Registration Conditions

1. Arrival

You should arrive at your accommodation on the Sunday before the course start date. If you booked a taxi transfer, the driver 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.

2. Registration

All courses are subject to availability. Please check with us if there is a space available on your chosen course before booking and note that we can only guarantee this place for a maximum of 5 working days from receipt of your enquiry. If we have a place available we will send you a Confirmation of Booking. If you need to apply for a visa we require full payment of fees in advance. If you need a Letter of Invitation to support your application to be sent by express post an additional non-refundable fee of £55 is also required. If your visa application is unsuccessful you must send us an official visa refusal letter. On receipt of this refusal letter we will refund all fees paid, less our Registration Fee of £50.

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.

3. Course Schedule

The school year runs from Monday January 4 to Friday December 17. There are no lessons on UK public holidays which in 2010 are April 2, April 5, May 3, May 31 and August 30. Please note that during weeks including a public holiday you will receive fewer lessons than those advertised and no additional lessons are given or refunds made as compensation.

4. Language Level

We require all students to go to www.hastingstest.com and complete our online placement test. Please send the test to us as soon as your booking is confirmed. General English, Academic Year and Personal Learning Programmes are offered at all levels, but beginners can only join a Standard (morning only) course and must be able to write using the English alphabet. Bookings for Professional, Business, Executive and Cambridge Examination courses are only accepted if the assessment test score is high enough. The school reserves the right to place a student in a class or on a course appropriate to our assessment of their language level, and there is no financial compensation if this involves fewer lessons or a different course.

5. Cambridge Examination English

FCE 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.

6. Academic Year Programme

The Additional weeks price (see price list) only applies for initial bookings of 21 or more weeks. There is a compulsory 2 week break during the Christmas holiday when the school is closed.

7. 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 charge of £20 to keep the book.

8. 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 exclude any students who it believes are under the minimum age.

9. Class Size

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

10. Duration of Lessons

The timetable is divided into single or double lessons of 45 or 50 minutes duration (see Timetable)

11. Cancellation Charges

Cancellation 14 or more days before your course start date £150. Cancellation less than 14 days before your course start date £150 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. Please visit www.course-u-can.co.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 exclude 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 week's notice. We will then refund all accommodation fees or allocate new homestay 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 responsibility 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 homestay 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 will apply.