Couch surfing and sleeping in cars: the realities facing English language students in Ireland

Some students have swapped Ireland for Malta, while others are relying on hostels due to the lack of accommodation in Ireland

English language student Sebastian Carvallo Farina at Belgrave Place on Wellington Rd in Cork near where he and others had to sleep on the street last weekend. Picture: Dan Linehan

When Sebastian Carvallo Farina recently came to Cork to study English, he was looking forward to an exciting time in a new city far away from his homeland of Chile.

The civil industrial engineer has found a whole different world, however: one of rough sleeping and couch surfing in between stints in hostels, when they are not full.