Registration Conditions

1. Registration

When you book a course we ask you to pay a registration fee of £35 and a deposit of £65. The deposit is not an extra charge and is deducted from the total fees. You can register and pay for your course using the secure online booking facility on this website. Alternatively you can send us a cheque drawn on a London bank or transfer the amount to our bank. Our bank account details are as follows:

If you are paying by bank transfer, please send a copy of the receipt to the school with your Registration Form as a confirmation of payment. If you want to pay for your course in Euros, please contact us for current arrangements and prices.

All courses are subject to availability. Please check with us if there is a space available on your chosen course before booking. If we have a space available we will send you a Confirmation of Booking. If you must apply for a visa we will also send a Letter of Invitation to support your application. If you need the Letter of Invitation sent by express post an additional fee of £55 is required.

2. Payment of Fees

All fees are due at least 2 weeks before the course start date. For late bookings all fees must be paid at the time of booking. If you are paying by bank transfer we ask you to add the UK bank charges of £8 to the amount you are paying.

3. Arrival

You should arrive at your accommodation on the Sunday before the course start date. If you booked a taxi transfer, one of our representatives will meet you at the airport / port and take you to your accommodation. If you are finding your own way to your accommodation please inform your host of an approximate arrival time before you arrive in the UK.

4. Course Schedule

The school year runs from Monday January 7 - Friday December 19. There are no lessons on UK public holidays which in 2008 are March 21 , March 24, May 5, May 26 and August 25.

Please note that during weeks including a public holiday you will receive fewer lessons than those advertised, and no additional lessons or refunds are given during these weeks as compensation.

5. Language Level

We require all students to do a Placement Test before they arrive. All Professional, Business, Executive English and Cambridge Examination Course students must complete this placement test before we can confirm the booking. Bookings are only accepted if the placement test score is high enough.

Beginners must join a General English Standard Course (morning only) and must start a course on January 7, March 25 (Tuesday), June 30 or September 15. Beginners must also be able to write using the English alphabet before they can join a course.

The school reserves the right to place a student in a class or on a course appropriate to their language level, and there is no financial compensation if this involves fewer lessons or a different course.

6. Cambridge Examination English

FCE and CAE exams are usually held on the Saturday after the end of the course. IELTS exams take place every month. Please arrange your departure day accordingly. The Examination Fee includes the cost of additional specialist examination materials. Additional costs such as transport to and from the examination centre must be paid by the student. Please note that the examination course in March starts on Tuesday 25 March because Monday 24 March is a UK Public Holiday.

7. Academic Year Programmes

The additional weeks price only applies for initial bookings of 27 or more weeks. If you do an examination there is an examination fee of £140 (per exam) which you can pay at HELC. Academic Year Programmes all include 24 weeks tuition plus a two-week break when students do not attend a class: March 8 - 24, August  30 - September 12, December 20, 2008 - January 4, 2009.

8. Course Materials

Students doing most courses are loaned a course book. This book must be returned in good condition at the end of your stay, otherwise we will make a change of £20 to keep the book.

9. Minimum Age

No students below the minimum age of 18 are accepted onto any HELC course. In exceptional circumstances we will accept students below the age of 21 for our Executive, Business and Professional courses, but this can only be done with special permission from the school's directors. HELC reserves the right to refuse entry to or expel any students who it believes are under the minimum age.

10. Class Size

We reserve the right to increase maximum class sizes to cover short-term teacher absences and to ensure better continuity of study for students if necessary. If this occurs no compensation will be given.

11. Cancellation Charges

Cancellation 14 or more days before your course start date - £100

Cancellation less than 14 days before your course start date - £100 plus one week's tuition fees

After your course has started we will not refund tuition fees. We strongly advise you to take out cancellation and travel insurance when you book your course. You can do this in your own country or, if you prefer, visit www.course-u-can.co.uk , a web-based company that offers insurance specially designed for language students in the UK.

If HELC has to cancel a course for any reason we will offer an alternative course or a full refund of fees.

We reserve the right to expel any student for behaviour which the Directors of HELC deem to be unacceptable and if this happens no refund of fees or compensation will be given.

12. Accommodation Cancellation.

If you cancel or wish to change your accommodation while you are at the school we require at least 2 weeks' notice. We will then refund all accommodation fees or allocate new home stay accommodation, but will charge an administration fee of £20. Hotel and guest house cancellation charges will be at the discretion of the hotel or Guest House concerned.

13. Liability.

The school cannot accept liability for loss, damage or injury to any student however or wherever caused, except where liability is expressly imposed by law. The school cannot accept responsibility for any losses or additional expenses caused to students by changes or delays in travel services, sickness, adverse weather, industrial disputes, riots or similar causes. The school is not liable for acts or omissions of independent suppliers (such as home stay providers, hotels, taxis, coach companies) which the school may use in connection with its own services to students. Furthermore, the school accepts no liability for injury or damage caused by any of its students to other people or their property. Students are strongly advised to take out insurance to cover all such risks. In the unlikely event of an unresolved dispute the laws of England shall apply.