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EU/EEA Work Experience in Ireland
Gain practical skills in Hospitality, Food Service or Tourism while gaining valuable work experience in a multicultural setting.
food service
Hospitality
Tourism
Work experience in Hospitality, Food Service and Tourism
Are you looking to bring a group of students to Ireland to gain real-life work experience in the working world and enhance their language skills?
Or are you a student wanting to get more experience in the hospitality field and have some free time to explore Ireland?
Learn International works tirelessly to ensure that students are placed in educational work experience placements that suit their individual needs. Placements offer a wide variety of diverse experience in the food service, hospitality and tourism industries, which can be catered to meet specific student requirements.
Learn International strives to provide students the opportunity to experience a global education. All of our hosts are thoroughly vetted by Learn International and are visited regularly to ensure high quality placements with caring hosts dedicated to offering great experiences.
Students have the option to participate in short-term or long-term placements in Ireland. The duration of the internship can vary from four weeks to three months. Travelling to a new country is a huge accomplishment for a student, the lessons they will learn and the experiences they will gain go far beyond the work experience itself. Students will leave their placements with stronger problem-solving skills, a greater cultural competence and self-awareness.
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Types of work experience placements in Ireland
While there is a lot of crossover between Hospitality, Food Service and Tourism, for your placement we will endeavour to focus on your area of main interest, while keeping in mind that you may get experience throughout all three!
Finding the right placement
Our host organisations are keen to get involved in the education and training future leaders of tomorrow. Each of our partner host companies have identified specific projects for students that would make a positive difference in their learning. Students will be working hard to help further the company’s goals and gain first-hand experience on working within the sector they have chosen.
We pair students with a small or medium company that will support, challenge and educate them. The work experience will allow students to learn alongside of inspiring professionals, apply their academic knowledge to real-life business projects and further their career goals.
Students’ placements must be in line with their academic and career goals. Possible careers in hospitality and tourism include:
- Hotel or Hospitality Management
- Marketing and Sales
- Tour Operations
- Tour Guiding
- Travel Agent
- Event Planning
- Chef
- Leisure and Activities Coordinator
- Catering Coordinator
Host organisations are situated throughout Ireland, from rural towns to larger suburbs and even cities. Our goal and duty is to match each student with their host, so they have the most meaningful experience possible.
What will I learn?
Our work experience placements will give students the chance to hone skills, develop new ones and build confidence through learning by doing.
Students will gain cultural competence by living in Ireland, and will learn about their host country through travel, food and communication. If students wish to improve their English skills, work experience with native speakers is the perfect way to develop this skill, while also learning business terminology.
"As a long-time faculty leader of short-term study abroad programs, I’ve worked with several academic partners.
My experience with Learn International has greatly exceeded my expectations. I look forward to returning next year to build on our successes and cultivate long-term relationships with our community partners in Donegal.
I highly recommend Learn International to all faculty and study abroad departments building faculty-led programs in Ireland or elsewhere."
Dr. Janice HawkinsPublic Health Programme, Old Dominion University, USA - 2017, 2018, 2019 
"You can definitely learn something new in your career field. With the great opportunity to meet a group of new friendly people, you really can learn about Irish culture through the program."
SophieUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
"My mentor gave me so much advice on my future and not only shaped my thoughts regarding my future career, but my thoughts regarding the important things in life."
I grew as a person tremendously and am so grateful for the guidance and support I was given!
SarahNew Mexico State University 
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What's Included:
- Guaranteed work experience placement, unpaid
- Pre-departure preparation and support
- Guidance to work culture in host country
- Orientation prior to starting the placement
- Airport greeting and transport arrangement for groups
- Arrival transportation for individual students
- Remote support for emergencies with dedicated Learn International Coordinator
- Regular check-ins with students via telephone and/or email
- Shared accommodation
Not included: Airfare, in-country travel and transportation, spending money, and materials for placement
Participation Requirements:
- Live in the EU or EEA and hold a valid passport from an EU or EEA country;
- Complete a Learn International application with all relevant supplemental documents
- Provide a certified letter in English from the student’s school, college or university that clearly states that the work experience placement is relevant to their academic studies. Relevant reasons include:
- The experience is strongly recommended to gain additional skills in the student’s academic area of study
- The placement is mandatory for their degree or to graduate
- Funding is from Erasmus Plus, their university or college, or other means through an agency
- This experience is highly recommended within a year of graduating or between course work to enhance their skills set for their future job or career goals.
- Individual students must be 18 years or older. For groups, the minimum age for is 16 years old.
- Anyone under 18 will need parental or guardian consent. A consent form for students under 18 is included in the application.
- Ability to learn and take public transportation independently within a different country.
- Students must be in good physical and mental health. If not, they must submit a doctor’s letter in English certifying that they are well and able to participate in the programme.
Arrival and Airport Transfer
All students will be provided with airport transfer to their host communities.
- Individual students or very small groups will be provided with instructions and public transportation tickets from the airport to their host communities.
- Larger groups will be met at the airport by a Learn International Coordinator and will be provided with onward travel.
Please speak with your Learn International Coordinator if you have any questions about airport transfer arrangements.
Accommodation and Meals
- Accommodation types will vary. It may include shared accommodation on site, or host family accommodation on or off site.
- Students will be provided with three meals per day.
Application Deadlines
- The application deadline is based on when you’re available to intern.
- Applications must be received at least 12 weeks before your intended start date.
Start Dates for 2020
- Start dates are flexible. Let us know what works for you or your students.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships up to €100 off the programme price. They are competitive, so act quickly!
You can apply for the scholarship here.
The scholarship application has two parts: a one-page essay about how the placement will contribute to your academic and career goals, and a choice of how you might record your internship experience. You can choose to either:
- Write a weekly blog in English.
- Submit a weekly video blog in English.
All scholarship recipients will also be required to:
- Submit weekly photos we can use for social media and marketing
- Write a testimonial in English at the end of the programme.
How To Get In Touch
If you want to talk about this programme, please email me today with questions or to set up a call.
