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Juniors and Adults

Data Protection

BELS (BUSINESS ENGLISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL LTD), having company registration number C.19451 and its registered office at 550 West, St. Paul’s Street, St. Paul’s Bay, SPB3418, Malta, will act as the data controller in processing students personal data and/or personal data relating to their parent or legal guardian in accordance with the Data Protection Act, as enacted in Malta and which implements and further specifies the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, better known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
We invite you to refer to our Privacy Policy

https://belsmalta.com/privacy-policy/ which explains how we collect, retain, process, share and transfer personal data about you and your respective rights under the GDPR.

Booking of the Language Learning Holiday

Please use the BELS enrolment form to book your language holiday. Your booking with the school is binding as soon as you receive a written confirmation. As a rule, you will receive confirmation of your booking within the next business day.

Classes

Classes are held from Monday to Friday. BELS reserves the right to introduce a double banking timetable (14.30-17.45) & to use classrooms in alternative premises of the same standard.

Note: In cases where there are from one to three students in a class, lessons will be reduced. The improved teacher attention and increased quality time will enable us to offer a more personalised course focused on 60 – 65% of the ordinary number of lessons. One may note that students will be receiving more teacher contact time, leading to better quality tuition at no extra cost.

In-House Course Changes to Courses

Students currently attending courses in our school have the option to make changes to their booked course, in line with the following conditions.

Individual lessons:

• Any changes to the date and time of lessons must be communicated to the school at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled lesson. Failure to do so will result in lesson cancellation, which cannot be compensated for through postponement or refunds.

Group lessons:

• Long-term students have the option to take short study breaks throughout their course. To be eligible for postponements, students must inform the school at least 2 weeks prior to the change requested. Failure to do so might result in the loss of a full week, which cannot be compensated for through postponement or refunds.

Pre-Arrival Test

Students are expected to sit for our online placement test. If not, they will miss two lessons on the first day to complete the test.

Public Holidays

Group lessons which fall on a public holiday will not be made up. When there are 2 public holidays that fall within the same week, only 1 day will be made up. A complimentary activity will run for all group students. Individual lessons will be made up.

Holidays Breaks for Academic Year Programme students (20 weeks+)

Students can have a maximum of 4 weeks’ holiday. Students must give a 2 week period of notice. Students returning from their holiday should not expect to return to the same class, teacher or accommodation. No credit will be given for accommodation during holiday breaks. Students requiring a visa for study must ensure their visa is issued for the correct dates to include any holiday breaks.

Online Tuition

The duration of one online lesson is 45 minutes. Lessons are available from Monday – Friday, from 08:00- 20:00, and on Saturday from 08:00 – 12:00 (GMT+1), depending on availability. Lesson dates and times must be agreed upon at least 1 week prior to the start date. Change in lesson days and time must be communicated to the school, by email, at least 24 hours prior to the agreed upon time, in order to secure postponement. The registration fee is valid for 12 months, after initial registration. Course extensions with a 12-month period from the initial booking, are exempt from the registration fee. Lesson bundles are non-transferable. Lesson bundles must be consumed within indicated validity period per bundle. Lessons which are not taken up within this period are lost and non-refundable.

Accommodation

Our accommodation will be calculated on a weekly basis (8 days/ 7 nights). Students who arrive and/or depart later will be charged for an additional night or night. No discounts will be given for bookings of less than 7 nights’ stay.

Transfers

The arrival transfer is a compulsory service, which needs to be booked by all BELS adult students in all types of accommodation. Flight details including arrival & departure dates, airline flight numbers & times of arrival & departure must be advised 10 days prior to arrival in order for BELS to provide airport transfers. No refunds will be granted on transfers if flight details are not sent to BELS at least 10 days prior to arrival, or in the case of incorrect information. Airport transfer fees include a maximum of 1 hour waiting time: In the event of arrival delays exceeding 1 hour, students will be charged an additional fee at the school.

Payment Terms

Bookings are subject to a 25% deposit upon confirmation. The outstanding balance will become due 21 days before student’s arrival. Payments can be effected either by bank transfer or by credit card using our online portal. Bank account details may be found on client invoice. When paying by bank transfer the client’s name and booking number must be quoted. When a customer defaults on any payment, the school is entitled to rescind the contract and claim  compensation for failure to fulfil obligations. Payments must reach BELS in full and free from local or overseas bank charges. Any short payments will be claimed from the students upon arrival.

Visa students: As per law, full payment is required from those students who require a visa acceptance letter.

Postponements / Cancellations

You can cancel or postpone your language holiday, up until 22 days prior, and receive a refund of the 25% deposit. An administration fee of €75 will be retained.

