Attendance Policy –  Updated on October  25th, 2024

Attendance Policy 

If you are on a student visa, you need to attend a minimum of 85% of your lessons. This is important because:

• It helps you focus fully on your English studies
• It ensures that you do not have visa problems with the Irish Department of Justice
• It allows you to renew your visa if you want to continue your studies in Ireland

Your attendance is recorded by your teacher every day in class, and this information is entered into your student file on the school database.

Attendance officers

Niamh Kelly and Beatriz Collalto are responsible for attendance-related matters.

Please do not approach your teachers for any queries related to your attendance.

All attendance-related matters must go directly through the attendance officers named above. Niamh Kelly and Beatriz Collalto can be contacted at attendance@ihdublin.com.

Checking your attendance

If you wish to check your attendance at any time, please email attendance@ihdublin.com your name and student number so that we can access your record.

Punctuality

To be marked as present in class, students must attend the full designated tuition hours. Arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving before the class has concluded will result in being marked absent for that class or class segment. Regular lateness is also not permitted; students who are repeatedly late will be asked to leave the class and meet with a member of the student services team to address and resolve the issue.

If you leave class early or are outside class for more than 15 minutes, you will be marked absent for that segment.

Leaving class for work or any other reason, outside of medical illness or in case of emergency, will not be permitted.

Morning Schedule: First class starts at 09.00 / Entry after 9:15 will be considered absent. Entry for the second class after 11:30 will also be considered absent.

Afternoon Schedule: First class starts at 13.45 / Entry after 14:00 will be considered absent. Entry for the second class after 15:30 will also be considered absent.

Scheduled Holidays

On enrolment, International House Dublin will provide you with a timetable clearly identifying your daily and weekly tuition times with dates.

Before you register with GNIB/INIS, you must request a GNIB Letter from the school, which will state the dates you will take your vacation and your programme schedule. The programme schedule, including holiday periods, must be presented by you to the Immigration Officer for inspection during your registration.

1. Holiday periods must be outlined in advance.
2. The programme timetable must be set out in such a way that holiday periods cannot at any point exceed 1/3 of the total weeks elapsed
3. Holidays may not be scheduled within the first 8 weeks of your course (front loading of holidays will not be permitted).

Students should choose their holiday when requesting their GNIB letter and before registering with GNIB. Holidays registered with GNIB can’t be changed.

No unscheduled breaks will be permissible except in documented cases of illness or close family bereavement.

Requests for changes after the registration will be evaluated.

To initiate your request for a change, we kindly ask you to create a support ticket via our student request portal https://ihdublin.com/current-students/student-requests/. After providing the necessary details and explaining your concern, a member of our team will be available to assist you.

The outcome of your change request, whether approved or denied, will be communicated to you via email, with careful consideration of your individual circumstances.

Absenteeism

We understand that sometimes you may have problems and are unable to attend class. However, if you do not have a legitimate reason for your absence, this will affect your attendance and will cause problems for your visa.

There are certain legitimate reasons for absence, including:

1. Illness

If you are ill, you must email attendance@ihdublin.com on the first day of illness.

Attendance will not be granted without a valid doctor’s certificate in English outlining the dates you were unable to attend school due to illness. Prescriptions for medication are not considered acceptable medical certificates, and will not be accepted to excuse your absence. If you email a doctor’s certificate in English that states the dates you were unable to attend class to attendance@ihdublin.com your attendance will not be affected. You must email your medical certificate the first week you return to class.

Medical certificates that were not submitted within 7 days upon return to class, and that are submitted at a later date, will not be accepted.

1. Bereavement

Close family member 

In the sad event of the death of a close family member, we understand that you will not be able to attend school. Please mail attendance@ihdublin.com to inform us. In the case of an immediate family member’s death (a spouse, a parent, a child, etc.), 5 days’ bereavement leave will be allowed.

If you need to travel to your country of origin in the circumstance of an immediate family member’s death, bereavement leave of up to 10 days will be allowed. Applications for bereavement leave will not be considered without supporting evidence such as flight tickets and death certificates.

Extended family member

In the event of an extended family member’s death (a grandparent, a parent-in-law, a spouse-in-law) 3 day’s leave will be allowed.

No leave is allowed in any other circumstances.

Problems with your attendance  

If you can’t provide a legitimate reason for your absence, you will be marked absent from the lesson, and your attendance level will decrease. Illness and close family bereavement are the only unscheduled breaks allowed by the Irish Department of Justice.

Important

• Requests must be made by you and not by a third party.
• Requests made to any staff members other than the Attendance Officers will not be considered.
• You must contact the Attendance Officers at attendance@ihdublin.com
• Requests made by social media or by any other means will not be considered.

Please note that it is ONLY in these circumstances that your attendance will not be affected.If you do not provide a legitimate reason for your absence, the steps below will be followed.

Warnings

Every week 

If your attendance is less than 50% in any one week, you will receive an informal warning from the Attendance Officer

More than 25% uncertified absence in first six weeks

If your attendance falls below 75% in the first six weeks, you will receive a written warning, and GNIB/INIS will be notified.

Week 3 Warning

Immediately after week 3 of your course If your attendance is less than 85% immediately following the third week of your course, you will receive an informal warning notifying you of this, so that you may work on improving your attendance and meet the required final minimum attendance of 85%.

Week 6 Warning

Immediately after week 6 of your course If you have less than 85% attendance after the first 6 weeks of your course, you will receive a written warning to inform you of your current attendance percentage and to advise you of the requirement to attend 85% of your course.

Week 10 Warning

Immediately after week 10 of your course If you have less than 85% attendance immediately after week 10 of your course, you will receive a written warning to inform you of your current attendance percentage, and projected final attendance and to advise you of the requirement to attend 85% of your course.

At any time 

At any time, if your projected final attendance is less than 85%, GNIB/ INIS will be informed of your attendance issues and the expulsion process will be initiated.

International House Dublin reserves the right to email you at any time if your attendance is below 85%.

Expulsion process 

This may be initiated at any point during your course in the situation where your projected final

attendance is less than 85%.

1. Your projected attendance is calculated to be less than 85% GNIB/ INIS is informed

2. You are informed by e-mail that you are in danger of being expelled
3. You must respond formally, by e-mail to attendance@ihdublin.com within 10 working days of receiving this email

In your e-mail, please include the following:

• Information about any exceptional circumstances which has affected your attendance.
• Attach documents such as doctor’s certificates/ reports.
• The reasons why you believe you should not be expelled

If you wish to discuss your case in person, you may request a meeting with the Attendance Officers.

The final decision will be at the discretion of International House Dublin

Final decision will be made by the Director, Mr Padraig Hourigan. You will be notified in writing after 4 weeks form the start of the process.

If you are expelled from International House Dublin you must stop attending classes immediately and your expulsion is reported to GNIB/ INIS.

If you submit a formal appeal, you may continue to attend classes.

If you accept the reason for expulsion and agree to leave the school, your expulsion is reported to

GNIB/ INIS. You will not receive a certificate for your course of study.

No refund of fees, used or unused, will be issued to you.

Appeals 

If you do not accept the reason for your expulsion and do not agree to leave the school, you may appeal the school’s decision to expel you.

Appeals must be made in writing to the Chairman of International House Dublin, Mr Donagh Barry. The final decision will rest with Mr Barry.

Successful appeals

If your appeal is successful, you may continue to attend your classes.

Unsuccessful appeals 

As part of the expulsion process, your expulsion is reported to GNIB/INIS.

• You will not receive a certificate for your course of study.
• No refund of fees, used or unused, will be issued.
• No further appeals will be considered