Terms and Conditions
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In accordance with Belgian law, Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes is authorized to organize and propose travel as an agent. We adhere to the Commission de Litiges Voyages asbl and the terms and conditions defined in the Law of 16/02/94 (PDF, French). All of our programs are covered by insolvence insurance (provided by l’Européenne) that protects our clients in case of default or bankruptcy of this organization. The clauses below represent the terms and conditions particular to this organisation.
The act of enrolling for one of our programs implies complete adhesion to the conditions listed below.
Terms and Conditions for short duration programs (less than 12 weeks)
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1. Enrollment and payment
Enrollment- To enroll for our programs, please send us an enrollment application with an identity photo. We accept applications by mail, fax (+32 (0)2 280 07 87), e-mail (info@languesvivantes.com) or via our online application form.
- We will notify you of reception of your application within two business days. Your enrollment will be confirmed on payment of an initial deposit of 250€ (programs from 1 to 4 weeks), 1000€ (longer than 4 weeks) or of another agreed sum.
- You will receive the address and telephone number of your host family (or the information concerning your residence), as well as other practical information, approximately one week before departure.
Methods of Payment
We accept credit card payments. Please note that credit card transactions require a 3% finance and treatment fee. There are no additional fees for check or bank transfer payments.
Enrollments are valid and confirmed and these conditions are considered known to the participant/guardian upon reception of an ad hoc enrollment form and deposit payment.
Late Enrollments
Late enrollments are enrollments in which we receive the application form and payment less than four weeks before departure of a summer program, or less than two weeks before a departure during the rest of the year. The full programs are indicated on this site. If a program is full, we will propose an equivalent substitute.
In case of late enrollments, the total price of the program must be paid in one payment. A 15€ fee will be added to cover administrative costs (70€ if a visa is necessary to cover the cost of express mailings). The address of accommodation and other useful information will be transmitted by telephone, fax or e-mail.
2. Program Prices: Low Price Guarantee
If, within 15 days of your enrollment with us, you find an identical program (with a duration of 4 weeks or longer) on the same dates, at the same school, in the same city and with the same accommodation option through another language travel agency in Belgium or France for a better price (as published in an official brochure) we will reimburse the totality of the difference. Promotional and individualized offers are excluded. This guarantee also applies to all Individual Home stays (private teacher) Programs, including stays one to three weeks long.Prices
Our prices are calculated based on the exchange rate of 31/10/2008 and are final for all destinations in the Euro zone. For other destinations, prices may fluctuate according to currency exchange rate fluctuations. In the case of important changes in the exchange rate, we reserve the right to modify the cost of the program up to three weeks before departure. If the price rises more than 10% of the price quoted in Euros, the applicant retains the right to annul the contract without administrative or cancellation fees of any kind, in accordance with European legislation.
Reductions
- A family discount applies to each enrollment after the first per family (same domicile).
- Group discounts are available for groups of four or greater enrolling for the same course.
This discount is combinable with the first above.
The exact amounts of these discounts vary depending on the duration of the course:- 15 € (2 to 4 weeks)
- 25 € (5 to 12 weeks)
- 75 € (12 weeks and more)
Validity
Prices are valid for the year in which the participant applies. If a participant applies for a departure the following year, it is possible that the pricing will vary according to conditions established by our local partners.
3. Transportation and Program Organization
Travel documentsAll participants are assumed to have necessary travel documents before departing. For citizens of the European Union, an identity card is sufficient for all programs within the EU. Passport and visa are necessary for programs outside of Europe. We will send you the documents necessary for obtaining a visa upon reception of program payment. Please be sure to take care of this early as this process can take weeks or months depending on the destination.
Transportation
Our travel agency department (lic. A 5034) will arrange all ticketing if you request this service or if it is included in the program you choose. We decline any responsibility in the case of delays, accidents, strikes, losses or other incidents for which the transport agencies are responsible (including bus, ferry or airline companies). While we make every effort to limit the consequences of these events, any extra charges resulting from such events are the participant’s responsibility.
