FAQs

These English courses are for a defined group of applicants.  You are eligible to apply for funded Clinical English language training if you are one of the following:

1. A Ukrainian citizen holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State pursuant to the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC).
2. A programme refugee holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State.
3. A recognised refugee and recipient of subsidiary protection pursuant to the International Protection Act 2015 resident in the state who hold a professional qualification in health or social care.

We are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the statutory regulator, please see the section “Professions who can apply for English language courses through this initiative” for further details.

Please note the College of Anaesthesiologists is providing temporary administrative support for this language initiative for all healthcare professionals.

 

These English courses are for a defined group of applicants.  You are eligible to apply for funded Clinical English language training if you are one of the following:

1. A Ukrainian citizen holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State pursuant to the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC).
2. A programme refugee holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State.
3. A recognised refugee and recipient of subsidiary protection pursuant to the International Protection Act 2015 resident in the state who hold a professional qualification in health or social care.

We are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator, please see the section “Professions who can apply for English language courses through this initiative” for further details.

Applicants who hold certain international protection status can apply. You are eligible to apply for funded Clinical English language training if you are one of the following:

1. A Ukrainian citizen holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State pursuant to the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC).
2. A programme refugee holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State.
3. A recognised refugee and recipient of subsidiary protection pursuant to the International Protection Act 2015 resident in the state who hold a professional qualification in health or social care.

We are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator, please see the section “Professions who can apply for English language courses through this initiative” for further details.

Only applicants who hold certain international protection status can apply.  You are eligible to apply for funded Clinical English language training if you are one of the following:

1. A Ukrainian citizen holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State pursuant to the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC).
2. A programme refugee holding a professional qualification in health or social care resident in the State.
3. A recognised refugee and recipient of subsidiary protection pursuant to the International Protection Act 2015 resident in the state who hold a professional qualification in health or social care.

We are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator, please see the section “Professions who can apply for English language courses through this initiative” for further details.

The funding is being provided to aid eligible applicants in removing barriers to professional registration such as English language proficiency. We are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator.

We expect the majority of eligible applicants to be doctors and dental professionals for whom English language proficiency is a requirement to apply for statutory registration, which will allow them to operate in their chosen profession.

Doctors will need to provide evidence that they:

1. have a primary medical qualification awarded by a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (Note: where the listing includes a Sponsor Note indicating that it is an acceptable medical school in Canada or for the purposes of USMLE)

And

1. are currently registered with a home country or other Medical Regulator or previously registered with a Medical Regulator, in another country, within a reasonable timeframe where possible. You can still apply for the language course without proof of registration.

Dental professionals will need to provide:

1. A copy of a Period of Adaptation Letter from the Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. A copy of the confirmation of their application to register with Irish Dental Council

Or

1. Evidence they are currently registered with a home country or other Dental Regulator or previously registered with a Dental Regulator, in another country, within a reasonable timeframe.

In some circumstances a non-doctor or non-dental professional will be offered a clinical English language course where they are in receipt of a letter from the relevant professional regulator confirming English language training is a requirement for registration.

The following dental professions are eligible to apply

1. Dentists
2. Dental Hygienists
3. Dental Nurses
4. Orthodontic Therapists
5. Clinical Dental Technicians

Yes, you can apply. However, we are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator.

You will need to provide a letter or email from your professional regulator stating that your application has been checked and English language training is the final requirement for your registration.

A regulated profession is one where access to, or practice of a profession, is restricted to those who meet the professional qualifications required by law.

The professional regulators are:

	Profession	Regulator
Medical	Doctor	Medical Council of Ireland
Nursing & Midwifery	Nurse	Nursing & Midwifery Board Ireland
	Midwife	Nursing & Midwifery Board Ireland
Dental	Dentist	Dental Council
	Dental Hygienist	Dental Council
	Dental Nurse	Dental Council
	Orthodontic Therapist	Dental Council
	Clinical Dental Technician	Dental Council
Pharmacy	Pharmacist	Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
Health & Social Care Profession	Social Worker	CORU
	Dietitian	CORU
	Physiotherapist	CORU
	Occupational Therapist	CORU
	Optician	CORU
	Radiographer	CORU
	Speech & Language Therapist	CORU
	Medical Scientist	CORU
	Podiatrist	CORU
Pre-hospital emergency care	Paramedic	Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC)

 

For other professions the Minister for Health is the competent authority for several health and social care professions.

