Legal Terms and Conditions
Registration for Language Courses, Start, Duration, Payment Terms
The contract between Sprachschule Aktiv Essen and the customer is concluded through binding registration in conjunction with the course or exam confirmation. Registration can be done in writing on-site or via the online registration form. The course fee is due within 14 days of invoicing or, at the latest, by the start of the course, unless otherwise agreed. Payment can be made either in cash or by bank transfer. The participant commits to timely payment. Should the course be attended partially or not at all, the obligation to pay remains unaffected. Booking is done only in course hours or teaching units, not by proficiency levels. Sprachschule Aktiv Essen does not guarantee reaching a specific proficiency level.
General Conditions
A teaching unit (UE) lasts 45 minutes. The customer has no right to a specific teacher. Sprachschule Aktiv Essen reserves the right to change and replace teachers during a course. The customer has no claims arising from this process; specifically, cancellation, refund of the course fee, or partial refund of the course fee are expressly excluded. Sprachschule Aktiv Essen assumes no liability for achieving a specific level at a certain time. No guarantee is given for passing an exam. Refund of the course or exam fee for this reason are excluded. The customer agrees that, in the event of payment delays, their data may be passed on to a collection agency tasked with recovering the course fee. No classes are held on public holidays. These classes are not made up, and there is no entitlement to a partial refund. If the actual proficiency level of a participant deviates from the booked level, Sprachschule Aktiv Essen may reassign the participant to a course with the appropriate level. The determination of the actual proficiency level is based on a certified placement test. No claims arise from this assignment, and specifically, special termination rights are expressly excluded.
Cancellation – Deadline – Conditions
For online contracts, you have a right of withdrawal according to the provisions of the German Civil Code (BGB). This must be communicated to the administration of Sprachschule Aktiv Essen via a clear declaration (e.g., by email or mail). With each booking, you will be properly informed about your right of withdrawal. If the course start is within the withdrawal period, withdrawal is no longer possible after the course has started. The legal right of withdrawal applies only to online bookings. For all registrations made through the registration form at the premises of Sprachschule Aktiv Essen, the customer has no right of withdrawal.
The booking of language courses is made for a predetermined period or, for private courses, a predetermined number of teaching units. If the student cannot attend scheduled classes, they have no right to a replacement appointment or a partial refund of the course fee. The student has the right to cancel the course after attending the first lesson (trial lesson = 45 minutes). The cancellation must be made in writing within 24 hours and does not require a reason. If the student decides to continue the course after the trial lesson, the trial lesson is considered part of the booked course contingent and is not free. Mere absence from the course is not considered a cancellation and does not exempt the student from the obligation to pay. If the student terminates the booked language course early, the entire remaining course fee is immediately due for payment. If an installment payment agreement is in place and an installment is not paid, the installment payment agreement becomes invalid, and the total amount is due from the date of the missed installment.
If the course cannot be conducted due to force majeure, the participant has no right to a refund or make-up for missed classes. If the language school must temporarily close for reasons not attributable to it, such as to prevent the spread of epidemics, pandemics, or infectious diseases, this circumstance does not entitle the student to terminate the contract. Additionally, any advance payments made cannot be reclaimed for this reason. Instead, the contract is suspended during the closure of the language school and will continue unchanged after the reason for closure is resolved.
Special Provisions for Visa Courses
The customer is required to indicate at registration that they need a visa course. A visa course is any course for which confirmation is used to apply for a visa at an authority. For bookings of up to 3 months, the entire course fee is due in advance. For bookings of 4 months or more, the customer is required to pay half of the course fee in advance as a deposit. The second half of the course fee is due at the start of the course.
For language course bookings that involve the issuance of a visa, the following provisions apply:
- Deposit will be refunded (minus €250 processing fee):
1. I have informed the language school in writing before the course starts that Im will not be able to arrive on time AND
2. I have provided the rejection notice within four months after the planned
course start. - Deposit will not be refunded:
1. I did not inform the language school in writing before the course starts that I cannot attend OR
2. I did not provide the rejection notice within four months after the planned
course start.
A refund is excluded if the applicant withdraws their application. If the visa is denied by the relevant authority, the entire course fee, minus a €250 processing fee, will be refunded upon presentation of the rejection notice. The rejection notice must be provided no later than four months after the planned course start. This refund is only possible if the administration of
Sprachschule Aktiv has been informed in writing about the postponement before the planned course start. A refund is excluded in the case of a postponement (if the visa course does not start at the originally booked time). If the course cannot start as planned, the language school must be informed in writing before the start of the language course. The customer can postpone the course start free of charge by up to four months from the original start date. The postponement must be communicated in writing before the planned course start.
The online communication training on Saturday will only take place if the minimum number of participants is reached. There is no entitlement to a reduction or refund of the visa course fee if the Saturday class is canceled.
Intensive courses in the morning regularly take place from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. In rare cases, Sprachschule Aktiv reserves the right to adjust the course time due to organizational requirements. For the morning intensive course, the latest possible start time is 1:00 PM. Such adjustments do not give rise to any special right of termination or entitlement to a partial refund. Visa courses do not include a free trial lesson.
Telc Exam Registration
Registration for the exam is binding. Cancellation of registration for the Telc exam is not possible. Exam fees must be paid within five days of registration. The registration deadline for the exam is at least 15 business days before the exam date. A registration fee of €15 will be charged in addition to the exam fee. If you are ill on the day of the exam, we require a medical certificate from you. In this case, a cancellation fee of €80 will be charged.
Special Provisions for Private and Corporate Courses
For bookings of private and corporate courses, the timing of the booked teaching units can be arranged individually with the teacher or with the language school. If the student does not attend the scheduled teaching units, there is no right to replacement classes or a refund of the course fee. Similarly, once the withdrawal period has expired, a booked block of hours cannot be canceled. This also applies if the participant or the company no longer wishes to use the hours. If the participant cannot attend a scheduled class, they must inform the language school or the teacher in writing at least 24 hours before the start of the class in order to reschedule. If the class is canceled by the participant within this period, there is no right to replacement classes. For private and corporate courses, a minimum of two teaching units per appointment must always be booked. Booked teaching hours for private or corporate courses must be used within one year. Unused teaching units expire one year after the course booking. After this year, no refund is possible, and any unused course hours cannot be used.
Special Provisions for Low Number of Participants
Sprachschule Aktiv Essen reserves the right to postpone a course until the minimum number of three participants is reached or to cancel it if the minimum number of participants is not met. If fewer than four participants enroll in an intensive course, the course may be shortened to three teaching units (three times 45 minutes) per day.
Disclaimer
Sprachschule Aktiv Essen accepts no liability for damages, accidents, and injuries to course participants while at, on the way to, or from the language school in Essen. Similarly, Sprachschule Aktiv Essen assumes no liability for theft or damage to property within the language school. Sprachschule Aktiv Essen also assumes no liability for material damages of any kind arising from the provision of knowledge. Conflicting general terms and conditions of the customer are rejected. In the case of negligently caused property and financial damages, we and our vicarious agents are only liable for the breach of a material contractual obligation, and our liability is limited to foreseeable and typical damages at the time of contract conclusion.
Severability Clause
Should any provision of these General Terms and Conditions be invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall not be affected.
As of: August 13, 2024