1. General Policy
1.1 Fees are effective from 01/01/2022 and are payable in advance. They are not subject to VAT.
1.2 Payments by card or bank transfer are accepted.
1.3 Fees are exclusive of books (except where otherwise indicated).
1.4 A free evaluation/advice service is provided at the Institut français to help you decide which course is best for you.
1.5 We regret that payment of fees by instalments cannot be accepted.
1.6 The Institut français is closed on Bank Holidays. Courses which fall on these dates have been rescheduled accordingly except for intensive courses for which missed hours will be rescheduled by the tutor after consultation with the students.
1.7 We reserve the right to refuse admission.
1.8 Students are kindly requested to refrain from smoking while on the premises.
1.9 Policy for cancellation/change in schedule
Fees cannot be refunded once a course has started and no partial refund can be granted for classes not attended. The Institut français cannot accept any responsibility for unforeseen changes in students’ circumstances that may prevent attendance. Requests for cancellations and refunds must be made in writing before the course commences.
Refund:
Please note that all our onsite courses may be transferred to online courses due to any reason beyond our control. (safety reasons, strikes…) Should this occur, fees will not be refunded and no partial refund can be granted.
The following charges will apply: £36 if the written request is received more than 10 days before the course starts or 30% of the total course fee if the request is received 10 days or under before the first day of the course.
Transfer:
If a course proves inappropriate, transfer to another one is possible only within the same enrolment period.
If the written request is received less than 10 days before the course starts, any change of course or schedule requested by students is subject to availability and an administrative charge of £36.
Please note that due to the very nature of the Live French elearning course, transfers and refunds requested by students are only possible once if they are received more than 10 days before the start of the course.
1.10 As part of our service to help you enjoy French culture as well as the language, everyone studying at the Language Centre is entitled to free membership of the Cultural Centre for one year. This includes: a pair of free Ciné Lumière cinema tickets when you first join our Médiathèque; concessionary tickets for the Ciné Lumière for one year; concessionary rates at other cultural venues in London; borrowing rights at the Médiathèque; free advance programmes by post and 10% discount on all purchases at the Cultural Centre’s cafe.
1.11 Group classes are only for learners aged 18 and over except for the Young Learners Programmes.
1.12 Shared Directory Data. When you join an online class using your email address, the online service adds you to a directory of users that share the same online class. Your directory data (name and email address) may be visible to other students.
1.13 Information collection: information we might collect might be used internally for training purposes in order to improve our services.
1.14 Be patient and give your peers time to communicate effectively as interacting online can mean others may be slower to respond across a range of formats. Acknowledge, recognise, and be respectful of the viewpoints of others.
1.15 Allegations of misconduct will be investigated by the French Institute. Violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or offensive language is in breach of this code of conduct and the offending student will be disbarred from their courses.
2. Group Courses Policy
2.1 You will benefit from a 5% discount on all group courses (except on our Live French elearning, Intensive Premium and French at lunch and booster week courses) if your payment is received at least 3 full weeks (21 days or more) before the course commences.
2.2 Students sponsored by their employer must supply an official order form from the company stating that the employer will be responsible for the payment of fees. An invoice will be issued upon presentation of the order form.
2.3 If the written request is received less than 10 days before the course starts, any change of course or schedule requested by students is subject to availability and an administrative charge of £36.
2.4 Any change of course or schedule requested by students is subject to availability and an administrative charge of £36.
2.5 Please note that if a course proves inappropriate, transfer to another one is possible only once within the same enrolment period.
2.6 We reserve the right to cancel classes with less than 6 students up to 2 business days before a course is due to start.
2.7 A full refund of the course fee paid will be given if a course is cancelled or closed due to an insufficient number of students, or for any other reason beyond our control. No other cost except the course fee will be refunded.
2.8 Unless otherwise specified, our classes are limited to 12 students per class.
2.9 Tuition fees based on pro rata basis will not be permitted.
2.10 Course formats: see “3. Course Formats.”
2.11 Underage student: see “4. Young Learners”
3. Course Formats
100% Online
Courses that are tagged as “100% online” cannot be converted into onsite courses after the course has begun and are therefore deemed to remain online.
Online
Courses that are tagged as simply “online” may be transformed into an onsite or hybrid format after the course has begun but only if all the students of a given group are willing to do so.
Onsite
Courses that are tagged as simply “onsite” may be transformed into an online format if the Institut français du Royaume-Uni considers this preferable for health & safety reasons and in order to ensure the security of the public and the personnel.
Hybrid
Courses that are tagged as “hybrid” alternate between onsite and online classes. The schedule will be conveyed ahead of the class and fall under the conditions that are described above for “online” and “onsite classes.
“Online & live streamed” onsite courses available online even when they happen on location. Priority will be granted to onsite students and interaction for remote students will be limited..
All courses grant access to an online platform (currently Teams) which is the main online interface between teachers and students and to access resources.
Due to the necessities of the current situation with the Covid-19, please note that, by decision of the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, all our onsite and hybrid courses may be transferred to online courses for safety reasons. Should this occur, fees will not be refunded and no partial refund can be granted.
4. Young Learners
4.1 As a guardian, you will supervise your child’s internet activity and online learning – the Institut français du Royaume-Uni cannot be held accountable for the student misuse of the Internet.
