Uncategorized - Everest Language School

Everest Moves to Historic Merrion Square Location

everest — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:34:01 +0000

Dublin’s Everest Language School Marks 10-Year Milestone with Move to Historic Merrion Square

DUBLIN, IRELAND — Everest Language School, one of Dublin’s leading independent English language schools, has announced its relocation to a historic building on Merrion Square. The move consolidates the school’s operations into a premium facility, marking a major milestone as the school celebrates a decade in Dublin.

Founded 10 years ago by English teachers Rob McComish and Anne-Marie Connolly, Everest has grown into one of Ireland’s top-rated language institutions. With this move to Merrion Square, the founders are doubling down on a commitment to quality, investing into a state-of-the-art fit out designed to elevate the student experience while maintaining the stunning architecture and decoration of the Georgian Dublin landmark location.

The new Merrion Square campus features a dedicated student hub equipped with study zones, social areas, a games room, student library and a free coffee station. Housed in a building that has hosted prestigious schools for over 30 years, Everest’s new home integates modern educational technology into the building’s striking Georgian architecture.

A Commitment to Quality Over Scale

“This move isn’t about getting bigger; it’s about getting better,”

says Rob McComish, Co-Founder of Everest Language School.

“Over the last ten years, we’ve navigated the typical highs and lows of the EFL sector, including the massive disruption of Covid-19. We survived and thrived because we always focused on quality of both teaching and student experience. Consolidating our two smaller premises into Merrion Square allows us to put everything under one roof, offering our students an incredible environment to learn, socialise, and immerse themselves in Irish culture.”

In the Heart of Cultural Dublin

Situated in the heart of Georgian Dublin, the new premises places Everest students directly next to the National Gallery of Ireland and national museums, with the renouned Merrion Square Park serving as their front garden. The central location remains just a short walk from Trinity College, Grafton Street, and Temple Bar.

Anne-Marie Connolly, Co-Founder of Everest Language School, added:

“When we started Everest ten years ago, we were teaching morning, afternoon, and evening classes, then cleaning the building ourselves at the end of the day. Now, alongside our incredible team, it is incredibly rewarding to be welcoming students into one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. This building is uniquely beautiful and we are proud to put the Everest stamp on it. We’ve preserved the stunning historic character of the building while at the same time investing in modernising the classrooms and developing a vibrant, modern social space where our students can feel at home.”

The relocation and fit out was completed in June 2026, and the school is now fully operational in its new Merrion Square home, offering an expanded portfolio of specialised English language courses.

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Cost of Living in Dublin, Ireland – Guide for International students 2026

everest — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Cost of Living in Dublin 2026

We are here to help you to start your journey with Everest in Dublin!

As you prepare to immerse yourself in the adventure of learning English abroad, we want to provide you with some clear information regarding living costs in Dublin.

You can use this guide to help organise your plans and to avoid any major surprises when you move to Dublin.

Below, we have included some important information to give you a realistic overview of the approximate weekly/monthly living costs in Dublin. It’s essential to keep in mind that these figures are just estimates, aimed at helping you plan effectively without overwhelming you with unnecessary concerns.

Accommodation:

Shared Apartment: €600 – €1000/month
Utilities (electricity, gas): ~ €100/month

Transportation:

Public Transportation: €11 – €24/week
Bike Rental: €20 – €50/month
DublinBike: €35 annually

Food Costs:

Groceries: €40 – €70/week
Eating Out: €7 – €25/meal

Staying Connected:

Mobile Plan (unlimited data): €15 – €30/month
Internet: €20 – €40/month

Fun and Relaxation:

Cinema: €8 – €12
Gym Membership: €30 – €50/month

Here are some extra tips from Everest for more effective budgeting:

Explore Free Activities

Dublin offers lots of free or low-cost activities and events. Take advantage of parks, museums with student discounts, and cultural events that won’t strain your budget.

On the website eventbrite.ie, you can check what’s going on and also filter for free events.

Student Discounts

Don’t forget to check for student discounts! Lots of places in Dublin, like shops, restaurants, and entertainment spots, have special rates. Just keep your student ID handy.

Budget Supermarkets

Local supermarkets and mini markets can be very expensive. We recommend doing your weekly grocery shopping in the big discount supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi for the best value.

School Social Activities

Keep an eye on our school’s social calendar; we normally announce 2 free or low-cost events per week for our amazing students!

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to our Support Team. We’re here to assist you both before and throughout your Dublin adventure!

