Established in 2007, International House Belfast (a member of the International House World Organisation) is a British Council accredited centre, a certified Cambridge Teacher Training centre, and a member of English UK and IALC. We are also proud to be accredited by the Green Standard Schools as an environmentally friendly language learning school.
We aim to provide English language students from all over the world with a comfortable, friendly and technologically advanced environment in which they can develop their language skills.
We are located in Belfast’s University Street, just south of the city centre in the bustling University Quarter. The school is situated a 5 minute walk from Queens University in a beautiful historical Victorian terrace featuring 12 spacious classrooms as well as a study room; a computer room; a wellness lounge; a self-service kitchen and dining area; a snack area and a small terrace with a hosting bar.
Our vision is to provide people with the opportunity to create better lives for themselves and others, both locally and globally through improved communication skills: Communicate. Create.
We will build the business through diversification, consultancy and partnerships. We will fight against becoming the norm. Satisfactory is not good enough.
We will create a cloud of trust so that our customers and clients know exactly what we stand for.
IH Belfast is very proud to have co-founded an accreditation to encourage green language schools and to reduce the carbon output associated with international travelling. Green Standard Schools is a global, not-for-profit association of language schools that are seriously committed to protecting the environment.
Through their 12 commitments, accredited member schools of GSS aim to:
Get to know a little bit more about the IH Belfast family...
Director
Originally from Brazil, Duanes studied English and Literature at the Universidade Federal du Amazonas in Brazil, and started teaching English as a Foreign Language as soon as he graduated in 2003. He has an absolute wealth of experience in the industry! Over the years, he has taught in Brazil and England and in 2007 he earned his DELTA. In 2015 Duanes came to IH Belfast as a Teacher Trainer and Business Development Manager, squeezing in an MA in English and Linguistics in 2019 before accepting the role of Director at IH Belfast in 2021.
Director of Studies
Stephen studied English Literature at Queens University Belfast. After his degree Stephen pursued his love of poetry and started writing. He moved to Spain so that he could learn and read poems in Spanish, and it was here that he started teaching English. In 2008 he moved back to Northern Ireland to teach English in Derry, where he grew up. He completed his CELTA in 2010 here at IH Belfast and we swiftly recruited him! Stephen became Director of Studies in 2021, but still keeps it real by teaching exam classes.
CELTA co-ordinator
A native of Italy, Valentina studied Modern Languages & Media studies in Milan and started teaching English in 2006. She taught in Italy, Canada, Turkey and Kazakhstan before arriving at IH Belfast in 2011. She completed her CELTA in 2006, the Young Learner Extension to CELTA in 2009, and her DELTA in 2011, and now teaches CELTA full-time, as well as co-ordinating the CELTA courses at our centre!
Enrolments Officer
Joanna has been working at IH Belfast since 2012, supporting the administration of the school. Prior to working at IH Belfast she was organising people and projects in London, Canada and South Sudan, resulting in a diverse range of experience and a love and enthusiasm of other countries and cultures.
