Bridge Mills Galway Language Centre

GENERAL COURSE CONDITIONS 2020
1. ALL LESSONS: 45 MINUTES. GROUPS: MAXIMUM 12 (EG20PM max. 15); MINIMUM 3.
2. MINIMUM ENROLMENT: Courses are subject to a minimum enrolment of 3. For groups of 2, students are given 8 lessons for every 10 group lessons booked. One student only: 4 private lessons (1:1) for every 10 group lessons booked. Usually, this affects only Beginners, non-exam Proficiency courses and afternoon groups, but can apply to any.

3. PAYMENT OF FEES: All course and accommodation fees are to be paid at the time of booking.
4. REFUNDS / CANCELLATIONS: No refunds are given for the original bookings or for partial weeks of attendance or for uncompleted courses 7 days after the course has begun.
CANCELLATION OF BOOKING and REFUNDS before course has begun –: Cancellation charge €160 applies in all cases plus the school shall retain a portion of the course fees as follows: notice of receipt of cancellation 21 days before the start of a course, 10%: 14 days before, 20%: 7 days before and up to 7 days after course commencement, 30%. No refunds will be made for partial weeks of attendance or an uncompleted course following 7 days after the course begins. Insurance, Registration fees and Examinations fees are non-refundable in all cases.
Refunds will be made within a maximum of 2 months following the cancellation date and processed by Patrick Creed: info@galwaylanguage.com.
If a visa application is refused, the funds will be returned within 20 working days of the decision being received by the provider, less cancellation charge of €160. (Examination fees, registration fees and insurance are non- refundable after payment)
For accommodation refunds, see below.
5. HOST FAMILY ACCOMMODATION: Family accommodation is booked in units of 7 nights, beginning and ending on Saturday or Sunday. Students wishing to arrive earlier in the week before the beginning of their course or wishing to remain in the family for extra days (maximum: 2 days) at the end of the course must make special arrangements at the time of booking (not possible in high season). Ordinarily, students must leave their host family at the end of their course.
Cancellation of Accommodation – September to May: Students leaving before completion of a course will be given a refund only for full weeks after departure from the family, provided notice of departure is given one full week (weekend-to-weekend) before leaving. A cancellation fee of €160 is charged in all cases (registration fee is non – refundable).
Cancellation of Accommodation – June, July & August: Terms as above (for cancellations of Accommodation September to May) and additionally a refund of only 50% of the accommodation fees will be given for full weeks after departure from the family.(registration fee is non – refundable).

Changing Host Families: Students cannot change host family accommodation in the first two weeks of the stay without forfeiting the accommodation fee. If a student wishes to change host families after that period, they must give a full week’s notice (weekend-to-weekend) to vacate. A cancellation fee of €160 will be charged.
Temporary Absence from the Host Family: A reduced fee of €100 per week is charged for retention of the room when a student is absent for one week or more. Students should notify the family and the school of their plans in advance. Reductions are not given for absences of less than 7 days.

VISA REQUIRING STUDENTS:
Cancellations: See above under refunds.
Attendance:
Students must keep an attendance rate of at least 85% for their programme and must not be more than 5 minutes late to class. A student will be recorded as absent is they are more than 5 minutes late to class or depart 5 minutes early. Students more than 15 minutes late will not be allowed to class and will have to return after the following class break.
Recording of attendance will be by the teacher in class and checked at the end of each week by the Academic Manager.
Absence:
MEMBER OF MEI MARKETING ENGLISH IN IRELAND
RECOGNISED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL FOR THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
In the case of a student being absent for 2 days the school (Academic Manager) will try to make contact with the student by phone or email to seek clarification on the situation. If unsuccessful a letter/email will be sent to the student within 10 days of absence. If the school is unable to make contact with the student or receive good cause for absence then the student will be expelled from the school (by the School Director) within 4 weeks of the initial absence and reported to the local immigration office.
All standard correspondence as part of this process will be retained and available on request to relevant internal personnel and external authorities. Absenteeism and expulsion procedures are implemented in a timely manner – the disciplinary action follows immediately after the absenteeism issue has been identified by management. (Non-EEA students will not be expelled towards the end of their programmes in relation to issues identified at an earlier point in the programme)
Sick Leave:
Students must email (info@galwaylanguage.com) or call (00353 (0) 91 566468) the school on the first day of sickness and each day subsequently. Students must submit a certificate from a doctor on the first day of return to school. The procedure regarding absenteeism and expulsion is referenced in the requirements as activated in the case of uncertified sick leave beyond the statutory entitlement.

Holidays and Breaks:
No unscheduled breaks are permitted except in documented cases of illness or close family bereavement. Any queries should be forwarded to Student Support (studentsupport@galwaylanguage.com). Student holidays and breaks must comply with the Department of Justice and Equality’s requirements. For EG20 Am long term bookings 1 holiday break is permitted. It must be reserved at the time of booking and cannot be altered and must adhere with Department of Justice rules. For EG20 PM courses no holidays are permitted during the course of study. Holidays in this case will automatically be added to the end of the student study period.