TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This is a service agreement between ELCANO SCHOOL S.L., Juan Sebastián Elcano Spanish School ('ELCANO' from now on, located in Alicante, Spain), and the student. This agreement is subject to the current legislation in Spain.

The TERMS AND CONDITIONS are legally binding once ELCANO has received a completed registration form from the student, either on-line or in writing, and full or reserve payment for the services contracted by the student.

1. ENROLMENT

The student will be required to provide true and rigorous information. It is also compulsory for the student to inform about the true criminal status, current or past and about all the illnesses they may affect other students or the participation capacity in the Spanish courses they had chosen Otherwise, ELCANO will reserve the right to not accept the enrolment or to cancel the contracted services without any refund.

The minimum age to participate in our group adult programs is 17. Personalised programmes, individual classes and school programmes can be adapted for all ages.

To proceed with the enrolment, the student must fill in the enrolment form online or in writing /easy-registration-form.

2. PAYMENT

In order to proceed with the booking of the course, the student needs to make the full payment or the payment of the reservation of the services at the latest 15 calendar days after the acceptance of the quotation. In case of not choosing the full payment of the requested services and only the payment of the reservation, the amounts corresponding to the reservation are as follows:

• Booking for intensive courses: 190,00€
• Booking for semi-intensive courses: 130,00€
• Booking for private clases: 100,00€
• Booking for courses/private clases + accommodation: 250,00€
• Booking for courses with visa/residence for study: Total payment

Once the reservation payment has been made, Elcano School will proceed to formalise the student's enrolment in our school. This registration will only become official once the rest of the payment of the total amount of the requested services has been made. This payment is due no later than 21 calendar days prior to the commencement of the contracted services.

The student is obliged to send a proof of payment of the transfer of both the reservation and the second payment to info@escuela-elcano.com.

Methods of payment:

BANK TRANSFER

Possibility of making PAYMENT IN FULL or in 2 DEPOSITS (reservation + remaining amount no later than 21 calendar days before the start of the requested services). The bank transfer will be formalized once the student sends the bank receipt. The school will no be responsible for the possible bank commissions.

Bank account details:

PAY IN FULL PAYMENT AT THE SCHOOL

Payment in CASH OR BY CARD or in 2 DEPOSIT (reservation + remaining amount no later than 21 calendar days before the start of the requested services). Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted together with debit cards. Visa and Mastercard are subject to 2% bank commission; American Express to 4% bank commission that will be applied to the enrolment amount.

Discounts and promotions will not be applicable for courses that require the invitation letter for visas.

3. CANCELLATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS

Under no circumstances will ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. reimburse the reservation fee, which corresponds to administrative costs. The remaining part will be refunded, provided that the student informs about the cancellation at least 21 calendar days before the start of the contracted services. If the cancellation is not made within the estimated deadlines, the student will lose the right to a refund. To request cancellation, please send an email to info@escuela-elcano.com with the student's enrolment details.

There are no reductions in the course or accommodation prices to start or finish in the middle of the week or for local or national holidays when there is no class. The student should review the school calendar with holiday information found on the school's website www.escuela-elcano.com.

Once enrolled in our school and accepted the terms and conditions, if there is the case that at the time of starting the course the student does not adapt to the minimum level required within the group, ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. will offer an alternative course or private classes. The number of private lessons may be less than the number of lessons in the booked group. If the student does not wish to accept the options proposed by the school, the amount will be refunded minus the part corresponding to the reservation.

In the case of students who have also contracted accommodation, the accommodation will be cancelled and the full amount will be refunded minus the reservation fee of the accommodation (250,00€).

Cancellations or modifications during the course of the programme

No refunds are given once the course has started for any reason. It is not possible to stop classes during the programme or to change the programme once the course has started.

For students with a student visa, see section 7 of this document.

