Sorry if these are long, but we've tried to make things straightforward.
These terms and conditions are directly relevant to you if you take
a course with us, so please do read them. Thanks.
Definitions and Interpretations in these Conditions
The 'Company' shall mean Cactus, or Cactus Language, or Cactus TEFL, or Cactus Language Training, or Cactus Worldwide Limited. 'The client' shall mean the person in whose name the booking is made and shall include the person or persons on whose behalf the same is made. 'Force Majeure' shall mean any event outside the Company's control which prevents the prompt performance of its obligations, including war and civil strife, etc. 'The school' shall be the course provider – the third party offering the course.
Package Holiday Bookings
Where a UK client books more than one element of their holiday with the Company i.e. a course + accommodation or a course + flight, their holiday automatically becomes a package and is therefore insured through a Total Payment Protection Policy (TOPP) taken out by Cactus Worldwide Limited.
Where a client books only the course element of their holiday with the Company, their holiday is not regarded as a package and their booking is not covered by a TOPP.
Please note that travel insurance is not included as a contributing element to a package.
Ability & Suitability for the course
The application process for teacher training courses generally requires candidates to complete an application form and attend a face-to-face or distance-interview. These components are required by the exam bodies, and are in place to minimise the risk of unsuitable applicants being admitted onto the course. However, under no circumstances can admission onto a course form any guarantee of a client passing the course. Courses are extremely intensive, physically and emotionally demanding, and clients are to disclose any factors whatsoever, (e.g. medical, physical, emotional) at the time of application which they feel might reduce their chances of successfully completing the course. These factors will be treated as confidential, and will not be used in a discriminatory fashion, but will form the basis of discussion during interview to enable the interviewer to form an accurate picture of the client prior to acceptance. The school is under no obligation to disclose reasons for declining a client's application, though may wish to do so.
Equal Opportunities
The company will receive and forward applications without encountering prejudice or discrimination because of the client's sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief. For non-native speaker applications, the school may wish to request the completion of an additional language awareness task, as language ability clearly forms an integral part of the course. Applications may be rejected for reasons which may be displeasing to the client, but will never be on the grounds of any prejudice or discrimination.
Course cancellation
Schools provide the company with appropriate information on planned course dates which are communicated via our website. As schools require a minimum number of trainees to run a course (as stipulated by the exam boards), it may occasionally arise that a school is obliged to cancel a course at short notice. The decision to cancel lies beyond the control of the company, and if this occurs, the school will make every effort to place the client on an alternative course. The company will also make every endeavour to locate a comparable course operating at similar times in a similar location. In the case that a client opts for a course provider (school) other than that initially selected, reimbursement will be subject to the terms and conditions of each individual school and subject to an administration charge of £50.
Booking Flights and other services
Clients should not, under any circumstance, book flights or other services until they have been accepted onto a course, have received a confirmation invoice from the company or school and have paid for the course in full. The company cannot be held responsible for any such flights or services paid for which subsequently need to be cancelled or modified, even in the unlikely event of course cancellation.
Accommodation
Where accommodation is shown for one week, this means 6 nights from Sunday to Saturday, unless otherwise indicated. For arrival or departure dates (not on Saturdays or Sundays), a supplement may be payable.
Materials and Transfers
Course materials, airport transfers, accommodation and related services are not included except where specifically stated.
Public Holidays
Where a course includes a public holiday, the school will generally ensure the official minimum number of hours required are fulfilled. This could involve working through the public holiday, or extension or increased daily tuition to compensate for lost days. The method of recovery of hours is entirely at the discretion of the school.
Application, Booking and Payment
No booking or reservation of a place on a course is valid until the company has issued a confirmation invoice by post, fax or e-mail. (An e-mail acknowledging receipt of an order does not constitute a confirmation invoice.) The company issues this confirmation invoice only after the client has been accepted onto a course and it has received a completed booking form, a £250 deposit (or full payment) and correct travel costs and insurance premium if required. If the full balance of the course price is not paid by the due date shown on the initial confirmation/invoice (6 weeks prior to departure), the company reserves the right to cancel the client's booking and to impose the cancellation charges, stated below. Please note that this deadline does not apply to course applications submitted less than 6 weeks before the course starts. In the latter case payment of the total fees is due on acceptance .
Payment of fees is your confirmation of the course dates you have selected. Deposits or full payments cannot be transferred, either to another course, or candidate and will not normally be refunded. In the case of cancellations made later than six weeks before the start of the course, requests for refunds may only be considered if the school has been able to fill the place at short notice. The deposit and Cambridge registration are not refundable. Please note; that in the event of a candidate withdrawing from the course once it has started for whatever reason, the company cannot refund fees or offer a place on a subsequent course without payment of further fees.
Course dates
Every effort is made to ensure the information contained on the website is updated at all times. The company cannot however be held responsible for any errors or omissions with regard to course dates and prices.
Prices and Surcharges
Prices on the Cactus Teachers & Cactus TEFL websites are subject to changes imposed by the school and changes in price will be communicated to the client as quickly as possible. Prices stated on the website are valid until further notice but are subject to change at any time. The company also reserves the right to alter the course package price quoted at the time of application, at time of payment by the client. For guidance, your course package price may increase because of surcharges on the following items: adverse currency fluctuations and governmental action. Even in this case the company will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the price (amendment charges).