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Everest Language School Reaches 10-Year Milestone, Looks to the Future

Pilar — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 15:00:40 +0000

2025 marks 10 years in business for Everest Language School. We first opened our doors in 2015 and are so happy to be celebrating an amazingly successful decade. Everest was opened a decade ago and is owned and operated by two English teachers, Robert McComish and (now Doctor) Anne-Marie Connolly. Everest was created by teachers with years of experience who shared a belief that language needs to be taught dynamically, with a focus on real world experience, immersion and inclusion.

In the past ten years, Everest has only grown in strength, all possible because of our amazing teachers, student support staff and academic team. Everest really is it’s people and that’s why we cite our welcoming and familial atmosphere as one of our greatest strengths. Everest isn’t just a school, it’s a community of people from all over the world and what makes Everest so special is really the culture that we foster here, a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated.

These past ten years have not been without their challenges. Due to the global COVID pandemic, the school was forced to shut it’s doors from 2020 to 2021. This was a difficult time for the school but ultimately led to new opportunities for us regarding online teaching and helped us expand the network of people we work with both in Ireland and around the world.

This year is particularly momentous for the directors of Everest, Rob and Anne-Marie and they shared their thoughts about the next decade for the school.

“The plan now is to continue to focus on quality. We have built something unique in Everest, and we don’t want to lose that. Over the next 10 years, the plan is not to grow but to refine what we have and develop quality in every aspect of the organisation.”

Rob McComish, School Director

It’s an exciting time for us! We have been been focused on developing our own academic program over the past number of years based on the best research available. Now, as we go into this next chapter, we have an incredible academic team in place to build on our strong foundations and align our progams with the incoming TrustEd quality mark.

Anne-Marie Connolly, Academic Director

Looking forward, the focus will be on developing quality, expanding our academic research, improving student experience as well as developing our network of agents and partnerships. We will also be focusing on more specialised projects such as our current Erasmus+ project focused on the development of a curriculum for teachers delivering lessons to vulnerable learners. We also hope to further our suite of teacher training and staff professional development courses.

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Introducing our Erasmus+ project (Dublin)

everest — Fri, 09 May 2025 13:36:32 +0000

About the Erasmus+ Project

In Everest our team and students have always looked for way to have a positive impact on society. So we are very excited to tell you about a project we have been working on, one that we believe can make a meaningful impact. Since January, Everest has partnered with organisations in Greece and Czechia on an Erasmus+ funded initiative aimed at integrating therapeutic practices into language education for refugees, asylum seekers, and socially excluded adult learners. This nine-month project, running through September 2025, will culminate in the development of a pilot two-week training program for educators, which will be held in Dublin for international participants.

Classrooms across Ireland are made up of students from all backgrounds and cultures and it’s crucial that teachers are equipped with the skills and training necessary to deliver trauma-informed lessons, especially for vulnerable learners. The aim of this project is to ensure that English language classrooms will be inclusive and able to cater to students of all backgrounds and experiences. Research has shown that many refugees and asylum seekers struggle to engage with traditional English language instruction, while also facing additional challenges due to limited English proficiency. This is why Everest and our partners have launched this initiative—to develop a comprehensive and practical syllabus that integrates art therapy and other therapeutic practices into ESL teaching, ensuring all learners have an equal opportunity to enhance their English language skills.

Partner Organisations

Everest has partnered with two incredible international organisations to undertake this international Erasmus+ project. Both Amaka and Integracni Centrum Praha (ICP) are doing crucial work with displaced and marginalised individuals across Europe in the space of art therapy, social and legal counselling, language education and much more. The representatives from both of these organisations, Maria Vlachopoulou and Eva Šenkýřová respectively, possess essential expertise and experience in providing services to refugees and asylum seekers that will be incorporated into the final creation of the trauma informed teacher training syllabus. Both of these organisations do fascinating work and we are very lucky to have them on board for this project.

Amaka is based in Greece and runs art therapy workshops, aimed at fighting loneliness and social exclusion, with a particular focus on marginalised groups. This organisation is able to bring valuable insights into the benefits of art therapy for expression and connection to this project, providing expertise on the best ways to incorporate it into language teaching.

ICP, based in Czechia, works to ensure that individuals who have been granted international or special protections receive fair treatment in Czech society. Their main focus in recent years has been on integrating those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, through projects such as language education, counselling, legal help, social integration courses and much more. They are taking part in this project to supply guidance on working with displaced individuals and providing language education to refugees and vulnerable groups.

Dublin Erasmus+ Study Visit

We were delighted to kick off this project earlier this year in March with a visit with representatives from our two partner organisations in Dublin. Maria Vlachopoulou from Amaka and Eva Šenkýřová from ICP both travelled to Dublin for 4 days of in person project planning. As well as focusing on the creation of the syllabus, Rob, Maria and Eva conducted two fieldwork visits which were very beneficial and informative to the project. The first was to FIT, an organisation providing internships, training and language education to discuss their work with Ukranian refugees. They spoke to Robert Ardiff and numerous people in FIT, from managers to teachers and students about their experiences of English language teaching specifically aimed at vulnerable groups.