4. SPANISH COURSES/PRIVATE CLASSES

Level test

All students who already have some knowledge of Spanish undertake to take a level test at least 14 calendar days before the start of the course and without any assistance. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee the correct distribution by level/group. Students will receive information about their level and schedule as soon as possible at the start of the program. If the Head of Studies considers it necessary, the student will have to take an oral test by videoconference or at the Elcano School.

Changes during the program

Group classes

The groups in Intensive Spanish courses for adults are from 3 to 12 students, the rest of the intensive groups for teenagers (Summer Camp), can be formed from 4 to 15 students. In the exceptional case that there are less than 3 students at a given level, ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. has the right to change the date of the programme or the right to change the group course for a personalised programme covering the same teaching hours in different modalities.

The schedule of Spanish classes is divided into three possible blocks, but the school cannot guarantee a specific schedule. This depends on various circumstances such as the courses being run at that time, the number of students, the level, the type of course, etc. Timetables will not be available until 7 calendar days before the start of the course. As a general rule, ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. will send an e-mail with all the information about the course on the Thursday or Friday before the course starts. Intensive course classes are held from Monday to Friday and students will start their course every Monday. For other language courses, please consult the school's annual calendar.

Private lessons or lessons with a partner

Lessons are 50 minutes long. The price includes the use of materials during the classes prepared by the teacher. Books are not included in the registration fee and are optional. Private lessons will not take place if full payment for the lessons has not been paid in advance according to the terms and conditions of payment. The packages of 15h and 20h of classes will be valid for 6 months from the first class taken. They are non-refundable and cannot be transferred to another person.

Class reservations must be made with a minimum of 48h and always according to the availability of the center. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. If the student does not notify ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. of the cancellation of the class by e-mail to info@escuela-elcano.com. If you do not attend or do not inform ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. about the cancellation of the class, the class cannot be made up and no refund will be made. The administration closes at 19:00, so any message received after this time will not be considered valid for cancellation.

ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. cannot guarantee that classes will be taught by the same teacher if the student does not have continuity in their attendance and class schedules.

The registration fee doesn't include the course books. For more information on the books, see point 11.

5. ACCOMMODATION

All students who book a course at ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. are entitled to contract the accommodation service (exclusive service for ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. students). Students who choose accommodation in a shared flat will have to pay, on the day of key collection, an additional fee of €180.00 as a deposit:

• €150,00 deposit, which will be returned under the following conditions that will be signed in the document "Basic rules of behaviour".
• €30,00 for final cleaning.

Under no circumstances will ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. refund the amount of the accommodation once the stay has begun. Likewise, no changes may be made without prior authorisation from ELCANO SCHOOL S.L.

RULES FOR SHARED APARTMENT ACCOMMODATION

• The student will be responsible for any breakages and damages that may be caused by negligence or intentionally. If there is damage and none of the tenants of the apartment will be responsible, the cost of the repair will be divided among all the students of the apartment.
• On the day the keys are collected the student will have to pay €150,00 as a deposit, which will be returned at the end of the stay and €30,00 for final cleaning, which will be done once the student leaves the accommodation. In any case, the student will have to respect the weekly cleaning rules established by the flat and flatmates.
• Garbage has to be taken out every afternoon to prevent unexpected friends (ants/cockroaches,.).
• In case the tenant/housekeeper of the cleaning week does not want to clean, a cleaning person will be called. The cost will be paid by the tenant (€30.00 minimum service).
• Each tenant needs to clean the kitchen after use.
• In case of serious disciplinary misconduct or repeated misbehaviour, the student may be expelled from the accommodation without any right to a refund.
• If the damage was caused by third parties, all expenses will be charged to the student, who will lose all rights to a claim.
• The abandonment of the accommodation in imperfect cleaning conditions will be punished with the amount of the deposit.
• Parties in the apartment are totally forbidden.
• It is not permitted for anyone outside the flat to sleep without prior consultation with the school.

