Terms & Conditions of Enrolment for Individual Students
- The enrolment form must be completed and signed at the time of application.
- A 25% non-refundable deposit, or full course fees, must be paid to reserve your place at the time of booking.
- In any case, the full payment of fees and accommodation costs must be paid in full no later than 30 days before a course starts.
- For non-EU students full payment must be received before the issue of a visa letter or CAS number.
- A one-off registration fee of £80 will be added to your total costs: this covers registration support, administration/visa support charges, printable materials, and a certificate of completion. All required textbooks can be purchased for an additional fee at reception.
- You can enrol in person, online or print the form, complete it and send it to us by email.
- Unless payment or proof of payment has been received by ELA, you will not be admitted to class.
- All fees are payable in Pounds Sterling.
- All bank and credit card charges are payable in full by the sender.
- Medical insurance is strongly advised. Please make sure adequate travel insurance is in place prior to travel arrangements being made. ELA can arrange insurance for groups; please let us know at the time of enrolment.
- The minimum length of study is one week applicable to full and part-time students.
- Any payment made towards a booking (deposit or full fees) is confirmation of the acceptance of the ELA’s Terms and Conditions.
- A full-time course is regarded as a minimum of 15 hours of class time per week.
- Visa nationals MUST enrol on a full-time course.
- Please note that the level of classes you are placed in is determined by an assessment carried out by the academic staff, not on your personal preferences. The decision made by the academic staff is not negotiable.
Payment Methods
The payments can be made using the following payment methods:
- By card – online payment on our website’s booking page or using the Pay Online link on the invoice which is emailed to you
- TransferMate – For Euro and other international payments we recommend using TransferMate Global Payment who will give you a competitive exchange rate with no fees charged for international transfers. Please log onto the website https://elacademy.paytostudy.com/ for further details.
- Via PayPal – by copying this link into your browser: https://www.paypal.me/ELAEdinburgh and completing the online payment.
- By bank transfer – our bank account details are specified on the invoice (for international payments both IBAN and BIC/SWIFT are provided).
- By cash – for late bookings, if you are already in Edinburgh and we have places available, you may pay by cash at reception.
Services
ELA-Edinburgh cannot be held responsible for any problems or delays due to circumstances beyond their control such as airlines or local transport strikes, weather conditions or any force majeure events.
Cancellation and Refunds:
Cancellation and course curtailment charges
- If you cancel or curtail the course more than 30 days before your start date, we will retain your 25% non-refundable deposit payment or charge you a £250 cancellation fee for visa refusal cases (see ‘Refund policy’ below for charges relating to visa refusal).
- If you cancel or curtail the course less than 30 days before your start date or if you fail to arrive, we will charge you 100% of the total invoice price.
- If you cancel your course or decided to leave after the start of the course, there will be no refund given.
- For courses purchased in advance based on special offers with over 25% discounts, there be have no refunds offered on tuition fees. All other charges related to accommodation, activities and additional services will be refunded in accordance with the General Terms & Conditions.
Refund policy
- In the event that a student leaves ELA before completing the full duration of a purchased course of study, ELA will not refund any amount.
- In cases where a student requires a UK entry visa to study at ELA, if the student is unsuccessful in obtaining a visa, we will provide a refund when we receive written evidence of a visa refusal but it must be at least 8 days before the start of the course. Under any circumstances, a copy of the visa refusal letter and written confirmation of course cancellation by the student/representative must be supplied at least 15 days before the course start date. Please note that we will deduct the following charges: a £250 administration charge, courier fees (if applicable), bank transfer charges, any other charges relating to the issuing of a refund. Note also, students who have booked Homestay accommodation via ELA, and who give fewer than 15 days’ notice, will be required to pay for 2 weeks of accommodation. This in addition to the other refund charges stated above. For any other accommodation types such as hotels and student residences there will be no refunds given.