Our second visit was to speak to Sean McCabe, the Head of Climate Justice & Sustainability at Bohemian’s Football Club. Sean has been involved in various projects with Bohemian’s to boost inclusivity including a groundbreaking climate co-operative. This co-op provides afterschool youth programmes as well as sustainability projects for adults currently serving time in Mountjoy prison. The aim of these projects is to create and encourage community collaborations for social change and improvement. Sean spoke in depth to Maria, Rob and Eva about his current project providing training courses to people in direct provision, allowing them to upskill and engage in community apprenticeships. These conversations were so beneficial to our project as it allowed us to gain insights into how current training courses aimed at displaced individuals in Ireland are being delivered and allow for creative collaboration from both of our projects.

Next steps in the project

This project will continue this year with two more in person meetings this summer, first a May trip to Greece followed by a visit to Prague the month after. The Greek session will be led by Amaka and will focus on hearing from therapists and facilitators involved in art therapy sessions for refugees. Representatives from both Everest and ICP will have the opportunity to observe and engage in non-ESL focused art therapy sessions, and gain insights into how these practices and can be adapted into an language curriculum.

The Prague session will provide an opportunity for representatives from Everest and Amaka to observe teachers providing lessons to recently arrived refugees, specifically those from Ukraine. Observation sessions will help to facilitate opportunities for understanding of how teachers provide trauma-informed lessons to these groups. Feedback and collaborative sessions will follow, allowing participants to develop lesson plans and syllabi with the guidance and input from facilitators from ICP.

The project will culminate in the development of a syllabus focused on therapeutic teaching methods for English language teaching for refugees, asylum-seeking and socially- excluded adult learners. This syllabus will be delivered as a training course for teachers held in Ireland, and will have been informed and guided by the collaboration and actions undertaken by Everest, Amaka and ICP representatives. It is the hope of Everest that this syllabus will not only be beneficial to language teachers, but will inform and inspire future research into this area to ensure that language learning is accessible and inclusive to all. We are very excited for what the rest of this year has in store and we look forward to sharing it with you in the coming months!

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Erasmus+ teacher training courses in Ireland

Pilar — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:45:06 +0000

Erasmus+ Teacher Training Courses in Ireland

In this blog, we delve into the world of Erasmus+ courses tailored specifically for teachers and administrative professionals, exploring how these dynamic programs can significantly enhance your professional skills and broaden your horizons. Whether you are a teacher looking to refine your teaching methods, integrate new technologies, or immerse yourself in diverse educational environments abroad, or an administrative professional aiming to bolster your language proficiency and communication skills crucial for effective office management, Erasmus+ offers invaluable opportunities for growth and development. Join us as we uncover the myriad benefits and transformative experiences that await participants in these enriching educational ventures.

What is it like to do an Erasmus+ program in Dublin, Ireland?

I recently attended a two-week language course at Everest Language School in Dublin as part of the Erasmus+ mobility program for educational staff. From the very beginning, the school's staff maintained constant contact with us, promptly addressing all our questions and concerns [...] they helped us complete the necessary documentation for the EU program.
The teaching staff was exceptional—always prepared, and delivering lessons in an engaging and inspiring manner. [...] The classes were interesting and often included information about Ireland's socio-cultural and political issues, which undoubtedly helped us understand the country better. The teachers were approachable, always checking our homework and providing detailed feedback. I highly recommend Everest Language School to anyone considering a language course. The dedication and professionalism of the staff, combined with a personalized and comprehensive curriculum, make it an excellent choice for language learning.

Anna S. Erasmus+ Student In Everest Language School, Dublin

What is the Erasmus+ courses for teachers?

The Erasmus+ Mobility Programmes provide educational professionals with funding to participate in teacher training courses abroad. These programmes offer a unique opportunity for individuals to enhance their professional skills, gain enriching international study experiences, and immerse themselves in Irish life and culture. Educators can choose from a variety of Erasmus+ projects tailored to their specific areas of interest and professional development needs. Our courses not only improve language skills but also expand educational knowledge and develop your own professional methods.

At Everest, we have been committed to providing top-quality, engaging English courses for nearly a decade. All of our teachers are CELTA-trained and have extensive experience in English language education. We provide a range of Erasmus+ courses, focusing on language training, innovative classroom methods, student wellbeing, and the effective use of technology in teaching and learning.

