Terms and conditions

Valid from 1 January 2016

  1. Enrolment

  • The legal body of the school is IP Alekseev Sergey Mikhailovich, tax code 780625495445.
  • The school will advise the student on all courses, fees and other matters based on the information supplied to it by the student.
  • Booking confirmation indicating total fees is sent to the client within 2 days following the booking date.
  • The average number of students in a classroom is 2-4; the maximum number of students in a class is 6. In very rare circumstances the stated maximum class size might be exceeded. If this does happen, it will only be for a very limited period.
  1. Payments

  • Prices are presented in Euros (EUR).
  • For the short – term courses up to 4 weeks we require the prepayment of 20% of the invoice total to be done to our bank account at the moment of booking.
  • For the long-term courses 4+ weeks that require the processing of the student visa, the full prepayment for the 13 weeks of stay has to be processed before we issue the visa invitation letter.
  • The remaining part of the invoice total has to be prepared either by bank transfer / by credit card online in at least two weeks prior the arrival date.
  • Any bank charges are always payable by the student.
  • Bank details:

Organization name: IP Alekseev Sergey Mikhailovich

Beneficiary institution MODULBANK

SWIFT MODBRU22

Beneficiary account 40802978670010102118 (EUR)

  • In case of payment by credit card, the fees will be taken in russian rubles by the currency rate on the payment date. Your bank may take additional charge for this transaction. Please check with your bank in advance.
  1. Refunds

If you wish to cancel your enrolment, you must inform EducaCentre or our authorized agent by email.

  • Cancellation fees for direct bookings

Up to 30 days prior to the beginning of the course — 10%, up to 10 days — 25%, but if cancellation occurs when visa support has already taken place — not less than the invoiced amount for enrollment and visa related cancellation fee services. For cancellations that occur later, the cancellation fee amounts to 50% of the total fee. Cancellations should be communicated in writing directly to our  booking office in St. Petersburg or to a local agent.

  • Cancellations through an agency

If you have booked your course through an authorized agent, the refund policy of the agent applies and your fees will be repaid to you by the agent and not by the school. Please check the booking conditions of your agent and contact the agent immediately should you wish to cancel the course.

  1. Tuition

  • The school reserves the right to establish the current level of the language of the student and his/her suitability to the group.
  • The school reserves the right to appoint and rotate teachers.
  • Once booked, normal cancellation rules apply (see above).
  • Tuition time/date may be changed with 1 week’s notice and subject to availability of teaching staff / teaching rooms.
  • Punctual arrival is the student’s responsibility. The school will not extend the teaching time due to late arrival.
  • One lesson lasts 45 minutes (1 academic hour).
  • Students who booked group tuition and have no co-students, are entitled to be compensated with individual lessons:

-20 group lessons compensated with 15 individual lessons

30 group lessons compensated with 20 individual lessons

30 group lessons may be compensated with 20 group lessons( in case there is a group available) + 5 individual lessons

  • Requests for class changes must be made to the Academic Director of Russian Language Department on or before Thursday for the transfer to be effective from the following Monday.
  • No course extension will be made for unauthorized absences.
  1. Holidays

Classes missed as a result of the official bank or public holiday in Russia will not be refunded or made up. 

  1. Accommodation

The school will make every effort to meet all your students’ requirements. It is more likely that the requests can be met in full when bookings are placed one month prior to arrival.

  • Minimum booking for all accommodation is one week.
  • Homestay accommodation is normally booked from Sunday to Saturday. If you wish to arrive or depart on a different day, extra night rate applies.  4+ extra nights will be charged at the full weekly rate.
  • All accommodation fees must be paid in advance directly to the school, not to the Host Family.
  • Arrival and departure dates may be changed in advance by special arrangement, subject to availability. Please ask for details about the surcharge to be applied.
  • Accommodation fees are non-refundable if the student arrives late or leaves early without sufficient notice.
  • Requests to refund the accommodation fees must be submitted in writing with 1 week’s notice.
  • The school reserves the right to change the accommodation in case of unexpected situations, illness or etc happening at the Host Family. We guarantee to provide accommodation for the period you have booked but not necessarily with the same family for the whole period.

  • If you are not happy with your homestay accommodation, the school will relocate you to a new family as soon as possible.
  • Inviting guests to the Host Family is not allowed unless the special agreement is done between the student and the hostfamily.
  • Alcohol or drugs consumption and smoking at the Host Family is strictly prohibited at all time.
  1. Airport Transfers

  • The airport pick up is provided free of charge is the student books the course and the accommodation at our school, otherwise the extra fee applies. This offer is valid for the flight arrivals between 09.00 – 23.00 hours Moscow time. The service includes a maximum of 45 minutes waiting time from the time of arrival provided to the school. Additional waiting time will be charged separately at the rate of 15 EUR per hour. In case if you miss your flight or need to change the pickup time due to any other personal matter, the total transfer fee of 40 EUR will be extra charged.
  • The airport pickup service can be booked for transfers to accommodation arranged by the school or to an accommodation address arranged privately by the individual.
  • Private accommodation addresses must be provided in advance of the arrival date.
  • Airport pickup fees must be paid in advance directly to the school, not to the Driver.
  • The school will issue a Letter of Transfer Confirmation with the expected flight arrival details and emergency phone number.
  • Pickup service arrangements may be changed, subject to sufficient advanced notice.
  1. Visas

  • The length of the visa support provided by the school is strictly set according to amount of weeks of tuition booked.
  • The minimum amount of lessons required to be taken for any visa arrangement is 20 group / 10 private lessons per week.
  • The visa invitation and any extension fees have to be covered by The Student.
  1. Conduct and Discipline

  • In cases of proven criminal offence or flagrant misconduct, the school reserves the right to expel any student. In these circumstances, no refund will be given.
  • Students are expected to behave in an orderly manner and any willful damage to school property or personnel will be treated as gross misconduct. In case of such misconduct the student will be held personally responsible for rectifying any damage caused.
  • Students will also be expected to behave respectfully towards other students and staff of EducaCentre. Extreme cases may result in expulsion.
  • Students are expected to observe fire and safety rules displayed at the school.
  • Alcohol or drugs consumption and smoking anywhere inside the school building or the host family house is strictly prohibited and may lead to the immediate expulsion from the school /accommodation without the refund.
  1. Force Majeure

A basic stipulation of the agreement/contract between students and EducaCentre, or its representatives, is that neither EducaCentre or its representatives are liable for refunds or damages, however arising, in cases where EducaCentre is unable to fulfill any services to which they are contractually bound because of labor disputes, insufficient demand for classes or other reasons which are beyond their control.

  1. Marketing

Photographs of the students and also the feedback may be used in the school’s promotional and publicity material unless the student specifically objects.  Students will not be paid for the time involved in the taking of such photographs and will assign to the school any rights to royalties they may have.

  1. Personal belongings

The school, its employees and its representatives accept no responsibility for personal injury and/or loss or damage to personal property on the school premises whether as a result of fire, burglary, theft or otherwise. This condition also applies to public and private places included in school trips and excursions.