Program Extensions
All requests to extend programs will be accepted on the basis of availability and without any additional fees, however they will be billed at the regular price and not at the reduced "extra week" fee. Any possible fees obtained in modifying transportation arrangements will be the responsibility of the student.
Internal Rules of the School or College
Participants are obligated to learn and respect the internal rules of the school or college where they take classes, notably concerning course participation (usually obligatory). Participants are not authorized to skip classes except in cases that have been specifically excused by the school, such as medical reasons.
Schedules and Course Duration
Courses may take place in the mornings or afternoons depending on student placement and program intensity. The duration of each lesson is specified in each program description. One “hour” of class is generally 40 to 60 minutes of instruction.
Public Holidays and Vacation Periods
The courses will not take place during the host country’s official holidays (list available on request). Excepting individual home stay programs, these courses are not recuperated and not reimbursed.
Homestay Accommodation
Our homestays are not necessarily in "traditional" families; families of all types (traditional, reconstituted, retired, single-parent etc.) can host our students. The description of the family and/or lodging that you receive before departure is just a rough guide and not binding.
Participant Age
The ages mentioned on this site are indicative. Older or younger students may be accepted in function of motivation and available space.
Problems during the Program
In case of a problem during the program, the participant must inform our Brussels office and the local contact person immediately in order to allow us to respond in a timely manner. If the problem cannot be resolved on location, all claims must arrive in our office in writing within 15 days of a litigious issue. In case of a serious issue, only the tribunals of Brussels or Namur are competent.
Student Status
For all of our programs, the participants hold the status of student and are enrolled full time in the educational institution. Family allocation documents should be completed on location by the school secretary.
4. Cancellation
4.1 Cancellation by the Student- General conditions for cancellations
- Programs in the EU and up to 4 weeks
- Cancellation more than 8 weeks before the beginning of a course: we will refund you the entirety of your payment minus 50% of the deposit. The cancellation must be done in writing; an ordinary letter is sufficient.
- Cancellation 4 to 8 weeks before the beginning of courses: we will refund you the entirety of your payment minus the deposit. The cancellation must be done in writing; an ordinary letter is sufficient. (Europe programs 1 to 4 weeks: € 200, other programs: 600 to 1000 €).
- Cancellation less than 4 weeks before the beginning of the course: no reimbursements are given without cancellation insurance (see below).
- Programs outside of the EU or more than 4 weeks
- Cancellation more than 16 weeks before the beginning of the course: we will refund you the entirety of your payment minus 50% of the deposit. The cancellation must be done in writing; an ordinary letter is sufficient.
- Cancellation 16 to 8 weeks before the beginning of the course: we will refund you the entirety of your payment minus the deposit. The cancellation must be done in writing; an ordinary letter is sufficient (1000 € or other agreed amount).
- Cancellation less than 8 weeks before the beginning of the course: no reimbursements are given without cancellation insurance (see below).
- Programs in the EU and up to 4 weeks
- Cancellation due to examination failure:
Excepting an administrative fee of 50 €, the entirety of the course fees will be refunded upon reception of an official proof of failure, minimum of 28 days before departure. This clause is applicable to programs in Europe from 14/7 to 31/08. - Program interruption / early return:
Once students have begun a program, no refunds will be accorded for voluntary early returns or expulsion. In the case of an early return due to exceptional circumstances, refunds will apply only to complete month blocks of classes missed and are subject to administrative fees. Official proof of circumstances must be provided. - Cancellation insurance:
Participants may procure cancellation insurance to cover eventual forced cancellations before departing or in case of sickness requiring bed rest, accident or adademic failure (see Insurance and Guarantees).
In case of cancellation by us, the entirety of the amount paid will be refunded to the student as well as a credit of 100€ for any other program that we offer, excluding all other indemnities.