What Erasmus+ programs are there for admin staff?

In administration, proficiency in a second language is a valuable skill that enhances professional competency and boosts employability. We offer four Erasmus+ courses specifically designed for administrative professionals seeking to upskill and develop their language abilities. These courses cover all aspects of the English language, with a particular emphasis on communication and speaking—essential skills for administration work. Participants will also learn to write and correspond effectively in English, using both formal and informal language, which is crucial for constructing emails, reports, and other professional documents.

Erasmus+ Courses for Admin Professionals

Intensive General English (26hrs)
Intensive IELTS Preparation (26hrs)
Intensive Cambridge Preparation (26hrs)
General English (20hrs)

What countries are eligible for Erasmus+ funding?

All citizens from EU member who are working in the education, sport or youth sectorsare eligible to apply for an Erasmus+ Mobility Project grant. Participation is also open to selve non-Eu states.
Individuals from Iceland, Lichtenstein, North Macedona, Norway, Serbia or Türkiye are eligible to apply for Erasmus+, despite their non-EU member status.

These countries are associated with the Erasmus+ scheme, allowing opportunities for their citizens to engage in the program.

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Student Welfare Supports Dublin

everest — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:42:07 +0000

Student Welfare Supports Dublin

Student Welfare Supports Dublin: Support agency contacts for students who encounter emergency situations or hardships.
This list is not complete, and if you see a support missing, please let us know.
With any issue that arrises, please feel free to talk to anyone from the students support team and we will do everything we can to help and support you.

Mental Health Support

Samaritans

Samaritans services are available 24 hours a day, for confidential, non-judgmental support.

☎️Freephone 116 123 any time.

✉️jo@samaritans.ie

Samaritans.ie

Aware

Information, support and peer groups for people experiencing anxiety, mild to moderate depression, bipolar disorder and mood-related conditions. Support also for friends and family members.

☎️Freephone 1800 80 48 48, 10am to 10pm every day

✉️supportmail@aware.ie

Aware.ie

Pieta

Free individual counselling, therapy and support for people who self-harm or are thinking about suicide and people who have been bereaved by suicide.

☎️Freephone 1800 247 247, any time

☎️Text HELP to 51444 – standard message rates apply

pieta.ie

Bodywhys

Services for adults and young people with eating disorders, and their families. Services include email and helpline support, online chat support groups for various groups, virtual video support groups and family programmes

☎️Phone 01 2107906 – Monday, Wednesday and Sunday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, and Saturday from 10.30am to 12.30pm

✉️alex@bodywhys.ie

bodywhys.ie

LGBT Ireland

Phone or online support for the LGBTI+ community – by phone, instant messaging or at peer support groups.

☎️Freephone 1800 929 539 – Monday to Thursday 6.30pm to 10pm, Friday 4pm to 10pm, Saturday and Sunday 4pm to 6pm

☎️Transgender Family Support Line 01 907 3707

✉️info@lgbt.ie

lgbt.ie

Housing Welfare Supports Dublin

Threshold

Give free advice and guidance to those experiencing rental problems in Ireland.

☎️ Freephone 1800 454 454

threshold.ie

Residential Tenancies Board

An independent public body that works to resolve housing and tenancy disputes.

☎️0818 30 30 37

☎️01 702 8100

rtb.ie

Rape crisis

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre

Provides support to those who have experienced rape or sexual violence.

☎️ Helpline: 1800 77 8888

☎️ Office: +35316614911

✉️info@rcc.ie

drcc.ie

Rape Crisis Network Ireland

Provides counselling and other support services to those who have experienced sexual violence

rapecrisishelp.ie

Garda (police) info

Emergency Numbers

Please call either of these numbers if you have an emergency that needs to be dealt with immediately. These numbers are for police and ambulance services.

☎️999

☎️112

Garda (police) Student Welfare Supports Dublin

Specifically provides welfare supports for international students and tourists. Provides assistance to those who have been a victim of a crime in Dublin. Staff members speak several languages.

☎️+353(0)1 666 93 54

✉️ info@itas.ie

Irish Tourist Assistance Service,

Pearse Street Garda Station,

Pearse Street,

Dublin 2, D02 W289

Irish Tourist Assistance Service,

Head Office ,

6-7 Hanover Street East,

Dublin 2, D02 W320

Garda National Immigration Bureau

13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, D02 XK70

☎️ +353 1 666 9100/1

✉️gnib_dv@garda.ie

Everest’s Local Garda Station

1-6 Pearse Street

Dublin 2

☎️(01) 6669000

Work Issues

Workplace Relations Commission

Provides a place to lodge complaints about employers, workplace issues etc.

