Attending Ballymaloe Cookery School as a Mature Student

Our 12 Week Certificate Course is an intensive course that is hard work and great fun.

We have students from all over the world of all different ages and backgrounds and we hope that every student enjoys the course.  However depending on what stage of your life you  are at you might find different things a challenge.  This page hopes to point some of these out to you so that you can be aware of them and better able to deal with them.

If you are coming to us after a successful career in another field or perhaps you have raised a family and now that they have left the nest you have some time to do something elsel.  Whatever your reason for doing the course you should be aware of these few points.

Living Together

You will be sharing a house with people who are not your family for the first time in perhaps 30 years.  Be aware of this and be willing to compromise and remember to give yourself time and space.

Back in Education

For many of you it might have been quite a while since you were in formal full time education.  Its a great idea to get yourself in the right frame of mind and make sure you can get the best out of the course. Remember you are attending the course for us to teach you our way of cooking, and our philosophy of food. Do not expect yourself to be able to do everything first time or find things easy. We will help you get where you need to go.