5. Responsibilities of the Participant and the Organizer
- All participants must take care of having all necessary travel documents in order
- All participants must have adequate medical insurance
- All participants must arrive at the proper meeting places at the arranged time and with all necessary travel documents
- For all programs, Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes declines all responsibility for losses due to theft or accident during the program
- All participants must obey the rules of the program in which they participate.
- Repetitive or severe poor behavior contrary to the spirit of the program, damaging to the reputation of the school, host family or organization or necessitating police intervention may be sanctioned by the immediate termination of the student’s curriculum and return to home country at the expense of the participant and without refund of any kind.
- Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes reserves the right to terminate any student’s curriculum and return any participant to their home country if that participant has a medical or psychological condition that is not mentioned on the enrollment application and requires specific treatment.
- Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes reserves the right to use images of participants participating in our programs in our promotional material, including our website, E-mails, brochures and posters. Personal and identifying information remain totally confidential.
6. Minors and Supervised Programs
Lateness and Loss of DocumentsIf a student’s lateness prevents participation in an organized activity or excursion, no refunds or compensation will be provided. If a student’s lateness or loss of documents or tickets prevents the student from participating in a pre-arranged return trip, Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes’ responsibility is limited to contacting the guardians or the person mentioned as an emergency contact in the enrollment application. This person has the choice of taking over responsibility or to allow us to take care of the student. In the latter case, Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes will arrange all necessary accommodation, travel and meals for the student. Applicable supplements will be billed.
Responsibilities of Participants, Group Leaders and Host Families
During the supervised programs in England and the Netherlands, the functions of the group leaders are to supervise students during the voyage, organize activities and assist participants in case of difficulty. As the participants generally stay in host families, neither the Group Leaders nor the organization are able to directly control their individual comings and goings, their movements on location or evening curfews outside of the organized activities. We therefore require that participants, and especially minors, who enroll for our programs display a sufficient level of maturity and discipline, notably concerning their evening activities and courtesy to their host families.
Evening
For students who wish to go out in the evenings, we maintain the following curfews: 15 and under: not allowed to go out in the evenings; 15-16: back home by 10 pm; 17: 11:30 pm. If students wish another arrangement, please contact us before departing, however the internal rules of the host family are preponderant over all other arrangements. Any abuse noted by the host family will be communicated to the students’ guardians.
For the junior programs, individual outings are not authorized and all evenings must be spent with the host family.
Outside of Europe, individual outings by minor participants are not authorized.
Terms and Conditions of Long-term Programs (12 weeks and longer)
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1. Modalities of Enrollment
- Send the enrollment application, complete and signed, to Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes.
Attach a photocopy of your identity card and two ID photos to the application. For the programs with host families, please include a letter of introduction in the target language including three photos of yourself with a couple of comments about yourself. We will send you a confirmation within two business days. - Pay the deposit of 1000 € (or another pre-arranged amount) so that we can guarantee your enrollment.
- Pay the rest of the price.
- Within 15 days of your departure, you will receive the address of your host family, all necessary information about your program and the city in which you will be staying, potential formalities that may need to be carried out upon arrival, and a useful contact list to be used during the program.
- If you are registering from a country outside of the European Union and you require a visa, the documents needed to obtain the visa will be sent to you after we receive the total payment of academic and accommodation fees for the requested program.
An additional fee of 15€ will be charged for programs reserved less than four weeks before departure (80€ if a visa is necessary to cover the cost of express mailings).
Enrollments are valid and confirmed and these conditions are considered known to the participant/guardian upon reception of an ad hoc enrollment form and deposit payment, no matter the format of the form (paper, faxed, e-mailed or internet form).
2. Modalities of Payment
Deposit:To guarantee your reservation, a deposit of 1000€ (or exceptionally a different agreed-upon amount) will be paid during the time of enrollment.
Payment:
Other than the occasional exceptional arrangement, which will be indicated on your confirmation, payment for your program will be paid in three installments of equal amounts on the following due dates (before departure): January 15, March 15 and May 15 (for June-October departures); June 15, September 15 and December 15 (for November-May departures). The full account can be paid in one installment in the case of amounts less than 3000€.
