Why Ireland?

Ireland is a small island nation, located on the western-most tip of Europe and beside the UK.  Being an island, Ireland has a long history of emigration and, in recent decades especially, a proud history or inward migration where people of many nationalities have chosen to happily live, work and study in Ireland. So, what’s the attraction?

For those who wish to live and work here, there are many reasons for doing so, namely:

• Ireland is a very safe country in which to live with The Global Peace Index rating Ireland as the 8^th most peaceful country in the world (https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/#/).
• Ireland is a multicultural society now after net inward immigration trends in recent years with, in 2016, almost 400,000 people from 200 countries choosing to make Ireland their home (https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp7md/p7md/p7anii/).
• Ireland has lots of job opportunities because it is the European hub to over 1,000 leading multinational companies (https://www.educationinireland.com/en/why-study-in-ireland-/ireland-s-strengths/leading-global-companies-in-ireland.html). Ireland is now home to:
  • 9 of the top 10 global ICT companies.
  • 8 of the top 10 global gaming companies.
  • 8 of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies.
  • 6 of the top 7 global diagnostics companies.
  • 15 of the top 20 global medical device companies.
  • 50% of the world’s leading financial services companies.

As you can see, work ready graduates can easily work in Ireland but often the above companies take in undergraduate students who are typically in year 3 of their university degree for work placements too. Imagine working in the likes of Google, HP, Apple, IBM, Facebook, LinkedIn, Citi, Twitter, Pfizer, GSK or Genzyme while you are still in college and yet to finish your degree!

There are currently over 32,000 international students studying in Ireland (https://www.iua.ie/for-students/international-students/) availing of the extensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses available. Their reasons for choosing Ireland vary but for sure, the following helps them to choose Ireland as their top study abroad destination:

• All Irish Universities are ranked in the top 3% of institutions worldwide.
• Many research fields among the Irish universities are ranked in the top 1% in the world.
• While Ireland has some very old universities that were formed in the 18^th century, it is also home to modern Technological Universities that are still being formed today.
• It is common for undergraduates to get a 6 – 12 month paid work placement as part of their undergraduate degree where they get exposed to real-world work.
• Ireland has a 1-year stay-back work visa for those who have finished their degree and a 2-year stay-back work visa for those who have finished their master’s or PhD.

So, whether you’re looking for a general degree or a more specialist qualification, Ireland has a solution for you that will not only deliver exceptional educational results but will also set you apart from other candidates on the global employment market or in academia.

Ireland is waiting for you – are you ready?