Overall student numbers showed an increase from 2011’s 96,000 students to 108,000 in 2012. As the economic crisis continues to affect traditional markets, MEI says centres are keen to attract students from Russia, Turkey, China and the Middle East.

The junior market in 2012 was led by Italy which brought in 26,235 juniors contributing 49,170 student weeks, an average of 1.87 per student. Meanwhile, Spanish students dominated adult programmes with 14,478 students coming on average 3.2 weeks for a total of 46,282 weeks for the year.

“The off-summer business is going to be greatly affected by the lack of scholarships form Spanish becas and also the PON Italian groups”

However, MEI says that cuts to both Spain and Italy’s state subsidised scholarship programmes will result in a slump from the two leaders in 2013’s numbers.

“The off-summer business is going to be greatly affected by the lack of scholarships from Spanish becas and also the PON Italian groups,” said MEI CEO David O’Grady. “They were big figures for last year and the year before, but that’s not happening in 2013. I doubt it’ll happen next year either.”

Providers are also cautious of an Olympic bounce back after attracting spill-over business from the UK in 2012. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that 2013 hasn’t brought the drop-off in numbers providers feared, mostly thanks to marketing in more sustainable non-EU markets.

A workshop launched last year in Moscow introduced 17 Irish schools to 44 agents and laid the foundations for promising business. In terms of the junior market, Russia came third behind Italy and Spain for both numbers and student weeks in 2012. O’Grady is optimistic about 2013 as well.

“We don’t have figures yet for this year but the visa office in Moscow tells me that the numbers to MEI schools of visas issued was up 10% this year,” he said.

“The visa office in Moscow tells me that the numbers to MEI schools of visas issued was up 10% this year

A programme to streamline visas for Turkish students to study at MEI member schools has also been successful at creating some movement in the market. In 2011 the programme brought in MEI’s first cohort of 53 students, in 2012 it more than doubled to 120 students. According to O’Grady, 250 Turkish students have studied in Ireland so far in 2013.

A similar programme for Chinese students had a rough start in 2011 bringing in only four of the expected 300 students in 2012, however kinks have been smoothed out and after a relaunch in April of this year, has already brought in 250 students.

“Considering the huge market in China it’s negligible but to go from four in 2012 to 250 in 2013 is encouraging,” said O’Grady.

“We would like a stronger Middle East business as well. There has never been visa issues for them so it’s one we’d like to exploit and develop more,” he added.

The association’s 55 member schools make up 90% of the English language market in Ireland. O’Grady also credited the sector’s growth to the country’s embassies abroad. “Embassies have become like trade missions really. Staff are being encouraged and trained to sell Ireland, whatever the industry, and international education is a very obvious one,” he said.