Payments for each stay must be must be completed eight weeks before departure at the very latest. In the case of late enrollments (less than eight weeks before departure), payment is due immediately. Confirmation documents are sent after payment has been received.
Methods of Payment:
We accept credit card payments. Please note that credit card transactions require a 3% finance and treatment fee. There are no additional fees for check or bank transfer payments.
Accommodation Fees Paid On Arrival:
Payment is completed in advance for course registration, transportation, insurance, and for all or part of accommodation. For certain programs, housing costs can be settled directly with the host family or local landlord during the stay. Participants are thus free to break off their housing contracts providing no damages were incurred and advanced notice was given (generally two to four weeks). Modalities are detailed at registration.
English Interview before Final Registration:
For programs requiring an oral English assessment (High School, Oxford, Academic Stays…), a 75€ fee must be paid no later than the day of the interview (if the deposit has not yet been paid). This amount is non-reimbursable and is deductible from the final registration payment.
3. Course and Program Prices
PricesOur prices are calculated based on the exchange rate of 31/10/2008 and are final for all destinations in the Euro zone. For other destinations, prices may fluctuate according to currency exchange rate fluctuations. In the case of important changes in the exchange rate, we reserve the right to modify the cost of the program up to three weeks before departure. If the price rises more than 10% of the price quoted in Euros, the applicant retains the right to annul the contract without administrative or cancellation fees of any kind, in accordance with European legislation. This guarantee also applies to all individual home stays (private teacher) programs, including stays one to three weeks long.
Reductions
- A family discount applies to each enrollment after the first per family (same domicile).
- Group discounts are available for groups of three or greater enrolling for the same course.
This discount is combinable with the first above.
The amount of the family and group discount is 75€ per person for stays lasting 12 weeks or longer - "Early Bird" discounts for all courses in 2009: 10€ for all enrollments before 15/2/2009, combinable with other discounts. Please mention "Early Bird" in the "remarks" section of your enrollment application.
Prices are valid for the year in which the participant applies. If a participant applies for a departure the following year, it is possible that the pricing will vary according to conditions established by our local partners.
We do not charge any additional administrative or registration fees.
4. Cancellation
4.1. Cancellation by the StudentIf, after we receive your signed registration form, we fail to receive your deposit in the next 21 days or, (for the academic stays, such as High School, Oxford and English College), we fail to receive your student application packet in the 28 days following our confirmation, your registration will be canceled. A standard payment of 600€ is thus owed to Langues Vivantes / Easy Languages to cover administrative and registration costs.
In the case of cancellation by the student after we receive the student application pack, the contract is terminated with full rights. A standard, non-negotiable payment will be owed to Langues Vivantes / Easy Languages. The payment amounts to 20% of participation fees in the case of cancellation more than 180 days before departure, 50% in the case of cancellation more than 45 days before departure, 80% in the case of cancellation between the 45th and the 15th day before departure and 100% in the case of cancellation less than 15 days before departure.
You can take out cancellation insurance, which covers partipants forced to cancel because of serious illness (requiring bedrest), accident, academic failure, or refusal of visa. All sums paid will be reimbursed, after a deduction from the deductible, amounting to the sum of the insurance (see Insurance and Guarantees).
Once the trip is initiated, no reimbursement will be granted for an anticipated voluntary return or a return resulting from expulsion. In the case of a return caused by exceptional circumstances, and after a written agreement by our Belgian office, you will be reimbursed or given credit to be used with Langues Vivantes / Easy Languages amounting to the sum of the remaining full months. In this case you will be required to pay some administrative costs.
4.2. Cancellation by Langues Vivantes / Easy Languages
In the case of a cancellation on our part, the entirity of all payments will be reimbursed and you will be granted 100€ of credit to be used with any of our other programs, with the exception of all other indemnities.