The Department of Health, through the Validation Unit (validation_unit@health.gov.ie), administers the process in respect of the following professions on behalf of the Minister. The assessment processes of the Directive 2005/36/EC on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications are also applied to qualifications which are outside the Directive’s scope (i.e. non-EEA qualifications or EEA qualifications of non-EEA nationals).

Please go to the relevant link below for information on the application process for that profession:

• Audiology
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Environmental Health
• Orthoptics
• Psychology

 

Yes, Doctors can still apply before starting the registration process with the Irish Medical Council.  However, we recommend that you engage with the Irish Medical Council before you apply so you understand the registration needs.

If you are a doctor you will need to provide evidence that you:

1. have a primary medical qualification awarded by a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (Note: where the listing includes a Sponsor Note indicating that it is an acceptable medical school in Canada or for the purposes of USMLE)

And

1. are currently registered with a home country, or other Medical Regulator, or previously registered with a Medical Regulator, in another country, within a reasonable timeframe

Yes, you can apply.

If you are a doctor you will need to provide evidence that you:

1. have a primary medical qualification awarded by a medical school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (Note: where the listing includes a Sponsor Note indicating that it is an acceptable medical school in Canada or for the purposes of USMLE)

And

1. are currently registered with a home country, or other Medical Regulator, or previously registered with a Medical Regulator, in another country, within a reasonable timeframe

No, you cannot apply at this time.  Dental professionals must have started the registration process. Dental professionals will need to provide:

1. A copy of a Period of Adaptation Letter from the Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. A copy of the confirmation of your application to register with Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. Evidence they you currently registered or have been previously registered with either the Dental Council (or equivalent) or in your home country or another country, within a reasonable timeframe.

Yes, you can apply.Dental professionals will need to provide:

1. A copy of a Period of Adaptation Letter from the Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. A copy of the confirmation of your application to register with Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. Evidence they you currently registered or have been previously registered with either the Dental Council (or equivalent) or in your home country or another country, within a reasonable timeframe.

Yes, you can apply.

Dental professionals will need to provide:

1. A copy of a Period of Adaptation Letter from the Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. A copy of the confirmation of your application to register with Irish Dental Council.

Or

1. Evidence that you are currently registered or have been previously registered with either the Dental Council (or equivalent) or in your home country or another country, within a reasonable timeframe.

No you cannot apply at this time.  At this time we can only accept applications from Nurses/Midwives and all Health and Social Care Professionals who have already engaged with the relevant Irish regulator.  The relevant Irish regulator will need to have assessed your registration application and have informed you that the only requirement for you to gain registration is to complete English Language training.  You will need to provide a letter or email from your professional regulator stating that your application has been checked and that English language training is the final requirement for your registration and include this letter with your application.

The reason we are asking for this letter is so we can prioritise healthcare professionals who are most likely to gain professional registration in their profession and that English language has been identified as the particular requirement barrier to gaining registration.

No you cannot apply at this time. We are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator. You will need to provide a letter or email from your professional regulator stating that your application has been checked and English language training is the final requirement for your registration.

Yes, you can apply.If you are a non-doctor or non-dental professional you can apply. However, we are currently only inviting applicants who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator. You will need to provide a letter or email from your professional regulator stating that your application has been checked and English language training is the final requirement for your registration.

The English Language programme will be tailored to meet individual requirements to equip applicants with exam strategies and techniques to meet the requirements of IELTS [International English language Test System] OR OET [Occupational English Test].

Please note the College of Anaesthesiologists is providing temporary administrative support for this language initiative for all healthcare professionals.

The Department of Health are funding this programme.

Yes they will.  Each of the regulators requires a stated level of English language proficiency as detailed in the table below.

