Homestay can be a great accommodation option for students when you first arrive in Ireland, especially for minors. All minors will be referred to Godsil Education for guardian nominee services and Godsil can also arrange Garda vetted (police checked) homestay accommodation for minors. For non-minors, UniHaven recommends contacting Host Family Dublin Ireland who make great garda vetted homestays available to students.
You can find out more from their website https://hostfamilydublinireland.ie/.
Staying with a host family is a preferred option for many students, they can offer single or room-sharing options and are often located within walking distance to public transport. Host families will happily cater for any special requirements you may have, provided they are informed in advance during the booking process. but if arranging homestay yourself, ensure that the host families are;
- Garda vetted
- Have a plan should the household be impacted by Covid-19
- Regularly hosts international students and is happy to share plenty of information about the accommodation when asked
- Costs for homestay accommodation varies but expect at least 275 euros per person per week.
Homestay provides convenience to students enrolled in an intensive course looking to improve their English quickly, and for students interested in creating a second home here in Ireland. Most students stay with host families located in the Dublin City’s suburbs that include the nearby towns of Celbridge, Lucan, Leixlip, Dunboyne, Clonee and Blanchardstown. Students can expect to commute for up to 60 minutes by public transport to Maynooth, depending on their host family location. All locations have good public transport connections to Maynooth.
A rental is also an option. Prices for this can vary greatly depending on location and utilities may or may not be included. Properties for rent are advertised through Estate Agencies and on the ‘to let’ section of websites such as www.daft.ie and www.rent.ie. Typically, accommodation can be full house rental, shared rooms in private and/or rented houses, or corporate student accommodation with a house rent starting from 1500 euros for a 2 or 3-bed house within 30 minutes West of Maynooth town, and room rent within a shared house rental starting from around 400 euros a room monthly for a single room.
There are many corporate student accommodation providers in Dublin and Maynooth. Prices vary from 150 to 400 euros per week for single bedrooms with shared eating/living quarters.
Should you require a hotel or hostel accommodation during your studies, the Student Support Officer will be happy to suggest some locations. However, students should be aware that temporary accommodation can be expensive to book for long periods. Hotels and hostels can be found on common hotel booking websites such as www.hotels.com, www.trivago.ie, www.tripadvisor.ie, or www.bookings.com, with hostel prices starting from 30 euros per person per night for shared rooms and hotels starting from 100 euros per person for single rooms.