Cork English Academy offers courses from Elementary A1 level to Proficient C2. We do not offer courses for students who test as Absolute Beginner (A0).

Study levels are determined by an online placement test, emailed to students 12 weeks before the course start date, or the week the booking is made if received with less than 12 weeks’ notice. Students are required to take the level test the same week they receive it.

The Academy’s decision as to the appropriate level of study and class — including teacher and classroom — is final. No refund of tuition fees will be given if a student is dissatisfied with their allocated level or class.

A student who arrives having booked a General English group course (offered A1–C2 only) and tests outside that range will not have a group class. Depending on availability, a conversion to private lessons may be offered, subject to teacher and classroom availability. This is not an option for Academic Year / Stamp 2 (Work and Study Programme) students, who must test at A1 minimum in line with courses listed on the ILEP. Courses for Stamp 2 students who test outside offered levels will be cancelled.

Cork English Academy requires the following at least 4 weeks before the course start date:

• Online Level Test results (Part 1 Multiple Choice + Part 2 Speaking Test), completed no later than 4 weeks before the course start date — failure to do so results in automatic booking cancellation.
• Payment in full, received in the school account at least 4 weeks before the course start date (proof of payment should be sent around 32 days before start to allow processing time).
• Flight arrival details (mandatory Monday-after-arrival start date).
• Passport (non-EU 25-week / Stamp 2 / Work and Study / visa-related bookings only).
• Address in Cork, if accommodation is not booked through the school (visa-related bookings only).
• Student phone number, if accommodation is booked through the school.
• Host family pick-up time and location, if a host family is booked through the school.

For last-minute bookings (under 4 weeks to arrival), a level test is sent before invoices are issued. If there is not enough time to receive a bank transfer (which can take 5–7 working days), card details may be required to confirm the booking. Payment can also be made via our secure payment link.

• Please note the hours of your pre-booked lessons carefully — no changes can be made to the scheduled plan once the invoice is paid.
• For classes after 17:00, your teacher will wait a maximum of 15 minutes if you are running late. After 15 minutes, the class will be cancelled.
• Classes will not be offered at a different time in the case of cancellations or late arrival — those lessons are forfeited and will not carry over to new dates.
• Additional lessons outside the scheduled timetable must be booked and paid for separately.

As well as at weekends, the school is closed on the following 2026 public holiday dates: 02 February, 17 March, 06 April, 04 May, 01 June, 03 August, 26 October.

2026 Christmas Holidays: 21 December 2026 to 01 January 2027. The last day of class is Friday 19 December 2026, and the first day back is Monday 04 January 2027.

Eligibility

• Courses of 13+ weeks: students may take 1 week of holiday during their stay.
• Courses of 25+ weeks: students may take up to 3 weeks of holiday (15 working days + 3 weekends).

Terms & Procedures

• Holidays must be prearranged with at least 2 weeks’ notice, and must align with a full week (Monday to Friday).
• Approved holiday weeks are added to the end of the course duration.
• Per Immigration policy, Stamp 2 / Study Visa holders must have completed at least: 3 weeks of their course before taking 1 week of holidays; 6 weeks before taking 2 weeks; 9 weeks before taking 3 weeks.

Requesting a Holiday

1. Get a Holiday Request Form from reception, complete it and return it to reception.
2. The Director of Studies reviews the request.
3. The Director of Studies informs the relevant class teachers, updates the student’s file and the school management system; the student receives an email confirmation.

Students absent without prior approval, or taking longer holidays than permitted, will be marked absent — missed classes will not be added to the end of the course.

Full payment of fees must be made 28 days prior to course commencement. Late-registering students (within 28 days of commencement) must pay fees due in full as soon as an invoice is received. Payments are accepted in euro only, and all bank charges are the responsibility of the student.

Standard Bank Details

All payments must be marked with an invoice number and the student’s name — payment cannot be guaranteed as received without these details.

For students from countries such as China, Colombia, Ecuador, Mongolia, Peru and Turkey: under Irish legislation, advance funds from all visa-requiring students are held in a segregated Escrow account until the visa is approved.

Payment is made via Transfermate at corkenglishacademy.transfermateeducation.com, using your invoice number as the payment reference.

• Wire Transfer: usual processing time 3–5 days (varies by bank). Students from Brazil and China will be required to send supporting documents.
• Credit Card: usual processing time 7–8 days (varies by bank). Accepted cards include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, RuPay, Alipay, UnionPay, SoFort and Trustly.

Payments can be tracked in real time via your Transfermate account.

General Cancellation & Refund Policy

Applies to all new students before starting their course:

• All bookings are subject to a non-refundable deposit of €265 (€200 + €65 school registration fee).
• Cancelled 28+ days before start: full refund minus €265.
• Cancelled 27–14 days before arrival: 90% of course fees refunded, minus €265; 90% of accommodation fees refunded, minus the accommodation placement fee (€80 apartments / €60 host family).
• Cancelled later than 14 days before arrival: 90% of course fees refunded, minus €265; no accommodation fees refunded.
• Cancelled after arrival, or leaving early, or missing lessons (including due to sickness): no refund is given.
• Notice of cancellation must be provided in writing and applies from the date received. Refunds are returned within 20 working days.

Visa-Requiring Students

Same terms as above, with one addition: a refund can only be issued on proof of visa refusal, or confirmation that the visa application was withdrawn or cancelled. Refund requests must be made within six months of the refusal date, and are returned within 20 working days along with any supporting embassy letter.