Regulator	ILETS Overall Score	OETS Overall Score	Cambridge CEFR 1 Test
Medical Council	7	B	-
Dental Council	7	B	-
NMBI	7	B in 3 components C+ in 1 component	-
CORU	7	B in 3 components C+ in 1 component	C
CORU SLTs only	8	A in 3 components B in 1 component	C Minimum Score of 185

 

If you are a qualified Doctor you will need to provide copies of the following:

1. Temporary Protection cert (commonly known as the Yellow cert) as evidence of their lawful permission to be in the State.

OR

A programme refugee permission letter AND an Irish Residence Permit.

OR

A ministerial grant letter, a ministerial declaration of RS or SP (as appropriate) AND an Irish Residence Permit.

AND

2. Proof of registration with a home country, or other Medical Regulator, or previously registered with a Medical Regulator, in another country, within a reasonable timeframe where possible.  You can still apply for the language course without proof of registration.

AND

3. Copy of Passport

AND

4. A signed declaration

Note: Certificates of good standing and other verified documents will be required for registration with the Medical Council. See below section on Other supports to help achieve professional registration

If you are a qualified dental professional you will need to provide copies of the following:

1. Temporary Protection cert (commonly known as the Yellow cert) as evidence of their lawful permission to be in the State.

OR

A programme refugee permission letter AND an Irish Residence Permit.

OR

A ministerial grant letter, a ministerial declaration of RS or SP (as appropriate) AND an Irish Residence Permit.

AND

2. A copy of a Period of Adaptation Letter from the Irish Dental Council.

OR

A copy of the confirmation of their application to register with Irish Dental Council.

OR

Evidence they are currently registered with a home country or other Dental Regulator or previously registered with a Dental Regulator, in another country, within a reasonable timeframe.

AND

3. Copy of Passport

AND

4. A signed declaration

1. Temporary Protection cert (commonly known as the Yellow cert) as evidence of their lawful permission to be in the State.

OR

A programme refugee permission letter AND an Irish Residence Permit.

OR

A ministerial grant letter, a ministerial declaration of RS or SP (as appropriate) AND an Irish Residence Permit.

AND

2. A copy of a Decision Letter from the relevant regulator.

AND

3. Copy of Passport

AND

4. A signed declaration

After you apply we will contact you to request all relevant documents.

Please note the College of Anaesthesiologists is providing temporary administrative support for this language initiative for all healthcare professionals.

Qualified eligible doctors can apply through www.regpath.ieAfter you apply we will contact you to request all relevant required documents outlined above.

Your documents will be reviewed and if your application is deemed eligible:

1. All applicants will undergo an entrance / diagnostic assessment and needs analysis.

A score of B1 on the CEFR scale is deemed the minimum entry requirement for applicants to cope with the demands of the course.

If you score less than B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale you are welcome to apply again at a later point in time, after you have had the opportunity to further improve your English.

Pathway 1: Applicants who score a C2 [Proficient] on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 2-week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 2: Applicants who score B2 or C1 [Intermediate-Advanced] on the CEFR scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 4-Week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 3: Applicants who score B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale will be offered a 12-week programme. Applicants who are deemed likely to meet an overall 7.0 in IELTS with no skill less than 6.5 and/or B in all OET skills will complete a Mid-Programme Review after 6 weeks. If successful applicants will complete the remaining 6 weeks including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

2. On successful completion of the IELTS/OET Exam, with an overall IELTS score of 7 or more, or OETS score of B or higher, you will be eligible to apply for the PRES 2 or equivalent exam.

3. If you are unsuccessful on your first attempt at the exams, you will be able to re-sit the exam for a second time.

If you are unsuccessful after the second attempt, any future re-sits will need to be paid for at your own expense.

Qualified eligible Dental professionals can apply through www.regpath.ieAfter you apply we will contact you to request all relevant required documents outlined above.

Your documents will be reviewed and if your application is deemed eligible:

1. All applicants will undergo an entrance / diagnostic assessment and needs analysis.

A score of B1 on the CEFR scale is deemed the minimum entry requirement for applicants to cope with the demands of the course.