There are standard booking fees on credit card and non-UK debit card payments. These are fees that we are charged by our bank to process a payment with these cards, and we therefore need to pass these fees on to our clients. The reason why we have to charge more for USD, Euro and American Express payments is that the bank charges us a much higher amount to take payment with these cards. We do not add these fees to further our profits in any way.
Booking fees are as follows:
GBP Credit Card: 2.75%
USD Debit/Credit Card: 3.75%
EUR Debit/Credit Card: 3.75%
GBP Amex: 3.50%
Alterations by the Company
The company will do its utmost to provide the arrangements that have been confirmed, but it must reserve the right to modify or cancel any course, accommodation or itinerary if unforeseen circumstances arise. If the company cancel or significantly alter an essential element of the client's course for reasons of force majeure, on or before the date when the payment of the balance becomes due, the company shall inform the client as soon as possible. If the company is unable to offer an alternative of similar price, the company will offer the nearest available alternative and will refund the difference paid by the client. If force majeure occurs while the course is in progress, the company will try to make reasonable alternative arrangements.
Liability of the Company
The company accepts responsibility for ensuring that all parts of the course are supplied as described and that all services shall reach reasonable standard. However the company shall not be liable for the failure or improper performance of these services where such failure or improper performance is attributable to a) the fault of the client, b) the unforeseeable or unavoidable actions of an unconnected third party, e.g. the school, c) unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond the company's suppliers control, including force majeure (or delay, overbooking or cancellation by an airline, bus, train, car hire or ferry company). The obligations and responsibilities of the company shall also be limited where international conventions in respect of air or sea carriers apply. The company strongly recommends that clients pay an additional £5.00 for Special Delivery (within Mainland UK) of their flight, rail or coach tickets. If tickets are lost when regular post is used, there may be a charge for re-issue and in some cases no re-issue will be possible and the flights will be forfeited. The company cannot be held responsible for tickets after they are posted.
Alterations by the Client
If the client wishes to change their booking in any way after the confirmation invoice has been issued, they must inform the company immediately, in writing (preferably by email), and the company reserves the right to charge £50 per person per change to cover the additional administration involved, plus any additional charges imposed by schools, airlines or other suppliers (details available on request). All airline tickets and other travel products (train, coach, bus tickets) issued are non-flexible (except where the company explicitly specifies otherwise) which means that any changes including date, time, destination, and name on a ticket will normally be treated by any airline as a cancellation and re-booking, and 100% cancellation charges may apply.
Cancellation by the Client and Visa Problems
If the client wishes to cancel their booking this must be done in writing by the person who signed the booking form or who made the online order. The date of cancellation will be taken as the date that the company receives the letter.
The cancellation charges are:
· 43 days or more before departure = deposit only + any non-flexible travel products
· between 28-42 days before departure = 40% + any non-flexible travel products
· between 8-27 days before departure = 60% + any non-flexible travel products
· between 1-7 days before departure = 100% + any non-flexible travel products.
Where a client has made a reasonable attempt to obtain a visa for the destination country within a reasonable timescale but is unable to obtain the visa, all money and deposits will be returned subject to a £75 administration charge on receipt of written confirmation from the relevant consulate detailing the visa rejection (only original documents will be accepted). No refunds will be given for flights or other travel products. Notification of visa rejection must be made to the company in writing (or e-mail) at least 2 weeks before the start date of the course or accommodation booking.
In the case of cancellation or visa problems, the client will also be subject to the following charges, depending on the method used to provide the refund: £25 for a bank transfer, £7.50 for an international cheque, £1 for a UK cheque or a refund to a UK debit card, or 2.5% of the total to a credit card.
It is the client's responsibility to claim any insurance monies due as the company cannot claim on behalf of the client, which is why insurance should always be taken out at the time of booking.
Descriptions
The company honestly believes that all statements made in its website are factual and correct. Every reasonable effort has been made to describe the schools and environs and to provide the amenities described. The company cannot therefore be held responsible for any changes that subsequently arise , nor can the company accept liabilities for happenings outside its reasonable control. The company undertakes to advise the client of any material changes known to it prior to the client's departure.
Special Requirements
Any special requests must be advised to the company in writing.
Insurance
We strongly recommend that you take out insurance against course cancellation or curtailment, and travel insurance if you are studying overseas. Some course providers claim the right to refuse access onto the course if you are not adequately insured.
Grievance Procedure
The company treats any expression of dissatisfaction with course or course provider (school) very seriously and will do everything in its power to bring disputes to a satisfactory conclusion. However, as an admissions service, the company merely acts as an intermediary between client and school. Once the client has paid for the course in full, and has been accepted onto the course, the school becomes the main point of contact once the course has commenced. Whilst the company wishes to be informed of any irregularity, problem or dispute, it is imperative that the clients brings any issue raised to the immediate attention of the director of teacher training or director of the school in the location where the course is being followed. If a mutually satisfactory solution cannot be reached within the confines of the school, a grievance procedure exists for the exam boards of Cambridge & Trinity, and the school is under the obligation to explain the routes open to the client in that time. In the case where a course has been purchased with no recourse to an external exam board, the company will endeavour to support the client in the case of a disagreement and try to bring any dispute to a satisfactory conclusion.
General Information
General information is included on the website for help and guidance to the client. Please read it carefully. The contract incorporating these conditions shall be governed by English law and any matters arising out of it shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
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