Student and Academic Support

Who’s who in GCI

Student Support Meetings

We have Student Support Meetings every week. You can come to room 206 on Tuesday and Wednesday at 12.35. The meetings are open-door, which means you do not have to book a time, you can just arrive and we will speak to you privately.

Students come to these meetings to ask questions about your lessons or about Galway, to get exam advice or to explain a problem you are having at school, to discuss a personal problem that is affecting school, to get job support  and many other things. You are always welcome and we are happy to help. 

Exam Advice Meetings

Because GCI is a Cambridge Testing Centre our students can sit examinations throughout the year. We offer specialised meetings for students who are looking for advice about formal exams and which exams are the most suitable option e.g. for future work or pathways to Higher Education In Ireland or abroad. 

Our students often take the following exams: 

• Cambridge Preliminary B1 (PET)
• Cambridge First B2 (FCE)
• Cambridge Advanced C1 (CAE)
• IELTS

You can take your IELTS exam in a Galway city centre location.

 Long Stay Student meetings 

We have monthly meetings for our Study Abroad Year students and students who are on longer courses. This provides a platform for ideas exchange, feedback and reminders of any relevant rules and procedures.

Immigration Support Meetings

We will support and help you through all the immigrations requirements and the process of opening a bank account. It is very important to understand all the conditions of your study permission in Ireland. 

We will explain all they key information to you in detail in your SAY Meeting on Monday at 11.00am. We offer support for first-time registration with Immigration Service Delivery(ISD) and support for those who are renewing their permissions. (For full details please see the section: Immigration Information)

Departure Certificates

Each student receives a certificate on your last day. We hold a Certificate Ceremony every Friday at 12.35 in the Halla Mor to say goodbye to students who are finishing their programmes and to congratulate them on all their hard work. 

Our certificates include: Your name, course, CEFR level, period of study (dates), and the number of lessons per week. We can also issue an attendance letter on request which is a more formal document outlining all your course detail and your final attendance rate.

If you are departing before Friday, please inform us in advance so that we know and we can make  sure that your certificate is ready for you.