If you score less than B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale you are welcome to apply again at a later point in time, after you have had the opportunity to further improve your English.

Pathway 1: Applicants who score a C2 [Proficient] on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 2-week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 2: Applicants who score B2 or C1 [Intermediate-Advanced] on the CEFR scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 4-Week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 3: Applicants who score B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale will be offered a 12-week programme. Applicants who are deemed likely to meet an overall 7.0 in IELTS with no skill less than 6.5 and/or B in all OET skills will complete a Mid-Programme Review after 6 weeks. If successful applicants will complete the remaining 6 weeks including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

2. On successful completion of the IELTS/OET Exam, with an overall IELTS score of 7 or more, or OETS score of B or higher, the certificate will be accepted by the Irish Dental Council has having successfully completed this element of any Period of Adaptation.
3. If you are unsuccessful on your first attempt at the exams, you will be able to re-sit the exam for a second time.

If you are unsuccessful after the second attempt, any future re-sits will need to be paid for at your own expense.

Qualified eligible Nurses/ Midwives and other Health and Social Care Professional (not a Doctor or Dental Professional), in receipt of a Decision Letter from NMBI or CORU, can apply through www.regpath.ie

After you apply we will contact you to request all relevant required documents outlined above.

Your documents will be reviewed and if your application is deemed eligible:

1. All applicants will undergo an entrance / diagnostic assessment and needs analysis.

A score of B1 on the CEFR scale is deemed the minimum entry requirement for applicants to cope with the demands of the course.

If you score less than B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale you are welcome to apply again at a later point in time, after you have had the opportunity to further improve your English.

Pathway 1: Applicants who score a C2 [Proficient] on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 2-week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 2: Applicants who score B2 or C1 [Intermediate-Advanced] on the CEFR scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 4-Week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 3: Applicants who score B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale will be offered a 12-week programme. Applicants who are deemed likely to meet an overall 7.0 in IELTS with no skill less than 6.5 and/or B in all OET skills will complete a Mid-Programme Review after 6 weeks. If successful applicants will complete the remaining 6 weeks including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

2. On successful completion of the IELTS/OET Exam, with an overall IELTS score of 7 or more, or OETS score of B or higher, the certificate will be accepted by the relevant professional regulator has having successfully completed this element of any Period of Adaptation.
3. If you are unsuccessful on your first attempt at the exams, you will be able to re-sit the exam for a second time.

If you are unsuccessful after the second attempt, any future re-sits will need to be paid for at your own expense.

The language course will be delivered online.

Students will be grouped together based on their linguistic level.

• There will be a maximum of 15 candidates per group
• Each group will have 1 expert IELTS/OET tutor
• Classes will be delivered at a set time each day for 2 hours.

• The tutor will be available for 1-1 tuition daily after the 2 hour class

A minimum of 15 hours per week is required to meet this programmes specifications.  2 hours per day of this will be classroom time and the remaining hours will be a mixture of 1.1 tuition and recorded sessions.

It is expected there will be 10 hours of direct online live contact per week with an IELTS or OET expert tutor. Additional hours can be facilitated via recorded lessons and one-to-one sessions.There will also be access to an online Learning Management System (LMS) which will give you access to IELTS/ OET content for self-directed learning.  Written and verbal feedback will be provided on all assignments submitted.

There is no payment for completing the Clinical English language training

There is no requirement for you to give up work while undertaking this course.

A score of B2 or C1 on the CEFR scale is deemed the minimum entry requirement for applicants to cope with the demands of the course. If you score less than B2 on the CEFR scale you are welcome to apply again at a later point in time, after you have had the opportunity to further improve your English.

The English Language programme will be tailored to meet individual requirements to equip you with exam strategies and techniques to meet the requirements of IELTS [International English language Test System] OR OET [Occupational English Test].

If you are unsuccessful on your first attempt at the exams, you will be able to re-sit the exam for a second time.If you are unsuccessful after the second attempt, any future re-sits will need to be paid for at your own expense.