• If you cancel or postpone your language holiday, 21 days prior to arrival, a processing fee equivalent to 25% of your total invoice, will apply.
• If you cancel or postpone your language holiday, between 20 to 8 days before your trip, a processing fee of 50% of your total invoice will apply.

If you cancel or postpone your language holiday, 7 days before the booked start date or if you fail to start your course on the booked date; then the total amount of fees on your invoice will apply. Therefore, there will be no refund.

Any postponements are subject to availability, of both accommodation and courses. All postponements will be charged an administration fee of €30. Postponements can only be effected up to a maximum of 3 months (12 weeks).

Liability

BELS will not be held liable for loss, damage or injury to persons or property. For any legal issues, the legal representative of BELS Ltd. is Mrs. Rebecca Bonnici.

Complaints

All considerable claims against BELS must be made in writing whilst the students are in-house. Complaints are not accepted from students after completion of their language holiday.

Services

The information contained in this price list is binding for the school as it constitutes the basis of the travel contract.

Descriptions

BELS believes that all statements made in its promotional materials are factual and correct. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure such accuracy. BELS is not responsible for any changes that become known after promotional material is produced (up-to-date information can be found on our website www.belsmalta.com). BELS will advise you of any material changes which become known to it prior to the start date.

Insurance

Students must purchase a travel insurance policy to cover their journey & stay in Malta & Gozo. They can acquire their own insurance or purchase one through BELS. The insurance needs to cover claims related to travel, health, injury, loss or damage of personal belongings & cancellations.

General Passport & Visa Requirements

Students who are not residents of the EU community, need to apply for a visa to enter the Maltese Islands. BELS will help with the procurement of same by means of a visa acceptance letter. Visa acceptance letters will only be issued after receipt of full payment of the student’s gross invoice. In the case when a visa is denied, BELS will refund the client the full gross amount of the student’s invoice less registration, accommodation & visa processing fees + any bank charges. We will also assist students with the procurement of a student temporary residence permit for long stays of more than 90 days. Attendance is strictly monitored, unjustified absences will be reported to the Central Visa Unit.

Photography & Filming

BELS may take promotional photographs and video footage of students with their consent or where applicable, with the consent of the parent or legal guardian.

Force Majeure

BELS will not be responsible for any failure to comply with any of its obligations (and, therefore, shall not be required to provide any compensation) if the failure is instigated by any cause beyond BELS’s reasonable control; nor shall BELS be responsible for any costs incurred by or on behalf of the student as a result of any such cause. Such cases shall include but shall not be limited to act of government or any action taken by a government or public authority, including ‘lockdown’, prohibition of entry into the country promulgation of quarantine measures, etc., war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, general labour disturbance (i.e. boycott, strike, lockout, etc.), terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, unusually adverse, weather conditions and infectious diseases, epidemic or pandemic health crises (caused by viruses).

Expulsion

BELS reserves the right to expel students who commit a criminal offence, are found to have provided false information on his/her application or do not attend lessons on a regular basis. The same right may be exercised in the case of students whose actions are deemed disorderly, aggressive or threatening. Moreover, students who are reported to be drinking alcohol or are drunk on school premises or behave and/ or act in any way which could bring BELS & BELS accommodation into any dispute will also be expelled. Students who are expelled will not be entitled/will lose all rights to a refund for their outstanding course, accommodation and activities they will consequentially miss. Please note that in such cases that the Immigration Department and all other relevant authorities will be informed of the expulsion.

Juniors

Accommodation

Accommodation for children (both in homestay & residence) is shared with other minors (under 18 years) and with no supervision. Supervision is provided by BELS with live-in residence leaders.

Leisure Programme

BELS reserves the right to make changes to the leisure programme due to weather conditions or any other reasons beyond our control.

Specific Juniors Rules

Parents and students have to sign and accept the BELS Juniors rules. These include but are not limited to the following points: Students attending our Camp Programme must respect curfew times. Illegal substances, cigarettes and alcohol are not permitted during the programme. Students who fail to comply with the programme rules will be sent home at their parents’/ guardians’ expense. Students who arrive in Malta without the consent form signed by their parent/ guardian will not be allowed to participate in the BELS Juniors programme. When signing the consent form the parent/guardian also confirms that if the child does not comply with the programme rules, or with any other rules that may be set by the school from time to time, s/he will be expelled from the programme and be sent home at the guardian’s expense. This means that the child will not be allowed to mix with our students, and hence change of accommodation will be requested until repatriation. BELS responsibility towards the child will end twelve hours after an incident has been reported. No refunds will be given in the case of a student’s expulsion.