4.2 As a guardian, you are responsible for safeguarding your child during the online course.The Institut français du Royaume-Uni can not be held accountable for safeguarding your child during the online summer camp.
4.3 Keeping children safe is of the utmost importance to us and to the schools we work with. All our teachers have been subject to a UK Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check.
4.4 All information will be handled in a secure and confidential manner and held in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Data will only be collected, stored and used for activities related to the Institut français.
4.5 As a guardian, you are responsible for the good behaviour of your child and you understand that uncooperative attitude and disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated and might lead to expulsion (refunds will not be granted under these circumstances).
Students are asked to refrain from using cell phones during lessons, unless advised otherwise for learning purposes.
4.6 Breaks are included during lessons to give your child’s eyes a screen-time break.
5. Private Tuition / ONLINE COURSES Policy
5.1 Full payment must be received at least 1 week before the first class. In some cases a signed purchase order may be deemed acceptable. We reserve the right to cancel lessons if payment has not been made in due time.
5.2 All sessions within a contract of 15 hours or less must be used within 3 months starting the day of the first session.
All sessions within a contract of 16 hours or more must be used within 6 months starting the day of the first session.
Any unused lesson within this time frame will be lost.
5.3 Policy for cancellation/change in schedule:
Should you need to cancel a scheduled lesson, please note that at least 48 hours’ notice is required for face to face lessons, 24 hours’s notice for online lessons (business days).
Fees cannot be refunded once a course has started and no partial refund can be granted for classes not attended. The Institut français cannot accept any responsibility for unforeseen changes in students’ circumstances that may prevent attendance.
Requests for cancellations and refunds must be made in writing, before the course commences. The following charges will apply: £36 if the written request is received more than 10 days before the course starts, 30% of the total course fee if the request is received 10 days or under before the first day of the course.
5.4 Transport to the client’s premises is payable by the client only outside Zone 2 of the London Underground.
6. Examinations Rules and Regulations
6.1 Examination fees are non refundable. Examination fees cannot be transferred to a future examination session. No changes (personal information, level, specialisation) will be accepted once the deadline is passed.
6.2 It is the candidate’s responsibility to check that their name and details are exact and correctly spelt on their statement of entry, exactly as they appear on their passport. The same details will appear on the candidates’ final certificates. It will not be possible to amend name/detail errors once the diplomas have been printed.
6.3 Any discrepancy between a candidate’s examination registration details and their passport (eg diminutive used instead of full given names) may lead to the candidate being refused access to the examination room.
6.4 Candidates should inform the examination centre should their details change during the examination period (from enrolment to the arrival of diplomas up to 6 months later)
6.5 Examination dates may be subject to alterations or cancellation in cases of force majeure.
6.6 Once set, the schedule of oral examination dates and times may not be altered.
6.7 Oral examinations may take place early in the day / late in the evening. There may be a long gap between a candidate’s oral and written examinations, and oral examinations may be held on a different day to written examinations to accommodate the number of candidates enrolled.
6.8 Oral examinations may be recorded.
6.9 Statements of entry / oral examination schedules will be sent / posted on our website two weeks prior to the examination. Candidates are required to check email attachments sent to them, and to visit our website in order to read their oral schedule. It is the candidate’s responsibility to enquire at least one week prior to the examination if they have not received an email from the examination centre, so they can make the necessary arrangements.
6.10 Candidates should arrive 15 minutes prior to the beginning of their examination (according to the times mentioned on the statement of entry or the schedule). Late arrivals will not be accommodated.
6.11 Candidates will be required to bring official proof of identity on their examination days. Only passports, national ID cards and photo driving licences will be accepted. Failure to produce one of the above-mentioned cards will deny candidates access to the examination room.
6.12 DELF/DALF candidates will be informed by email whether they have passed or failed. DELF/DALF results will be posted on the Exam Results page of our website. The candidates’ overall and detailed scores will be printed onto their “attestation de réussite” (results certificates). No results or scores will be given by email or phone to candidates.
6.13 Results certificates and diplomas must be collected by the candidate at the examination centre and within two weeks of notification and with official proof of identity. No certificate / diploma will be sent directly to candidates by post.
6.14 Should a candidate find themselves unable to collect their results or diploma, they may write a letter of proxy authorising a third party to collect their documents on their behalf. The letter must be manually signed and bear the name of the candidate, the name of the person collecting their document, the name of the examination and document, and the date. The third party will bring the printed letter, their own passport or photo driving licence, and a photocopy of the candidate’s ID.
6.15 Certificates and diplomas may not be reprinted, unless to amend an error on the original document. Reprints due to unchecked errors will incur an extra charge of £15 per certificate.
6.16 TCF certificates are valid 2 years, and TCF examinations may be re-taken a minimum of 30 days after the last examination, and may be taken as often as the candidate wishes to. DELF-DALF qualifications are valid for life and once passed, may not be re-sat.
6.17 For candidates under the age of 18, the responsibility of all of the above falls on their parents or legal guardians.
6.18 DELF Prim candidates and all candidates under the age of 16 are required to be accompanied by an adult (parent, teacher or guardian) at all times when at the examination centre in between examinations. The responsibility of the child remains with the parent / guardian / teacher. The examination centre cannot accept unaccompanied candidates under the age of 16.
6.19 Parents or guardians of a minor wishing to collect their certificates / diplomas will need to bring their own ID and their child’s ID when collecting the documents.