This initiative does not include support for those with medium or low levels of English. We are currently only inviting applicants with high levels of English who are highly likely to achieve professional registration with the relevant statutory regulator.

On successfully completion of either the IELTS or OET exam you will be provided with a certificate.

Please note the College of Anaesthesiologists is providing temporary administrative support for this language initiative for all healthcare professionals.

 

1. The first step is to apply after which we will contact you to request all relevant required documents outlined above.

Those applicants who provide the required documents and are assessed as eligible will be asked to complete an entrance / diagnostic assessment and needs analysis.

A score of B1 on the CEFR scale is deemed the minimum entry requirement for applicants to cope with the demands of the course.

If you score less than B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale you are welcome to apply again at a later point in time, after you have had the opportunity to further improve your English.

2. Pathway 1: Applicants who score a C2 [Proficient] on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 2-week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 2: Applicants who score B2 or C1 [Intermediate-Advanced] on the CEFR scale on the Entrance Placement Assessment will be offered a 4-Week Intensive programme including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

OR

Pathway 3: Applicants who score B1 [Intermediate] on the CEFR scale will be offered a 12-week programme. Applicants who are deemed likely to meet an overall 7.0 in IELTS with no skill less than 6.5 and/or B in all OET skills will complete a Mid-Programme Review after 6 weeks. If successful applicants will complete the remaining 6 weeks including exam preparation followed by the official IELTS/OET exam.

 

All applicants will complete an online placement assessment that will generate a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level (A1 to C2), a score out of 120, and the time taken.

The Department of Health is providing funding to cover the cost of sitting the Medical Council’s PRES 2 and PRES 3 exams to a maximum of 2 attempts while funding is available.

If you have already achieved your IELTS/OETS please email regpath@coa.ie with your details, using IELTs / OET in the subject heading and we will contact you to discuss your individual circumstances.

Further information regarding registration can be found on the Medical Council's website https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/ukraine/

Yes you should. Certain required medical education credentials must be verified through EPIC prior to submitting your application to the Medical Council. We recommend you start the medical education verification process now and have this completed as soon as possible so that when medical exams are available you are in the best position to progress your Medical Council application.

For Ukrainian qualified doctors who will be applying via the PRES route, the following will be required:

• Notarised copy of your passport.
• Medical degree verified by EPIC
• Internship certificate (if applicable) verified by EPIC
• Certificate of Good Standing to be sent directly to the Medical Council, from every country you have held registration in over the last five years. Certificates of Good Standing should come directly to the Medical Council from the registration authority as this will avoid the need to verify the certificate.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate dated within the last two years with an overall band score of 7.0 and a minimum score of 6.5 in each module. OET certificate is also accepted and you must have a score of B in each module.
• Please note that all documents for Non-EU applicants outside of your EPIC verification documents must be sent to the Medical Council by post. (This includes notarised passport, English language evidence and Certificate of Good Standing), please do not email these documents.

The review of your file is typically completed within 10 business days, but can take longer, so we would strongly encourage you to begin this process as soon as possible.

This depends on how long your individual English course is. We recommend you start the medical education verification process now and have this completed as soon as possible so that when medical exams are available you are in the best position to progress your Medical Council application.

There is no requirement to repay the cost of the Clinical English language training.

Social Welfare rules will apply and will depend on your individual circumstances.

Child care will not be provided.

Successfully achieving the IELTS/OET exam will support applicants in gaining registration with the relevant regulator which will help you in applying for jobs in your profession.

If you have queries related to the Clinical English language course once you have applied, please contact us via email at denise@casteleducation.com

If you have queries related to the application process once you have applied, please contact us via email at regpath@coa.ie

We will usually contact you via email.Please note the College of Anaesthesiologists is providing temporary administrative support for this language initiative for all healthcare professionals.

If you have queries related to the Clinical English language course once you have applied, please contact us via email at denise@casteleducation.com

If you have queries related to the application process once you have applied, please contact us via email at regpath@coa.ie