can begin their course on any Monday morning during that period.

COMPLETE BEGINNERS CAN ONLY START THEIR COURSE ON THE FOLLOWING SUMMER DATES:
JULY 7, AUGUST 5
Classes are available at all learning levels during this period, from elementary to advanced.
The Institute will be closed for the following public holidays in the summer of 2003: 2 June , 4 August
Students may begin their courses on the Tuesday of these weeks. There is no refund for public holidays.

On the first day of their course students are given a placement test and are then placed in a class appropriate for their level of English. The students' progress is constantly monitored by the teachers and the Director of Studies and their class levels are adjusted accordingly. All students are provided with a text book and other teaching materials as part of the course package. The average number of students per class is 10 and the maximum permitted is 14.

Our Summer Courses are run at our various Summer Centres.

UNIVERSITY COURSE

CODE: SUM 3

Full programme of extra - curricular activities in the afternoons and evenings plus optional afternoon seminars. Optional weekend programme.

The Emerald Cultural Institute offers a specialised summer course for university students, similar in structure and price to the Intensive Course. This course is designed to facilitate university students who studying English as a major subject or who are studying another subject such as Law or Business for which English is required. Along with the group tuition in the mornings, seminars and workshops are also arranged in the afternoons dealing with such areas as English Literature, Economics, Business, Law, and Medicine. Certain options are subject to availability. This course is available in July and August and is available at all levels. Complete beginners can only start their course on the following summer dates: July 2nd and August 7th 2001. A full programme of extra curricular activities are also organised every afternoon and two evenings per week. Optional weekend excursions are offered at an additional cost.

INTENSIVE COMBINED COURSE

SPC 4

This course offers a mix of group and individual classes and makes full use of the limited time available during a short stay. The course consists of 6 hours of tuition per day (Monday to Friday), 4 hours of general group tuition and 2 hours of specialised individual tuition.
In the morning the general course covers the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and is especially programmed to lead the students to communicate effectively in spoken and written English. In the afternoon the individual lessons enable participants to work on any specific area they wish (eg. exam preparation, Business English, problem areas).

Each class is 60 minutes long.

This course is available throughout the year and at all levels from beginner to advanced.

Please check availability before confirming bookings.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation is offered on a paying-guest basis with carefully selected families. We have built up relationships with host families over the years where our students can experience Irish family life at first hand. Students of the same nationality are not hosted with the same family, except on request. Airport Transfer can be arranged for your arrival, from the airport to your accommodation. This has the added advantage of increasing the opportunity for interaction in the English language. Family accommodation is provided on a half board basis (breakfast and evening meal, during the week, lunch is included at the weekend). Many of our families are situated within walking distance of our learning centres. Those that are not within walking distance are situated on direct bus routes to and from the centres.
Alternatively we can arrange residential, apartment or hotel accommodation. However these types of accommodation are subject to availability.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

An Airport Transfer can be arranged from the airport to your accommodation. An Emerald representative will meet the students at the airport and bring them directly to their host family or hotel etc. If a student does not wish to be transferred by the Institute, they can either take a taxi directly to their accommodation or take a bus to the city centre and another bus to their accommodation.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

In the afternoons, the students can take part in one of the many activities on our programme of events which is lively and interesting and includes sports, excursions and visits to places of cultural interest in the city. In the evenings, our extra-curricular programme continues with traditional Irish music sessions, lectures on specific aspects of Irish history, culture or literature given by invited speakers, dinners, singsongs, quizzes, treasure hunts and trips to the theatre.
At the weekends the students are also busy: The ECI offers the opportunity to visit places of historical significance and to see the beautiful Irish countryside.