Existing Students — Accommodation

Current students extending or booking accommodation while already studying at CEA follow a separate accommodation cancellation policy, available on request.

If your choice of accommodation is unavailable for your dates, Cork English Academy reserves the right to allocate alternative accommodation without prior notification. Accommodation is not owned by Cork English Academy, and individual providers may change their own terms at any time.

Apartments & Houses

Cork English Academy arranges apartment and house accommodation as a Viva Ireland agent; booking and paying for this accommodation means agreeing to Viva Ireland’s Terms & Conditions. Cork English Academy does not assume liability for loss, damage or injury arising from the fault or negligence of any third party involved in these arrangements.

• Self check-in details are provided at least 1 week before arrival, along with a Viva Ireland emergency phone number.
• Extensions are subject to availability.
• Smoking is illegal inside buildings in Ireland — please use the designated outdoor smoking area.
• Cork English Academy is not responsible for loss or damage to personal items.

Host Family Bookings

• Saturday-to-Saturday or Sunday-to-Sunday bookings only, with a check-in window of 08:00–00:00 on the arrival day.
• Host family pick-up details (time and contact number) must be sent to the school in advance.
• No mid-week check-ins. Long-term stays may be split across two or more families/locations, subject to availability.
• General check-out time is 11:00am, unless the host family permits a later check-out.
• Smoking is not permitted in host family homes.

The Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), managed by the Department of Justice, is the official list of courses that comply with the requirements for an International Student visa in Ireland. All ILEP-listed schools have been vetted by the Irish government, must apply a maximum class size of 15 students, and must demonstrate that teaching staff are properly qualified.

Students on an International Student visa may work up to 20 hours per week (40 hours during university holiday periods) and may travel freely within Europe. English Language students on this visa can receive up to 8 months’ permission to study, renewable twice (three consecutive visas allowed).

Admission Requirements

Students must be from a non-EU country, aged 18+, with at least basic English (A1). Students must state their exam registration choice at booking, and must have private health insurance for the duration of the programme.

Programme Table

Minimum Levels & Exam Registration

As part of the Academic Year, students must be registered for an official exam matching their starting level: students testing at A1 are registered on a TIE-track course; students testing at A2 or higher can be registered on an IELTS-track course. It is the student’s responsibility to attend their exam and forward results to CEA within two weeks of issue.

Cork English Academy offers Medical Insurance (MediCover, provided by Arachas and underwritten by Chubb Insurance), giving financial protection and medical assistance during your academic course. It offers no protection in your home country.

Pre-Requirements for Cover to Apply

Cover requires that the insured person is not currently under treatment, taking medication, or receiving follow-up consultation for: cancer; any heart/circulatory condition; any chronic lung/breathing condition (excluding isolated, inhaler-controlled asthma); or a diagnosed psychiatric disorder, anxiety or depression. The insured person must also not be receiving or awaiting hospital/nursing home treatment, awaiting investigation or results, choosing not to take prescribed medication, travelling against medical advice, travelling to obtain medical/dental/cosmetic treatment, or travelling with a terminal condition.

This policy does not cover any claim connected with COVID-19, including inability to travel, decisions not to travel, or related medical expenses. It is the student’s responsibility to answer all insurer questions honestly and with reasonable care.

Full details of insurance cover, including what is and isn’t included, and typical GP and dentist costs, are available on our Health Care & Medical Insurance page.

Punctuality & Attendance

For non-EU students attending a 25-week ILEP-listed course, a minimum attendance rate of 85% is required. A register is taken before and after the break each day. Arriving more than 10 minutes late, or leaving before class concludes, marks a student absent for that class/segment. Students are marked absent for any missed class without a doctor’s sick certificate — including bank or immigration appointments, as required by Immigration rules.

Absenteeism & Expulsion Policy

• Missing more than one class a week requires reporting to the Director of Studies to explain the absence before re-entering class.
• 5 consecutive days absent without prior arrangement or medical certificate results in an email to arrange a meeting with the Director of Studies.
• Projected attendance at 95%: verbal warning from the Director of Studies.
• Projected attendance at 92%: First Letter of Warning issued by email; meeting with the Director of Studies to discuss consequences, including possible GNIB reporting.
• Projected attendance at 88%: Second Letter of Warning; meeting with the School Director; serious risk of GNIB reporting.
• Once 85% attendance becomes unattainable, the student receives an expulsion letter, is immediately removed from the school register, and GNIB is notified. Cork English Academy logs all related communications and attendance records for any appeal.

Sick Leave

Sick leave of more than two days must be accompanied by a doctor’s certificate. On the first day of illness, students must notify the school before scheduled class time (or as soon as possible) by email or phone, stating the general nature of the illness and expected return date. By the third day of illness, a doctor’s certificate must be forwarded to the school.

Food Policy

The ground-floor student common area is where students can meet between classes, have a light snack, or study — with vending machines and a water dispenser available. No food may be eaten in class, and no hot meals or full dinners are permitted on the school premises.

Personal Belongings

Please take care of your personal belongings — there is no storage area in the school, and management takes no responsibility for loss or theft of unattended items. No scooter, bike, skateboard or large luggage storage is available on the premises.

Classroom Rules

• Arrive to class on time and stay for the full class — only leave in case of emergency (tell your teacher why).
• No food in class; only covered cups or water bottles are allowed, filled before class or at break time.
• Use the dedicated snack area on the ground floor between classes or at breaktimes.
• Phones must not be charged or used in class.