‘Students can benefit from Ireland’s one-year stay back option post education’
In India for a series of fairs to promote education in Ireland, Barry O’driscoll, senior market advisor with Enterprise Ireland, says that he is seeing an increasing interest of Indian students for undergraduate and PHD level studies. Besides, there has been a two fold increase in the number of students studying in Ireland since 2012. Driscoll speaks with HT Education on the popular courses, scholarship options and post education condition in Ireland for Indian students.
What brings you to India?
Through a series of education fairs in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Delhi, we have been meeting students and parents to showcase the Irish education system and highlight the quality of our programmes. Education in Ireland is the national brand under the authority of the Minister for Education and Skills. Education in Ireland is in India with a delegation of 11 of our higher education institutions.
How is the response of Indian students to Irish education? Have you seen an increase in the number of students going to Ireland in the past three years?
Currently, there are over 2,000 Indian students studying at undergraduate, postgraduate and PHD level in Ireland. This is more than double the figure from 2012 and the number continues to increase. Around 2,500 students registered for our education fairs across the five cities.
Which are the most sought-after and popular courses that Indians opt for in Ireland? Have you seen any change in this trend in the recent past?
The Indian students who we met at the fair were well prepared and had done their research. The popular programmes include digital marketing, data analytics, computer science, engineering (electronic, mechanical, design) as well as MBA and management. were looking at postgraduate level study, but in the last two years, we are seeing an increasing number of students considering Ireland as a location for undergraduate studies, and in this context there is a rise in interest in the arts and humanities areas.
We also attribute this to Irish universities being in the top 1% of research institutions in the world in terms of research impact in 19 fields, including natural sciences and social sciences. We are seeing strong interest in more mature students who are exploring PHD options.
What about scholarship options for Indian students who want to study in Ireland?
We offer a number of Government of Ireland scholarships, which consist of a full fee waiver and stipend to cover
In addition to this, most of our higher education institutions offer their own scholarships for Indian students which range from 25% to 100% fee waiver.
Are stringent visa policies in other countries an advantage for Ireland to attract more students? How is the post study environment in Ireland?
Ireland has a valuable one year stay back option for internation al students and this is certainly a key attraction compared to other countries. The stay back option means that after graduation, stu dents can remain in Ireland for a further twelve months to seek employment.
The post study environment in Ireland is a significant factor for bright, ambitious students who want to transit smoothly into the workforce. As Ireland is once again one of the fastest growing economies in Europe job opportunities are increasing More Indian students are secur ing positions within well-known companies such as Intel, IBM HP, P&G and so on.
How about Ireland’s culture? Do Indian students need to prepare themselves in some way before going to Ireland?
Irish people are friendly open and outgoing, much like Indians themselves. Students can expect a warm welcome in Ireland and a curiosity about their background.
Perhaps, one thing to prepare for is the Irish climate. People say that in Ireland you can expe rience four seasons in one day but I think the unpredictability