RULES HOST FAMILY ACCOMMODATION

Students must respect some rules to establish a good coexistence:

• Do not make noise (slamming doors, shouting)
• Peace and quiet are requested after 23:00.
• Showers: it is recommended 1 shower per day and late-night (until 23:00).
• Washing machine: 1 washing service/week is available. Please do not hang wet clothes on the terraces/windows/doors;
• Family lunch/dinner times must be respected and the student must adapt to them. In case you do not wish to participate, you need to give at least 24 hours notice to the host family. See schedule table:
• Meals are prepared according to Spanish customs, for this reason, the student needs to understand that the meals are not the same that are prepared in their country of origin. Breakfast includes: cereal, milk/coffee/tea, butter toast, jam, cheese or croissant, and muffins.
• The kitchen space is reserved only for the mother/father of the family. Students cannot use the appliances without permission from the host family.
• You cannot take food/drink without asking the family.
• Inappropriate behaviour, or any damage caused in the host family's home by the student, may result in the student's expulsion from the study programme.
• Students are not allowed to invite strangers or students from other host families to the host family's home.

Under no circumstances will ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. refund the money for the programme or be responsible for the economic costs that this may entail.

SCHEDULE

*Continuous communication between the host family and the student is essential.

Additional terms and conditions for minor students staying with a host family

1. Evening arrival times at the host family's home are predefined and agreed in advance. The mother/father/legal guardian of the student must fill in the enrolment form in which the section on nights out must be completed at least 7 calendar days before the start of the study programme. In any case, the family is obliged to wait for the pupils until 23:00. After this time, the school and the families are not responsible for the arrival of the student. In the event of a late arrival time before 23:00, the arrival of a student under the influence of alcohol or other substances or in any other case that may pose a problem for the safety of the student or the family, the family will immediately notify the school and the school will notify the student's parents/guardians.
2. The consumption of alcohol, tobacco or other substances is strictly forbidden for underage students during the stay of the trip both inside and outside the school and host family premises. Under no circumstances will ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. refund the money for the programme or be responsible for the economic costs that this may entail.

6. CERTIFICATE, ASSISTANCE AND POSSIBLE EXPULSION

Lack of assistance will not be recoverable. In order to receive the certificate of attendance, the student must duly justify his or her faults and in any case, attend at least 80% of his or her classes. The school has the right to expel students who have more than 30% unexcused absences or inappropriate behaviour at school.

The certificate issued by Elcano School, S.L. has no official validity. A certificate of achievement will be issued at the end of the stay at the school, provided that the student has more than 80% attendance. Together with the school certificate, a guide to the contents of the course and a transcript of grades will be issued.

We encourage our students to certify their level of Spanish through the different official exams of the Instituto Cervantes. If you need or are interested in taking an exam to officially certify your Spanish, ask at reception or send us an email to info@escuela-elcano.com and we will help you in this process. You can find more information about official exams and our DELE preparation courses here.

7. VISA

NON-COMMUNITY students REQUIRE VISA. Each student is responsible for checking the requirements for entering Spain and applying for a visa at the corresponding embassy or foreigners' office.

Once the student has registered at the school and has paid the total amount of the enrolment fee, ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. will provide him/her with all the necessary documents to attach to his/her application for a study stay:

• letter of invitation and confirmation of the Spanish course.
• syllabus.
• invoice for the total program amount.

These documents lack official power and are documents that serve for the confirmation of registration and payment in one of our courses at ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. These documents will have a validity equivalent to the duration of the course that has been contracted by the student, never superior. If the student needs the original of any of these documents urgently, the courier costs will be paid by the student.

Once the documents described above have been submitted, ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. considers that it has fulfilled its obligations with regard to the delivery of the documents necessary to obtain the visa. It is the student's responsibility to submit these documents to the relevant institution and under no circumstances will ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. make any refunds if these documents have not been submitted or have been submitted at the wrong time or incorrectly.

Discounts and promotions will not be applicable for courses that require the invitation letter for visas.