☎️059 9178990

workplacerelations.ie

Domestic Violence

Women’s aid

Women’s Aid is a national, feminist organisation working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse.

☎️ 1800 341 900

https://www.womensaid.ie/

This list of Student Welfare Supports Dublin, is not exhaustive. We have tried to include the most important wel

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Tips for Learning Phrasal Verbs

everest — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:37:35 +0000

Tips for Learning Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs in English are always a challenge for our students, some students try to figure out basic rules, some try to memorise them, some learn them by the preposition, some learn them by the verb. There is no easy way to quickly learn phrasal verbs, they are like any other part of your vocabulary that you will need to gradually incorporate into your vocabulary. However, there are some way important rules about how to use English phrasal verbs in a grammatically correct way. In the article below our Head Teacher, Dave McCole, goes through some of these rules and finishes up with some useful tips for learning phrasal verbs in English.

Phrasal verbs AKA Multi-word verbs

by Dave McCole

“Phrasal verbs contain a verb plus one or more particles: make up a story, put the light out.

The meaning may or may not be obvious from the individual words.” (Michael Lewis)

Basically, combinations of verbs + an adverb, or preposition, or both that should be treated as a “chunk”(single unit) of language.

Read this short text and pay attention to the phrasal verbs in bold, think about their meaning, the words around them:

“As the chilly breeze swept through the airport terminal, she decided to take her jacket off before boarding the plane. Excitement filled the air as passengers gathered, looking forward to their flights taking off. Among them, a young musician who had been tirelessly working on her songs, hoping for her career to take off. Little did she know she would run into someone who could help her on that flight.”

The following sections will look at the different types of phrasal verbs, problems learners face, and some suggestions to make learning them (slightly) easier.

Different types of phrasal verbs

Multi-word verbs can function in 4 ways, generally related to transitivity, and separability.

Type 1: Intransitive, requiring no direct object. e.g., go off (ring)

The fire alarm went off.

“Their flights taking off” (become airborne)

Type 2: Transitive, requiring a direct object., Inseparable e.g., break into (force entry into)

Burglars broke into the mansion.

“she would run into someone” (to meet someone by chance)

Type 3: Transitive, Separable e.g., give something up (quit)

The direct object either comes between the verb and the adverb, or after the preposition. If we use a pronoun, then it must go between.

He gave smoking up.

John gave it up.

He gave up smoking.

John gave up it.

“She decided to take her jacket off” (remove)

Also, there can be multi-word verbs with 2 objects e.g. (provide someone with something)

He provided me with the directions.

Type 4: three-part e.g., (look up to someone) (admire)

He looks up to his father.

“ looking forward to their flights” (feel excited about something that is going to happen)

Issues learners have with phrasal verbs:

● Literal vs idiomatic meaning

“She decided to take her jacket off” vs “hoping for her career to take off”

You may know the meaning of the verb and the particle (draw on)

He drew on the board.(literal)

But not the meaning of:

She drew on her experience.(idiomatic) (make use of)

● Polysemy

“Their flights taking off” (become airborne)(intransitive)

“She decided to take her jacket off” (remove)(transitive)

“hoping for her career to take off”(become successful)(intransitive)

Some phrasal verbs have multiple meanings, including between transitive and intransitive

forms.

● Formality

Generally, phrasal verbs are informal, but that is not always the case.

We chilled out at home. (Informal)

I need to check out that new movie. (Informal)

There are a few options to mull over. (Semi-formal)

We need to carry out a thorough analysis of the data. (Formal)

Some can have a formal one-word equivalent that is used in formal contexts

I keep putting it off. (Informal)

We must postpone the meeting. (Formal)

● Collocation

You may struggle to know the collocation patterns of phrasal verbs and which lexical areas they occur in.

“The match was called off due to the rain”, also collocating strongly with engagement,”wedding”, “meeting”;.

You might understand the meaning, i.e. cancel, and then attempt to apply it to other nouns with which it in fact has no relationship.

For example,”I called off my English class”; sounds strange to L1 speakers, as generally we can only call off events which have been specifically arranged, or that are of a unique, one-off nature.

● Particle use

It can be very easy to confuse particles, or omit them entirely.

“The is growing up”

“I like listening (to) music”

Tips for Learning English Phrasal Verbs

● When reading in English, get into the habit of noticing, identifying and underlining phrasal verbs.

● Write down in a notebook the sentences they appear in.

● Look up the meaning in an English to English dictionary, and make your own sentences.

● Get a teacher or friend to check your sentences.

● Try to limit them to 2 or three per day. This will build up over time.

● Read a little (in English) everyday for a minimum of 15 minutes, read about things you are interested in.

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