- No refund will be made if fraudulent documents are found to have been submitted with the visa application or if the relevant UK Home Office/UKVI Immigration Rules and the School immigration guidelines have not been followed.
- In the event of exceptional circumstances students can, at the discretion of the school, defer a course start to an agreed future commencement date but no later than within a 12-month period. Note that if the school no longer offers the course that the student originally enrolled on, we will offer an equivalent course instead and will not issue a refund.
- Reduced rates are given for longer courses. If these courses are curtailed for any reason they will be re-invoiced at the higher rate.
- For courses purchased in advance based on special offers with over 25% discounts, there be have no refunds offered on tuition fees. All other charges related to accommodation, activities and additional services will be refunded in accordance with the General Terms & Conditions.
- The transfer of any fees from one student to another is not permitted.
- Refunds will not be given in cases of absenteeism. Additionally, the ELA Certificate of Completion will not be awarded to students that have less than 80% attendance.
- Please note, if a student is late for class by more than 15 minutes, the student will be counted as absent, not admitted to class and must wait for the next lesson to begin to join the class.
- All 1-to-1 lessons require at least 24 hours’ notice to be re-scheduled.
- If teacher is late by more than 30 minutes, the lesson will be re-scheduled.
Accommodation policy
- All requests for booking accommodation must be made 4 weeks before arrival from September-May. All requests for booking accommodation must be made 8 weeks before arrival from June-August. Accommodation is subject to availability and requests outside the specified booking window will not be guaranteed accommodation.
- If you no longer require Homestay accommodation you have booked or wish to change the accommodation you require during your stay, you may do it by giving a two weeks’ notice. However, after the commencement of the accommodation, there will be no refund given for unused accommodation.
- If you require ELA to assist with a change of accommodation type (for example from Homestay to privately rented accommodation) there will be an administration charge of £150.
- Any other accommodation change request is subject to two weeks’ notice and subject to availability. You will be subject to one weeks’ accommodation fees for these changes.
- Homestay accommodation details for individual students will be provided no later than 14 days prior to arrival.
- Any deviation from the above stated policy on accommodation changes is at the discretion of the school principal.
Travel Insurance
It is a mandatory requirement, and it is the full responsibility of any student, agent or school that books a course with ELA, to ensure that all students have suitable travel insurance for their period of their stay, and this must include cover for flight cancellations and flight delays.
ELA cannot be held responsible for all and any financial damages and losses that a student, an agent, school booking with ELA may incur in the event that suitable travel insurance has not been purchased. Force Majeure is excluded from all the terms under the refunds and cancellations policy. All and every refund and cancellation under the force majeure circumstances must be covered by the student / school / agent through taking out suitable insurance cover. In the event of unforeseeable circumstances due to the Covid-19 outbreak, when there is a travel ban or similar, students may postpone their course until 31 December 2021.
ELA classes the examples of force majeure as following: war, riots, earthquakes, hurricanes, lightning, and explosions, energy blackouts, epidemic and pandemic, unexpected legislation, lockouts, slowdowns, and strikes.
Disputes
- All disputes are governed by Scottish Law.
- Any formal complaints or demands must be made within 14 days after the completion of the course.
Public and Student Holidays
ELA is closed for a 2 week period over Christmas/New Year dependent on which days the holidays fall on any given year. Students will be notified at the time of booking about the exact dates of school closure and how this will affect course duration and course dates. Any public holidays or any days when ELA is closed are made clear when booking a course.
Student holidays can be taken for a full week which commences on a Monday and finishes on a Friday. Holidays cannot be taken mid-week or carried forward from one course booking to another. Students must give 2 weeks’ notice when booking holidays. Students should inform ELA of any pre-booked holidays before the start of their course.
Terms & Conditions of Enrolment for Groups
- A 25% non-refundable deposit or full fees must be paid to make a group booking.
- A final list for accommodation requests, including room assignments and notification of special needs, must be received by ELA no later than 30 days prior to the arrival date otherwise we cannot guarantee being able to meet specified requests. All special requests for accommodation including special needs and room assignments are subject to availability.
