Launched in March by the Irish immigration authorities and sector body, MEI, the fast-track visa programme for Chinese students is so far underwhelming the sector for its impact on enrolment figures. Despite an initial quota set at 400 students, only about 200 hundred are expected to enrol by the end of the year. A pilot programme to revive Chinese enrolments at Irish English language schools is set to fall short of the industry's expectations, disappointing Ireland's ELT sector which is keen to broaden its enrolment,
The PIE News has learned.
Launched in March by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (
INIS) and
Marketing English in Ireland (MEI), the industry's de facto representative body, the
programme offers fast-track visas to 18-30 year old Chinese students to study at one of MEI's 55 member schools.
However, despite an initial quota set at 400 students, only about 200 are expected to enrol by the end of the year – a "big missed opportunity" for schools and the struggling Irish economy, according to Celestine Rowland, owner of
The Galway Cultural Institute.
"We do not have the additional numbers of students outside of the shoulder and high seasons to create more sustainable jobs," she said. "400 Chinese EFL students at 10 to 12 students per class on average, would represent 40 to 45 teaching positions. They would also create another five to 10 jobs in support and ancillary services in schools."
Oliver Lyons, chairperson of MEI, confirmed, "In the past five or six years there's been no growth and we won't make the 400 visa quota this year."
Of 1,284 applications received from Chinese students, 93% were approved, exceeding the 2011 figure by 7%
But Lyons said Irish ELT faced other challenges in catching up with other countries that have established fruitful recruitment practices in China. He explained that Ireland's lower university rankings, no direct flights from China and unawareness of Irish culture in Asian countries may also be keeping numbers stagnant.
"As a market we offered a lot of ground to our competitors because we were absent from the market during a very crucial time," said Lyons, indicating that between 2005 and 2010, visa applications from China were very heavily vetted because of fraud concerns.
Chinese students are highly desirable to language schools as they tend to study more student weeks than many other nationalities. The fast-track programme – which is modelled on a similar initiative for the Turkish market that has doubled enrolments in two years – had promised to boost this market segment.
Lyons commented that getting education agents on board was also required to enable the programme to work. "Agents say they have had very negative experiences in dealing with the visa officials [previously]," he said. "Rebuilding the trust between the agents and the visa officials [is important]."
Meanwhile, the government said the programme - still in pilot stage - needed more time to develop given it was still in its first year.
"Rebuilding the trust between the agents and the visa officials is important"
A spokesman told
The PIE News, "It is important that the programme be given sufficient time to grow and develop. In that regard the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service remain positive regarding this programme and are committed to working with stakeholders to ensure that this programme contributes towards the sustainable development of the Chinese market."
According to INIS, for the first nine months of 2012 there have been 1,284 applications received from Chinese students seeking to study in Ireland at all levels. Of those, 93% of all applications were approved, exceeding the 2011 figure by 7%.
A pilot programme to revive Chinese enrolments at Irish English language schools is set to fall short of the industry’s expectations, disappointing Ireland’s ELT sector which is keen to broaden its enrolment, The PIE News has learned.
Launched in March by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and Marketing English in Ireland (MEI), the industry’s de facto representative body, the programme offers fast-track visas to 18-30 year old Chinese students to study at one of MEI’s 55 member schools.
However, despite an initial quota set at 400 students, only about 200 are expected to enrol by the end of the year – a “big missed opportunity” for schools and the struggling Irish economy, according to Celestine Rowland, owner of The Galway Cultural Institute.
“We do not have the additional numbers of students outside of the shoulder and high seasons to create more sustainable jobs,” she said. “400 Chinese EFL students at 10 to 12 students per class on average, would represent 40 to 45 teaching positions. They would also create another five to 10 jobs in support and ancillary services in schools.”
Oliver Lyons, chairperson of MEI, confirmed, “In the past five or six years there’s been no growth and we won’t make the 400 visa quota this year.”
Of 1,284 applications received from Chinese students, 93% were approved, exceeding the 2011 figure by 7%
But Lyons said Irish ELT faced other challenges in catching up with other countries that have established fruitful recruitment practices in China. He explained that Ireland’s lower university rankings, no direct flights from China and unawareness of Irish culture in Asian countries may also be keeping numbers stagnant.
“As a market we offered a lot of ground to our competitors because we were absent from the market during a very crucial time,” said Lyons, indicating that between 2005 and 2010, visa applications from China were very heavily vetted because of fraud concerns.
Chinese students are highly desirable to language schools as they tend to study more student weeks than many other nationalities. The fast-track programme – which is modelled on a similar initiative for the Turkish market that has doubled enrolments in two years – had promised to boost this market segment.
Lyons commented that getting education agents on board was also required to enable the programme to work. “Agents say they have had very negative experiences in dealing with the visa officials [previously],” he said. “Rebuilding the trust between the agents and the visa officials [is important].”
Meanwhile, the government said the programme – still in pilot stage – needed more time to develop given it was still in its first year.
“Rebuilding the trust between the agents and the visa officials is important”
A spokesman told The PIE News, “It is important that the programme be given sufficient time to grow and develop. In that regard the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service remain positive regarding this programme and are committed to working with stakeholders to ensure that this programme contributes towards the sustainable development of the Chinese market.”
According to INIS, for the first nine months of 2012 there have been 1,284 applications received from Chinese students seeking to study in Ireland at all levels. Of those, 93% of all applications were approved, exceeding the 2011 figure by 7%.
