Online Training & Information Sessions for Students
ICOS offers a number of online sessions for students, which can be delivered as part of online orientation programmes, or at any time of the year. We are happy to discuss how these sessions can be tailored to the specific needs of your students. For further information on any of the below sessions, or to book a session, contact us at training@icosirl.ie.
Virtual Learning: Making the most of your online experience
from €300*
1-hour sessions delivered to up to 99 students.**
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
**Where a session is in excess of the maximum numbers, delivery must take place across two sessions.
The aim of this course is to encourage students to reflect on their ongoing experience of remote learning and how the move to online learning has impacted them. To encourage the best possible academic experience, we will explore with students what strategies they can employ to get the most from their virtual classroom experience, as well as how to approach online learning and communications in an intercultural setting.
While there are many challenges associated with learning online, there are unexpected benefits as well. These benefits will be explored, and students will be encouraged to reflect on whether they are taking advantage of these benefits.
Intercultural communication is increasingly a valuable graduate attribute in the workforce, but how can we develop these skills when they have traditionally been associated with experiential learning? In this session we look at the basics of intercultural competence and how students can still learn these valuable skills in an online classroom environment.
Students will be given the opportunity to reflect on the obstacles and opportunities that have presented in the past year, and to investigate their own motivation – a key for future development of skills and resilience in any academic setting.
Selling Your International Experience in CVs and Job Interviews
from €300*
1-1.5 hour sessions delivered to up to 99 students.**
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
**Where a session is in excess of the maximum numbers, delivery must take place across two sessions.
This session is for international students nearing the end of their studies in Ireland, or students who have recently returned to Ireland after a period studying abroad.
To give students an edge in their job search by ensuring they are able to meaningfully articulate the added value they bring to potential employers as a result of their international education experience.
Participants will be taken through the current research on the competencies associated with international and intercultural experience that are particularly valued in the current job market, and will also have the opportunity to reflect on their own unique set of skills and experiences. The session encourages self-reflection through exercises and how to best articulate transferrable skills in interviews and in CVs. Students are encouraged to consider which critical competencies they have developed as a result of their time abroad and how to best showcase their unique experiences to suit the role they are applying for.
We also can deliver this as a 2-hour session that includes information on the third level graduate scheme and other pathways to employment in Ireland after graduation.
Students are given access to resources to use when preparing for any application or interview, for either further study or in the job market. Handouts and a resource pack will be provided to participants.
Dealing with Culture Shock and Homesickness
from €300*
1.5 hour session delivered to up to 99 students.**
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
**Where a session is in excess of the maximum numbers, delivery must take place across two sessions.
International students newly arrived in, or about to depart for, Ireland. The session is also suitable for home students preparing to depart for studies abroad.
This session explores what culture shock and homesickness are, and the different ways in which people who are moving to a new country and culture can experience culture shock and homesickness. A transition planning approach is adopted to enable students to properly identify the changes they are experiencing (or can expect to experience), and introduces them to strategies they can use to effectively manage these changes. Students will leave the session knowing what to anticipate as they spend more time in a new culture and away from home, and what steps they can take to help them get through the process.
For smaller groups, this can be delivered as a workshop-style interactive session where students can discuss what they miss most about home and the challenges of adjusting to life in Ireland, allowing them to learn from one another and receive advice from their peers.
Preparing for re-entry: Reverse culture shock
from €300*
1-1.5 hour sessions delivered to up to 99 students.**
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
**Where a session is in excess of the maximum numbers, delivery must take place across two sessions.
This session is for international students nearing the end of their studies in Ireland, or students who have recently returned to Ireland after a period studying abroad.
To prepare students for the challenges and opportunities they can expect to experience after studying abroad, and to reflect on how these may impact them, this session aims to help students have the best possible experience of returning home after studying abroad, to alleviate anxiety, and to provide students with practical resources to ease the challenges they might experience during the re-entry process.
While many students return home or take their next steps each year without too much of a struggle, each student will experience some elements of reverse culture shock. In this session, students will have the opportunity to reflect on where they are in their process and plan for future stages that they will face during their return home. The opportunity to investigate their own experiences and anticipate how they might cope with this transition is key to making the re-entry process as smooth as possible, and for the future development of skills and resilience in any setting. The session concludes with some practical exercises for participants.
This is a practical session with plenty of resources for students to take away. While this might be the first instance of reverse culture shock they face, it certainly will not be the last and this session will provide resources to students to build resilience and self-support to benefit them during any future transitions.
Immigration Information Sessions
from €300*
1-1.5 hour sessions delivered to up to 99 students.**
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
**Where a session is in excess of the maximum numbers, delivery must take place across two sessions.
Undergraduate and postgraduate students commencing or nearing the end of their studies. The emphasis of the session can be adapted depending on the stage of the students' studies.
These are lecture-style immigration information sessions delivered on the following topics:
- The immigration registration and renewal process
- The Third Level Graduate Scheme
- Work Permits
Students also have the opportunity to ask their own questions on immigration, and will come away from their session with a clear knowledge on the immigration process and what visas are available to them after graduation.
Intercultural Awareness & Communication
from €600*
Delivered via Zoom, this session works best as a 3-hour interactive session for up to 20 attendees, but can be adapted to a 1.5-hour session, or can be delivered as an information session for larger groups. Please contact training@icosirl.ie for more details and a quote.
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
All students, both international and domestic, at any stage in their studies.
This online workshop is designed to introduce issues of cultural awareness. The workshop will encourage participants to explore their own assumptions and preconceptions about other cultures, as well as creating awareness of their own cultural heritage and how it affects their world views, values and assumptions. The session also encourages participants to focus on their communication style, and how it is affected by culture, as well as the importance of non-verbal communication signals and the way these affect the communication process.
To increase cultural awareness, and to foster better interactions and communication between everyone on the college campus.
- Define key terms relating to 'culture' and apply this knowledge to discuss cultural difference in a positive way
- Identify the cultural values that cause cultural differences
- Understand how awareness about other cultures and cultural differences can improve interactions in a multicultural environment
- Understand how culture affects communication
- Identify barriers to effective intercultural communication
- Understand the importance of verbal and non-verbal behaviour when communicating across cultures.
Moving to a New Place: Thinking About Culture
from €300*
1.5 hour session delivered to up to 99 students.**
*This is the reduced basic rate for institutions that are members of ICOS. The cost for non-members will be higher.
**Where a session is in excess of the maximum numbers, delivery must take place across two sessions.
International students newly arrived in, or about to depart for, Ireland. The session is also suitable for home students preparing to depart for studies abroad.
This session explores what international students can expect to experience during the first few weeks and months of living in Ireland. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own cultural biases and perspectives, and learn about differences in how people communicate across cultures in order to help them adjust to living in a new culture.
Back to Online Training Sessions