VISA Application Rejection

If the VISA application is rejected, the student will have to send the official document of refusal to info@escuela-elcano.com to proceed to the refund and cancellation of contracted services. ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. will in no case refund the amount corresponding to administrative costs (305,00€). The remaining part will be refunded, provided that the student gives notice of cancellation at least 21 calendar days before the start of the course. If the cancellation is not made within the estimated time, the student will lose the right to reimbursement. If the student has contracted accommodation, the amount of 2 weeks of the contracted accommodation will also be deducted.

VISA Resolution Delays

If the student has not received a resolution 7 calendar days before the start of the course, the starting date of the course may be changed provided that the student notifies info@escuela-elcano.com in writing at least 7 calendar days before the start of the course. In case the notice is not made in time, the modification will not be possible and the student will not receive any refund for the period of the course and accommodation not enjoyed. If the student has contracted accommodation, the date of entry to the accommodation can be changed, but at an additional cost of 2 weeks of the contracted accommodation.

Arranging student visas through foreign cooperation agencies

If the student decides to carry out all the steps described above through a collaborating agency, it is the student's responsibility to be in contact with the collaborating agency and in no case ELCANO SCHOOL S.L. will be responsible for mismanagement or administrative errors derived from these agencies.

8. TRANSFER AND ARRIVALS

The student who hires the transfer is responsible for providing the information about flight, airline, date and time of arrival, flight number, and airport of origin to ELCANO at least 7 days before the arrival to info@escuela-elcano.com, in order to be able to organize the transfer. Otherwise ELCANO is not responsible for the pick up and the student loses the right to reimbursement. If cancellations and delays are not communicated in advance (min. 5 hours) the student loses the right to refund the transfer.

9. INSURANCE

ELCANO has liability insurance within its facilities. Students are not covered in case of any contingency, illness, theft, or loss of personnel, either in their accommodation or outside or within the classrooms of the center and work areas. For this reason students are advised to take out travel insurance in their country which includes:

• Personal Health Insurance / Health Insurance Abroad
• Accident Insurance.
• Civil Responsibility Insurance.

10. DATA PRIVACY AND ADVERTISING

On behalf of the company, we process the information you provide to us in order to provide the requested service, perform the billing of the same. The data provided will be kept as long as the business relationship is maintained or for the years necessary to comply with legal obligations. The data will not be transferred to third parties except in cases where there is a legal obligation. You have the right to obtain confirmation on whether ELCANO SCHOOL, S.L is processing your personal data so you have the right to access your personal data, rectify inaccurate data or request its deletion when the data is no longer needed.

In addition ELCANO SCHOOL, S.L requests your authorization to offer products and services related to those requested and loyalty as a customer.

11. BASIC RULES

We would like to give you some useful information that will be necessary for the development of the course.

PUNCTUALITY

Students should arrive punctually to class in order to avoid interrupting classmates and the teacher. If a student arrives more than 15 minutes late to class without a justified reason, he/she must wait until the break time before being allowed to enter the class.

SPANISH LANGUAGE

Escuela Elcano is a centre that receives students of all nationalities and who speak different languages, therefore, the language used in the Spanish class will be Spanish. During the classes, the teacher will address the students in Spanish, this will also help you to have a real exposure to the Spanish language and to improve your understanding little by little.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Class attendance is compulsory and also necessary in order to receive the certificate of attendance and achievement at the end of the course. If you miss class it is advisable to let the school know that you will not be attending. Likewise, if you feel unwell and need any kind of help, please contact us so that we can help you and find a solution. If for any reason, without prior notice, you miss more than two days of Spanish class, it is necessary to speak directly with the Head of Studies to find out if any kind of intervention is needed in order to continue with the group or to re-evaluate the level.

Important note: if your course is linked to a Student Visa, class attendance and exams are compulsory and, in the event that the relevant authorities ask us for information about a student, it is our duty to provide all this information.

