Terms & Conditions
Effective 1 January 2016
Lesson Length
55 minutes for a one-hour lesson • 80 minutes for a 1.5-hour lesson • 110 minutes for a two-hour lesson
Registration and Payment Terms
Following registration in a course, participants receive a registration confirmation and invoice with a payment slip. All course fees are due before the first day of the class unless a different due date has been agreed upon. Active Languages reserves its right to stop a participant’s course after it has begun for non-payment of fees by the due date on the invoice. Registration into the course is binding and obligates the participant to remit the fees due. The non-payment of course fees or materials does not entitle the participant to withdraw from the course. For most courses, learning material costs are included in the course fees.
Course Durations
Most language levels take between 40 and 120 hours to complete. Most of our language programs are sold in packages of 12 to 24 weeks. 1:1 lessons are flexible.
Cancellation Policy
Course registrations can be cancelled or postponed free of charge if done so 30 or more days before the start of the course. This must be done in writing (letter or e-mail). The date of receipt by Active Languages is the official date of notice.
- 50% of the total course fees are due for course registrations that are cancelled from 29 to 15 days from the start of the course.
- 100% of the total course fees are due for course registrations that are cancelled from 14 days or less from the start of the course. If the participant proposes to be replaced by another participant in the course, the new candidate will be subject to the standard admission process and all applicable fees. If the replacement participant is accepted by Active Languages, no cancellation fee will apply. The replacement participant shall not be entitled to transfer to another course after the course start date.
Absence From In-Class Courses
- One-to-One Lessons
Participants schedule their lessons by arrangement with the school prior to the start of the course. One-to-one lessons may be cancelled 24 hours or more in advance. It is up to the participant to reschedule the cancelled lessons with Active Languages’ administration. Lessons cancelled less than 24 hours are counted. Lessons scheduled on Mondays must be cancelled by the preceding Friday noon at the latest or will be counted. - Group Lessons
Absences from group lessons may not be rescheduled.
Organisation Of In-Class Courses
Every program has a minimum and maximum number of participants. Seats are proposed to interested participants in the order that the participants definitively enroll in the course (subject to payment by the agreed due date). If, by the course start date, the minimum number of participants is not found, Active Languages reserves the right to delay or cancel the course. If the course is cancelled, all fees collected will be refunded. For organizational purposes, Active Languages reserves the right to merge two courses together or to change the schedule or place of any course. In addition, Active Languages reserves its right to cancel any course still to begin or which has already begun, in which case the course fees for any unused lessons will be refunded. If a teacher is unable to give a course through illness or any other reason, Active Languages reserves the right to assign the course to a replacement teacher. Should there be no replacement teacher available, Active Languages reserves its right to cancel one or multiple lesson dates at short notice.
Participants are expected to avoid any behavior or conduct that could be interpreted as inappropriate behavior by another participant, Active Languages employee, and/or any third parties. Serious violations of protocol may lead to expulsion from the course. Active Languages reserves the right to exclude – for good reason – a participant or participants from a course. If a participant is excluded from a running course, the course fees for unused lesson units will be refunded.
Online Language Program Conditions
Registration And Payment Terms
Following registration into a course, participants receive a registration confirmation and invoice with a payment slip. All course fees are due before starting an online language course. The license is intended for one user and cannot be transferred to another student.
Registration And Payment Terms For Online Courses Purchased Online
Following automatic payment verification when an online course has been purchased from an online purchase point, such as Active Languages’ website, the buyer will receive login details to access the purchased course.
Course durations
All online licenses are for 6 months. Each of the following CEFR levels can be completed with a 6-month license provided the learner works regularly and at a pace of a minimum of 1.5 hours per week: A1, A2, B1.1, B1.2, B2.1, B2.2, C1.1, C1.2.
Learners have 1 year from the date of payment to activate their online course, after one year the access is no longer valid.
Technical System Requirements To Run Active Languages’ Online Courses
- Internet Explorer (min. 9), Chrome (latest), Safari (latest), Firefox (latest)
- Mobile: iOS min. 7.x (Safari browser), Android min. 4.1 (Chrome browser)
- My exercises, Grammar, Business: Minimum recommended screen size 7″
- Pronunciation training: Adobe Flash Player 11.2 or higher
- Virtual Classroom: We recommend Adobe Connect’s web-conferencing technology for its virtual classroom
- Adobe Flash Player 11.2 or higher
Special Offers
Special offers, promotions, discounts or give-a-ways may not be combined.
For Further Inquiries:
Phone: +41 22 809 4900 Email: admin@alswiss.ch
Business Hours
Active Languages’ reception is open Monday through Friday from 8h00 to 18h00. Active Languages is closed on all official bank holidays in Geneva, Switzerland.
Course Certificate
All participants may request a certificate at the end of their language courses. Online students can print their own certificate if they successfully pass the program.
Liability / Insurance
Use of the Active Languages premises occurs at the risk of each individual. Active Languages will not accept any liability and expressly disclaims any and all liability for any loss or damage perceived or actual, to the participant’s property that occurs from any aspect before, during or after a course. Every participant is responsible for securing sufficient insurance coverage to suit their needs.
Privacy
The participant must respect the confidentiality of all confidential information that the participant acquires while at Active Languages, and complies with all applicable laws of the territory where the training is delivered. Active Languages uses personal data of course participants exclusively for its own internal purposes, such as correspondence and providing information to participants about new course offers. Participants agree that photographs and/or videos can be taken during the course and agree that such photographs and/or videos can be reproduced and displayed, exhibited and used by Active Languages for marketing and all other purposes in any and all media, in perpetuity.
Changes In Price, Program Or Terms
Active Languages will use its best efforts to deliver the course as described in its brochures and on its website at the time the participant has enrolled. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Active Languages expressly reserves its right to adapt the course at any time and to alter the timetable, syllabus, location, the number of lessons, a change of teacher or external service provider to the course as well as the method of delivery of the course. All courses, prices and general terms and conditions are subject to change.
Feedback
Active Languages strives to give the best quality in language learning, and all comments are welcome. In the case of a special concern, please contact Active Languages reception.
Place Of Jurisdiction
If irreconcilable differences arise and legal steps are taken, Geneva, Switzerland shall be the place of jurisdiction.