- Requests to make any changes to a booking must be in writing and sent to ELA. Amendments are subject to availability. All amendments must be received no later than 30 days prior to the first arrival date. Any changes will not be guaranteed, but we will make every effort to assist.
- No accommodation changes are permitted on the first day. All other accommodation change requests are subject to availability. A valid reason will have to be provided in writing to ELA before a decision to relocate is made.
- Accommodation changes are subject to one week’s fees.
- ELA provide shared occupancy for students and single occupancy for group leaders.
- Final Homestay accommodation details for groups will be provided 3 days prior to arrival.
- ELA reserves the right to cancel accommodation reservations without further notice if payment is not received along with a signed copy of the Terms and Conditions by the date specified.
- ELA reserves the right to request/retain the full accommodation fee for any No Shows.
- ELA reserves the right to cancel accommodation reservations if there is any breach of these Terms and Conditions.
- ELA has no liability for any consequential loss arising out of or in connection with the Reservation.
- All students under the age of 18 must be declared to ELA (any student under 18 is a child by law). Failure to disclose and confirm the underage students will result in non-acceptance of the student upon arrival at ELA without any refund. Signed parental consent forms for each student under 18 must be received by ELA before the start of the course.
- There are two options for the supervision of under-18s:
- The student will be charged a £95 per week additional supervision fee. For all scheduled activities (excluding classroom teaching) both on-site and off-site, ELA will ensure there is sufficient adult supervision. The student will be dropped off and picked up from the school to the host family daily by private transfer.
- Group leaders travelling with students under 18 will be responsible for students in their own group. In circumstances where ELA does not take responsibility for the supervision of students out of lessons or scheduled activities, a written signed consent must be received by ELA prior to the course start date from either the group leaders/parents/legal guardians stating their responsibility for their students outside of lessons and scheduled activities. Otherwise the £95 weekly additional supervision fee will be added for every student under 18 upon arrival.
- Please note that the level of classes you are placed in is determined by an assessment carried out by the academic staff, not on your personal preferences. The decision made by the academic staff is not negotiable.
Cancellations and Refunds:
Cancellation and course curtailment charges
- If the course is cancelled or curtailed more than 30 days before arrival date, we will retain or charge the 25% non-refundable deposit (see ‘Refund policy’ below for charges relating to visa refusal).
- If the course is cancelled or curtailed the less than 30 days before arrival date or if the student has failed to arrive, we will charge 100% of the total invoice price.
- In the event of course cancellation after the start of the course, there will be no refund given.
- For courses purchased in advance based on special offers with over 25% discounts, there be have no refunds offered on tuition fees. All other charges related to accommodation, activities and additional services will be refunded in accordance with the General Terms & Conditions.
- In the event of exceptional circumstances groups can, at the discretion of the school, defer a course start to an agreed future commencement date but no later than within a 12-month period. Note that if the school no longer offers the course originally offered on, we will offer an equivalent course instead and will not issue a refund.
Arrivals, Departures and No Shows
- Check-in time is from 3 pm onwards and check-out time is 12.00 midday. All effort will be made to ensure access for earlier check-in times, subject to availability.
- No Show means, in relation to each room booked as part of the Reservation, where the guest booked in for the Reservation has not arrived by the Reservation Date and failed to notify the school.
- In the event of a No Show, we have to treat the individual reservation as cancelled without notice. Therefore the remaining nights of a multi night booking will not be refunded.
Airport Transfers – Arrivals & Departures during Monday – Friday
Booked Airport Transfers are to/from Edinburgh Airport to/from hosts at weekends and for arrivals and departures on Mondays-Fridays during the times when hosts are at home, i.e. after 6pm.