DURING THE CLASS

Mobile phones should be used as little as possible as they can interfere with learning.

We will try to leave the classroom as little as possible during class hours and take advantage of the 15min breaks to use the toilets, go downstairs for a drink or something to eat…

CLASS MATERIAL

The price of the course does not include the student's book. It is the student's obligation and responsibility to buy the book if he/she is going to study for more than 3 weeks in the case of intensive groups. The student can decide whether to purchase the book through the school for 35,00€ or to purchase it on their own through the internet or in other physical shops in the area. For ecological reasons, the school reserves the right not to provide materials in the form of photocopies to students who do not purchase the book and have booked the courses described above.

LOAN SYSTEM

The school has developed a book lending system to ensure that all students in the classroom can follow the programme properly. The book can be borrowed by sending an e-mail to the school administration (info@escuela-elcano.com) at least 48 hours in advance, otherwise the school cannot guarantee the requested loan. The loan can be made for the entire duration of the course or for a few weeks and will cost €35,00 per student and per book borrowed and will be paid in cash, which will be returned at the end of the loan if the book is in good condition. Please note that the loan book is a book that is in common use by the students, so please note that this book cannot be written in or damaged.

YOUR WELL-BEING IS IMPORTANT TO US

It is often difficult to adapt to a new city where your mother tongue is not spoken and you may feel disorientated or homesick If this is the case and you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to tell your teacher or the Head of Studies.

Likewise, the first few days of class can be complicated and a bit overwhelming due to the culture shock and the continuous exposure to the Spanish language Little by little the situation will improve and you will feel better in the class and in the situation. However, if you need to talk or express any concerns or doubts, talk to your teacher or the head of studies so that we can help you.

ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATIONS

At school, students are assessed in two ways:

• The first is through continuous assessment (class participation, collaborative tasks, homework, exercises for homework,…).
• The second is through level and sub-level exams, which all our students must take on a regular basis. These tests, apart from helping us to see your progress, also help us to see where you need reinforcement. These tests, apart from helping us to see your progress, also help us to see where you need reinforcement.

Please note: if your course is linked to a Student Visa these two forms of assessment help us to create a report card which may be required by the Foreigners Office at the end of your stay at our school. Therefore, these assessments are compulsory for all students who are studying at the school on a Student Visa and recommended for all students at the school.

TUTORIAL SYSTEM

The School has a tutoring system to help students who require or wish it. Tutorials are a right of students who attend classes regularly. Individual tutorials can be offered by the teacher in case a student needs extra help with any of the topics in class or the student can ask for a tutorial to solve specific doubts or questions that cannot be solved in class. Tutorials can also be assigned to several students at the same time if the teacher or the students require it. Tutoring times are usually after class, from 13.30h – 14.30h but may vary depending on the availability of both the teacher and the student. If you would like to request a tutorial you can do so directly with your teacher or by contacting info@escuela-elcano.com.

DELE EXAMS

If your course is connected to a student visa/student visa, you will need to take an official exam at the end of the course at the Instituto Cervantes. The teaching team will analyse your case and guide you in choosing the level and date of this exam.

If your course is not linked to a Student Visa, it is not compulsory to take this exam, but we encourage all students to take this exam to officially certify your level. If you would like more information or need help with enrolment, you can make an appointment at dele@escuela-elcano.com.

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR

The school reserves the right to sanction or expel students with inappropriate behaviour that infringes on the freedom of fellow students or employees of the Elcano School. Any behaviour that is racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist or infringes on the religious, sexual or political freedom of individuals will be taken very seriously by the management and the Head of Studies and may lead to the expulsion of the student. In any case will the Elcano School reimburse the rest of the course in case of expulsion for inappropriate behaviour.

12. COMPLAINTS, SUGGESTIONS AND QUALITY SURVEY

Every student has the right to express his or her opinion about the school's services at the school's reception, through the following complaints and suggestions form or by completing the quality survey.