Steady year for Ireland's ELT sector in 2024

In 2024, juniors accounted for 55 per cent of students enrolled, and 16 per cent of all student weeks delivered.

In the foreword to the report, Lorcan O'Connor Lloyd , CEO of EEI, said that the ELT sector in Ireland had “once again demonstrated its resilience, adaptability and enduring appeal”, despite the challenges and competition that the industry faced.

Source markets: Italy remained the top source country in terms of students, with 45,759 in 2024, a nine per cent increase, followed by Spain with 23,043, which was up by four per cent.

The top five was completed by Brazil (13,343 students, -7 per cent); France (7,135 students, -9 per cent); and Austria (6,591 students, -11 per cent),

By the measure of student weeks, Brazil was comfortably the largest market with 251,201 weeks delivered, a one per cent decline compared with the previous year, followed by Italy with 84,376 weeks, down by seven per cent due to shorter average stays. Mexico (79,598), Spain (62,313) and Chile (35,350) completed the top five.

Panama (+113 per cent increase in students), China (+74), El Salvador (+52), Germany (+18) and Saudi Arabia (+16) were notable growth markets in 2024. EEI also said that there were signs of renewed demand from some other Asian markets, including Mongolia and Japan.

However, there was a 51 per cent decrease in student from Türkiye in 2024, while South Korea and Bolivia also had double-digit decreases in student numbers.

By region, Western Europe accounted for 70 per cent of students in 2024, followed by Latin America, which provided 19 per cent.

Growth by student type: There was a 12 per cent increase in ministay students in 2024, while high school programmes increased by three per cent. However, regular junior courses decreased by three per cent and adult students dropped by four per cent.

Groups accounted for 51 per cent of all students and 72 per cent of juniors, the research showed.

Recruitment channels: Agents were the predominant means of recruitment, providing 69 per cent of students enrolled, followed by direct enrolments (19) and institution agreements (seven).

Accommodation and staff resources: EEI schools reported employing 2,955 staff during the peak summer season and 1,781 staff during the off-peak period. Sixty per cent of employees were teaching staff, the analysis found.

The schools surveyed offer a total number of 28,544 beds in 2024, with 12,922 in homestay and 12,059 in residences. Forty-five per cent of beds offered were host families, 42 per cent were rented from an independent accommodation provider, 22 per cent were rented from state institutions, and just one per cent were directly owned by schools.

Challenges faced: Competition from other schools in the area and international competition from other study destinations were the most common issues for EEI schools, both cited by 46.4 per cent of members.

Other issues highlighted included student visa denials (44.6), regulations (30.4), and visa processing times (28.6).

Value of the sector: It was estimated that the ELT sector in Ireland contributed EU€792 million directly to the Irish economy, through spending on tuition fees (22 per cent of spend), accommodation (39) and other direct expenses such as transportation within Ireland, course materials, food and entertainment.

The authors estimated that students spent an average of EU€801 per week and an average spend of EU€5,576.30 per stay.

“This report reaffirms the importance of English language education as a pillar of Ireland’s international education offering and regional economy,” said Lorcan.

“The €792 million figure represents the direct impact of tuition and accommodation spend. But the wider picture is even more compelling: international students contribute significantly across tourism, retail, public transport, and the workforce - strengthening communities and enriching Irish society.”

The association said that the data report and estimate on the value of the sector will inform advocacy efforts with government around immigration policy, student visas and the roll-out of the International Education Mark (IEM). EEI has complained about the prohibitive fee structure of the new IEM scheme and the Protection of Enrolled Learners sinking fund for ELT providers.

English Education Ireland currently represents 63 member institutions, is a member of the Gaela - Global Alliance of Education & Language Associations and has won the ST Star School Association category of the StudyTravel Star Awards in the last two years.