International House World Organisation (IH World) is delighted to announce the addition of two prestigious study abroad language schools in Galway, Ireland, to its worldwide network: IH Galway Language Centre and IH Galway Cultural Institute. Both institutions bring a wealth of experience and excellence in English language education, further enriching the IH community.
IH Galway Language Centre
Also known as, Bridge Mills Galway Language Centre, the school has been providing English Language programmes for international students since 1987. It began with a small group of teachers committed to bringing academic excellence and a high standard of personal attention to students visiting from overseas. Today the school boasts 16 classrooms and an average of 250 students per week.
Patrick Creed and Niamh McElwaine took over the running of the school in 2008. Patrick is the School Director and Niamh works in Teacher Training and Teaching.
The school has a family atmosphere and exudes a warm atmosphere thanks to the friendly, helpful staff.
“IH Galway Language Centre stands out in the industry for their dedication to academic excellence and achievement, as well as their commitment to Erasmus projects,” remarked Emma Hoyle, Managing Director of International House. “This quality, matched with the support from their team and the school’s friendly atmosphere make it a top study abroad choice.”
The courses and students
IH Galway Language Centre teaches mostly adult learners of English but also some junior groups. The courses it offers are:
Teacher training centre
The school has been a teacher training centre for 27 years and recently became a CELTA provider. They welcome more than 200 teachers per year for teacher refresher courses funded by Erasmus+ KA1 funding.
Exam centre
IH Galway Language Centre provides Cambridge examinations on-site and in schools throughout western Ireland. The school works on many KA2 Erasmus programmes and will continue to grow in this area.
The school is a member of a number of international organisations, including Eaquals, QQI and ACELS.
Why Join IH?
IH Galway Language Centre feels that benefitting from the IH teacher and management training courses is of great interest to them, as is the Study Abroad network.
“I also promote training and academic excellence with my academic staff and want them to contribute to and learn from the network and I would hope further training would also become available for my teachers,” said Patrick Creed, Director of IH Galway Language Centre. “As a small school in the West of Ireland, we have always reached out to others to learn more and improve ourselves and that outward-looking approach will be what we want to continue into the future.”
With Patrick’s 29 years of experience in teaching, training and school management, he and his team will be a fantastic asset to the IH network. They want to share their experience of working on Erasmus projects and encourage more IH school collaboration in this area. His academic team are experienced and enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge and ideas with the network.
IH Galway Cultural Institute
Founded in 1989, by Celestine Rowland and David Niland, IH Galway Cultural Institute (GCI) provides English language programmes to students from all over the world, welcoming students from more than 30 countries each year. It is an accredited, respected, flourishing and dynamic institution in a thriving and highly competitive global industry.
The study abroad school first began with short-term summer and seasonal English language programmes for European and international learners and quickly grew into a thriving year-round English language school.
Courses
IH Galway Cultural Institute has a wide range of students including adults, 30+, 50+, pre-university programmes, Erasmus+ and teacher training. One of their goals is to have a diverse nationality mix (more than 30 nationalities) to ensure an international experience for their learners. They offer the following courses:
The school and facilities
Their state-of-the-art language institution has breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. The building is also home to Galway Business School, their sister organisation which offers QQI validated undergraduate bachelor’s programmes in business and attractive pathways into higher and further education for ELE learners.
The building was architecturally designed to include every facility that the modern language learner could wish for.
The school is a member of a number of organisations and accrediting bodies such as IALC (hosting the IALC workshop in 2010) ACELS, QQI and Eaquals. The school is a Cambridge and QQI exam centre and they are also a founding member of ELE Ireland established in 2021.
Sustainability: A Priority for IH Galway Cultural Institute
With sustainability being one of GCI’s main strategic goals, they consider environmental impacts in all areas of decision-making and planning within the school. They have a strong commitment to their sustainability strategy; evidenced by their continuing and evolving green initiatives.
“The school has a forward-looking management team that is committed to creating an organisation that puts high quality and efficiency at the forefront,” commented Emma Hoyle. “They have a clear vision and a strategic plan and are continually updating processes, systems and curricula.”
Why join IH?
“The IH network can open doors to international collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities across numerous fields of the language education sector such as workshops, events focused on leadership development, language skills and intercultural communication, access to funding, business opportunities, personal growth and career advancement,” noted Celestine Rowland, President of IH Galway Cultural Institute. “While GCI has its own established reputation, affiliating with IH can further enhance its credibility and global recognition.”
IH World is confident that the affiliation of IH Galway Cultural Institute will further enhance the network’s reputation of quality. Celestine and her team’s ability to adapt, develop and grow is inspiring and their ambition will be infectious.
With the addition of these two new schools, IH World can further expand its network in Ireland, more specifically, in one of Ireland’s most unique cities and desirable study-abroad destinations. The network can offer students even more options for reputable language schools and unique learning experiences.
IH World is delighted to welcome two strong management and academic teams into the network. Both their unique skill sets have much to offer the global organisation.
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