Education and Schools in Dublin
Unlike many global expat destinations, public schools in Dublin are regularly attended by the children of those who’ve relocated. These institutions are taught in English and the quality of education is quite high. Low dropout and truancy rates help form a respected school system.
In theory schooling in Dublin is much easier to organise than in many other expat destinations. By law any child in Dublin can attend public school despite their parent's visa status. Even if the expat parents are newly arrived, no registration is needed before the student can attend school.
However, in practice, finding a public school in Dublin is much more difficult than it appears on paper. Many of the schools in Dublin are full, with little space for new enrolment. When a school has reached its stated capacity no more students are admitted for the year and the remaining children are put on waiting lists.
It is highly recommended to try and contact schools prior to arrival to reserve a space if you’ve decided on the particular area in which you’d like to live. A number of variables such as age and the presence of a sibling in the same school can fast track a wait-listed student to an available spot even before the wait list has been compiled.
If no place becomes available, the student is relegated to other public schools farther away, which can end up being quite a commute from home in many instances. Some expat parents need to try several schools before finding one with space. This is particularly difficult for students that arrive after the school year has begun and after all the available spots are taken.
Of course many expats choose to continue with curricula from their home country in one of Dublin's many international schools. These are considerably more difficult to get into and can be very expensive although they offer top rate education. They can also offer tests and degrees needed for higher education in an expat student's home country, such as the American SATs.
Even these schools often have long waiting-lists, thus it is advisable to apply for international and private schools as soon as possible as well. For families that move unexpectedly and quite suddenly to Dublin it is possible for children to attend public school while waiting to enrol in a private and international school.
In theory schooling in Dublin is much easier to organise than in many other expat destinations. By law any child in Dublin can attend public school despite their parent's visa status. Even if the expat parents are newly arrived, no registration is needed before the student can attend school.
However, in practice, finding a public school in Dublin is much more difficult than it appears on paper. Many of the schools in Dublin are full, with little space for new enrolment. When a school has reached its stated capacity no more students are admitted for the year and the remaining children are put on waiting lists.
It is highly recommended to try and contact schools prior to arrival to reserve a space if you’ve decided on the particular area in which you’d like to live. A number of variables such as age and the presence of a sibling in the same school can fast track a wait-listed student to an available spot even before the wait list has been compiled.
If no place becomes available, the student is relegated to other public schools farther away, which can end up being quite a commute from home in many instances. Some expat parents need to try several schools before finding one with space. This is particularly difficult for students that arrive after the school year has begun and after all the available spots are taken.
International schools in Dublin
Of course many expats choose to continue with curricula from their home country in one of Dublin's many international schools. These are considerably more difficult to get into and can be very expensive although they offer top rate education. They can also offer tests and degrees needed for higher education in an expat student's home country, such as the American SATs.
Even these schools often have long waiting-lists, thus it is advisable to apply for international and private schools as soon as possible as well. For families that move unexpectedly and quite suddenly to Dublin it is possible for children to attend public school while waiting to enrol in a private and international school.
