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| English in Chester 9-11 Stanley Place Chester CH1 2LU |
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| Tel: | +44 (0)1244 318913 |
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| Fax: | +44 (0)1244 320091 |
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Terms & Conditions
1. Registration
All courses must be booked in advance. Courses can begin on any Monday where appropriate or as stated in the brochure. English in Chester reserves the right to alter or cancel the course programme, change teachers and location and alter dates & fees from those stated in the brochure without prior notice.
Please send your deposit, along with your signed application form and a copy of your passport, at least 4 weeks in advance of your course. Please note the deposit cannot be returned under any circumstances. (Unless we are unable to accept your booking.)
If you will be applying for a General Student Visa then please see the separate forms or contact the school for further information.
Students and/or agents and/or parents are reminded of the need to disclose medical information about the student to the school when the application is made.
2. Booking confirmation
Once your completed application form and deposit have been received and accepted you will receive a confirmation of booking by email. If you require documents to be posted, please inform the school.
3. Payment methods
Fees must be paid in full 4 weeks before the start of the course. Your course and accommodation will be cancelled if we do not receive the payment and you do not contact us about this.
You can pay by any of the following methods:
| Bank transfer | National Westminster Bank plc, P.O Box 8, 33 Eastgate St, Chester, CH1 1XA Account No: 01032704 Sort code: 60 40 08 IBAN: GB51NWBK60400801032704 BIC/Swift: NWBKGB2L Please ensure that the School receives the exact sterling amount. |
| Credit card | Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Solo, Maestro. There is a 2% charge for credit card use. |
| Travellers cheques | |
| Personal bank cheque | We cannot accept Euro cheques. |
All payments should be in sterling (£).
If fees are paid by bank transfer, please mention your/the student's name in the reference section of the transfer form, so we know who the payment has come from. A copy of the bank transfer receipt should be sent by fax or email as proof of payment.
4. Postponement
If you want to postpone your course, you must do this in writing. You may not postpone courses due to start within the next 28 days. You may only postpone if there is space available on the new course dates you wish to attend.
5. Cancellation or Curtailment
If you decide to cancel your course this must be done in writing by email or fax. Cancellation fees are as follows:
- Cancellation from 28 days to 7 days before the start of the course – 50% of the total price may be refunded
- Cancellation less than 7 days before the start of the course – no refund
The deposit is non-refundable at any time. The accommodation placement fee is non-refundable. If cancellation is due to a visa refusal a refund will only be given once we have received a signed copy of the visa refusal letter. The deposit and accommodation placement fee are non-refundable.
If you decide to leave the school before the end of your course then fees will not normally be refunded.
Any refunds are at the discretion of the Principal.
6. Extension
If you want to extend your course this is possible, provided there is space available. Please note it may not be possible for you to remain with the same host family if you choose to extend your course.
7. Accommodation
If you wish to stay in accommodation organised by the School we will do everything possible to meet your requirements. This may not always be possible and priority will be given to medical requirements such as allergies.
Your homestay will provide bedding and towels for your use. Your homestay will wash a reasonable amount of personal laundry. They will also provide all adult students with a house key.
If you are absent from your homestay for a few nights, for example over a long weekend, you should not expect a refund of fees.
If you are on a long course with an agreed number of holiday weeks, then there is a retainer of £30 per week to keep your room / your luggage in the room. It is a weekly sum, not payable in part weeks.
If you stay in your homestay over the Christmas break there is an additional £70 to pay for the Christmas week. If you are absent from your homestay for a few nights you should pay for the full week. If you go away but leave your luggage then there is a retainer of £30 per week.
If you are paying your homestay directly for accommodation, please pay them in cash, weekly in advance, or ask them how they would like to be paid.
If you leave the homestay accommodation arranged for you before the end of your course, you must give the host and the school one week's notice. The host is entitled to receive one week's payment in lieu of notice.
8. Holiday
If you are on a long course you should pre-book the number of weeks holiday you wish to take before the start of the course. If holidays are not pre-booked, tuition fees will not be refunded.
Holiday allowances are:
| Length of course | Maximum number of holiday days allowed |
| 12 - 24 weeks | 10 days |
| 25 - 36 weeks | 15 days |
| 36 + weeks | 20 days |
9. Insurance
We strongly recommend that you take out travel and health insurance. The school will not be responsible for resolving any issues that arise from lack of insurance cover on the part of the student.
10. Your English Level
English in Chester does not accept beginners (A1 on the Common European Framework). It is your responsibility to check the level of English needed for the course you wish to take. If you are unsure of your level, please contact us before booking so that we can advise you.
If your English level is not suitable for the course you have booked, we reserve the right to move you onto a different course or to refuse you admission to the school.
11. Attendance and Conduct
Students will only receive a Certificate of Attendance if their attendance has been 80% or more. If your attendance is less than 80%, the school will, at its discretion, issue an enrolment certificate, confirming that you were enrolled on a course in the school.
If you are a sponsored student, poor attendance will be reported to your sponsor. If you are studying on a student visa, poor attendance will be reported to the UK Border Agency.
We reserve the right to exclude any student who behaves in an unacceptable manner. In this case you will have to pay all course fees and any additional costs (e.g. for any damage caused).
It is your responsibility to provide us with your contact details in Chester (including mobile phone number if possible), the contact details of your next of kin in your own country and a copy of your passport and visa if appropriate.
12. Force Majeure
The school is not liable for failure to perform its obligations if such failure is as a result of Acts of God (including fire, flood, earthquake, storm, hurricane, infectious diseases or pandemics or other natural disaster that are beyond the reasonable control of the parties), war, invasion, act of foreign enemies, hostilities (regardless of whether war is declared), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, military or usurped power or confiscation, terrorist activities, nationalisation, government sanction, blockage, embargo, labour dispute, strike, lockout or interruption or failure of electricity [or telephone service].
In the event of an outbreak of infectious disease, all students and or parents/guardians are required to comply with rules regarding quarantine as set by government agencies or by the school. Information about English in Chester and Swine flu
English in Chester's policy on disruption resulting from volcanic activity in Iceland
If the school asserts Force Majeure as an excuse for failure to perform its obligations, then the school must prove that it took reasonable steps to minimise delay or damages caused by foreseeable events, that the school substantially fulfilled all non-excused obligations, and that the other party (student, agent etc.) was timely notified of the likelihood or actual occurrence of the event.