When flight arrival is Monday to Friday before 3pm, groups must make their own way to ELA in George Street by bus/tram/taxi (at their own expense in taxi; if bus passes booked with ELA, they will be delivered to the airport by ELA representative) after which ELA will arrange taxis to hosts from the school for 5:30pm. Alternatively, a supplement of £10 per person per trip can be added to the cost per student to cover two separate taxi trips on arrival.
From 5pm on Monday – Friday, for groups with with pre-booked airport transfers, students can travel to their hosts direct.
- Whilst every effort will be made to avoid relocation of a group booking, on rare occasions, it may become necessary for us to relocate you and find you suitable alternative accommodation in the local area. We will not offer you compensation for the inconvenience.
- Events Beyond our Reasonable Control: we shall not be in breach of these terms, nor liable for any failure to perform any of our obligations in relation to your Booking (such as the provision of room(s) and/or other products and/or services and/or extras) due to any adverse event, act, omission or accident which happens which is beyond our reasonable control including, but not limited to, flood, earthquake, extreme adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, other acts of God, acts of terrorism, interruption or fire (except by way of our default) or failure of (except by way of our default) electric power, gas, water, or other utility service, plant machinery, computers, vehicles or any collapse of building structures.
- In the event of malicious, willful or negligent room or other property damage, ELA will charge the amount of any loss sustained by ELA, inclusive of business interruption and losses to the booking party.
- The group will be required to pay £50 per individual student booking 30 days prior to the group arrival date. The deposit is fully refundable upon inspection before or on the day of departure.
- In the event of non-payment by the school, the payment will be the responsibility of the group’s agent by the specified date.
- Guests must not smoke in any accommodation or interfere with fire detection systems. If they do so, we will terminate their Booking without refund and require them to leave the accommodation immediately. By agreeing to the terms and conditions you authorise us to charge you for any costs we incur if anyone smokes or causes damage in the accommodation including costs for specialist cleaning (to make the room fit for sale as a non-smoking environment) and the cost of the room for any time period it is unusable. You authorise us to charge this amount against the £50 per student deposit made in your Booking. We will send you (at the address on the Booking) a breakdown of these charges within 10 working days. We may refuse to accept bookings from you in future.
- The full balance is due no later than 30 days prior to the group arrival date.
- The 25% deposit for the booking is non-refundable as specified in the terms and conditions.
- We recommend that the agent and each guest take out adequate insurance to cover any liability arising from a Reservation. If booking is through an agent, we would like to draw your attention, in particular, to the section headed Payment and Charges.
Travel Insurance
It is a mandatory requirement, and it is the full responsibility of any agent or school that books a course with ELA, to ensure that all students have suitable travel insurance for their period of their stay, and this must include cover for flight/trip cancellations and flight delays.
ELA cannot be held responsible for all and any financial damages and losses that an agent, school booking with ELA may incur in the event that suitable travel insurance has not been purchased. Force Majeure is excluded from all the terms under the refunds and cancellations policy. All and every refund and cancellation under the force majeure circumstances must be covered by the student / school / agent through taking out suitable insurance cover. In the event of unforeseeable circumstances due to the Covid-19 outbreak, when there is a travel ban or similar, students may postpone their course until 31 December 2020.
ELA classes the examples of force majeure as following: war, riots, earthquakes, hurricanes, lightning, and explosions, energy blackouts, epidemic and pandemic, unexpected legislation, lockouts, slowdowns, and strikes.
Disputes
- All disputes are governed by Scottish Law.
- Any formal complaints or demands must be made within 14 days after the completion of the course.
Public and Student Holidays
ELA is closed for a 2 week period over Christmas/New Year dependent on which days the holidays fall on any given year. Students will be notified at the time of booking about the exact dates of school closure and how this will affect course duration and course dates. Any public holidays or any days when ELA is closed are made clear when booking a course.
Student holidays can be taken for a full week which commences on a Monday and finishes on a Friday. Holidays cannot be taken mid-week or carried forward from one course booking to another. Students must give 2 weeks’ notice when booking holidays. Students should inform ELA of any pre-booked holidays before the start of their course.