5. Trip Organization
Travel Documents and VisasAll participants are assumed to have necessary travel documents before departing. For citizens of the European Union, an identity card is sufficient for all programs within the EU. A passport and a student visa are sometimes necessary for trips outside of Europe. We will give you precise and complete information about required student visas and we will provide you with all the necessary documents that you will need to fill out to obtain the visa. For certain programs a medical questionnaire will be required by the embassy in order to acquire a visa.
You will receive necessary documents for obtaining your visa once the program is paid in full. However, be sure to start the process early because passport and visa requests can take weeks.
In the case of late registration (less than four weeks before departure) an additional fee of 70€ for express mail will be charged. Fees for obtaining the visa (around 280€ for the USA and 80-200€ for Australia) will be the responsibility of the participant.
Transportation
Our travel agency department (lic. A 5034) will arrange all ticketing if you request this service or if it is included in the program you choose. We decline any responsibility in the case of delays, accidents, strikes, losses or other incidents for which the transport agencies are responsible (including bus, ferry or airline companies). While we make every effort to limit the consequences of these events, any extra charges resulting from such events are the participant’s responsibility.
Program Extensions
All requests to extend programs will be accepted on the basis of availability and without any additional fees, however they will be billed at the regular price and not at the reduced "extra week" fee. Any possible fees obtained in modifying transportation arrangements will be the responsibility of the student.
Student Status
For all programs, as the case may be, the participant will have student status and will be registered fulltime at a academic establishment. Documents for family allowances, if required, should be completed on site with the school secretary.
On Site Modification of Program
If the participant’s academic or linguistic level is found to be incorrect upon arrival, academic counselors and/or Langues Vivantes / Easy Languages reserves the right to transfer the student’s registration to the appropriate program, excluding all indemnities or reimbursement. The price difference between the old and new program, including additional courses if necessary, will be at the cost of the participant.
Internal Rules of the School or College
Participants are obligated to learn and respect the internal rules of the school or college where they take classes, notably concerning course participation (usually obligatory). Participants are not authorized to skip classes except in cases that have been specifically excused by the school, such as medical reasons.
Schedule and Duration of Courses
Courses can take place in the morning or the afternoon depending on the level of the participant and the program. Lesson durations are specified in minutes on each program’s webpage. Each hour of class is comprised of 45-60 minutes of teaching (the most common duration is 45 minutes). Attendance is obligatory.
Public Holidays and Vacation Periods
Courses do not take place on official public holidays according to the host country (list given upon request). Excepting individual home stay programs, these courses are not recuperated and not reimbursed.
Homestay Accommodation
Our homestays are not necessarily in "traditional" families; families of all types (traditional, reconstituted, retired, single-parent etc.) can host our students. The description of the family and/or lodging that you receive before departure is just a rough guide and not binding.
Participant Age
The ages mentioned on this site are indicative. Older or younger students may be accepted in function of motivation and available space.
Problems during the Program
In case of a problem during the program, the participant must inform our Brussels office and the local contact person immediately in order to allow us to respond in a timely manner. If the problem cannot be resolved on location, all claims must arrive in our office in writing within 15 days of a litigious issue. In case of a serious issue, only the tribunals of Brussels or Namur are competent.
6. Responsibilities of the Participant and the Organizer
- All participants must take care of having all necessary travel documents in order.
- All participants must have adequate medical insurance.
- All participants must arrive at the proper meeting places at the arranged time and with all necessary travel documents.
- For all programs, Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes declines all responsibility for losses due to theft or accident during the program.
- All participants must obey the rules of the program in which they participate.
- Repetitive or severe poor behavior contrary to the spirit of the program, damaging to the reputation of the school, host family or organization or necessitating police intervention may be sanctioned by the immediate termination of the student’s curriculum and return to home country at the expense of the participant and without refund of any kind.
- Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes reserves the right to terminate any student’s curriculum and return any participant to their home country if that participant has a medical or psychological condition that is not mentioned on the enrollment application and requires specific treatment.
- Easy Languages / Langues Vivantes reserves the right to use images of participants participating in our programs in our promotional material, including our website, E-mails, brochures and posters. Personal and identifying information remain totally confidential.