Terms & Conditions

Standard Terms and Conditions

Please read and accept our full terms and conditions. By agreeing to these terms and conditions you are formally entering into a contract with International House Bristol and agreeing to our processing of your data. If you need host family accommodation, please also read and accept the terms and conditions for staying with a host family

• You must pay the full course fees at least four weeks before your course begins unless special arrangements have been agreed. If you book less than four weeks before you start, you must send the full payment immediately unless special arrangements have been agreed. When we receive your full payment including accommodation fees, we will send the details of your accommodation and airport transfer, if applicable. Please note: accommodation details will be sent approximately two to three weeks before the course start date and transfer confirmation by the Wednesday before arrival/departure.
• If you are booking host family accommodation for longer than 1 month, we request a minimum of 4 weeks' accommodation payment before you arrive. Each additional month must be paid at least 1 month in advance. There are no discounts on accommodation fees.
• You will receive one of the following documents alongside the invoice: a Certificate of Acceptance (if you do not require a visa), a visa letter if you require a visa. Note: we will send you a visa letter and Certificate of Acceptance only after we have received a deposit of £250.
• All medical conditions must be disclosed in full before we accept your booking
• If you do not know your flight and arrival details at the time of booking, please inform us and your host family (where applicable) as soon as you know these details.

Insurance

We strongly advise you to take out personal insurance to cover you for loss of possessions, including laptops and mobile phones, medical expenses and the loss of tuition and other fees if you have to cancel your course or return home earlier than planned. IH Bristol is working in partnership with guard.me, to provide our students with a policy which has been specifically designed to meet your requirements whilst you are studying in the UK - you can find more information about insurance here.

Distance bookings

If you want to cancel your application within 14 days of entering the contract with the school, see separate box below. Please note: accommodation is exempt from the 14 day cancellation policy.

1. If you cancel your booking, the registration fee and accommodation finding fee are non-refundable in any event.
2. If you send us written cancellation at least four weeks before the start of your course, we will refund the course fees minus your deposit of £250 (which may include the administration and / or accommodation finding fee where applicable). If you cancel less than four weeks before the start of your course, we will refund 50% of your course fees, minus the deposit.
3. Refunds can only be paid to you by the same method as your original payment.
4. Individual one-to-one lessons can be postponed and rebooked with 24 hours notice. 1:1 courses of any length are subject to the Terms and Conditions for all other English courses.
5. If your visa application is refused, we will refund your payment minus the administration fee and the accommodation finding fee (if applicable) and the insurance premium (if applicable) if you send us written cancellation at least two weeks before your course begins. You must also provide written evidence from the visa office that your visa has been rejected, and return all original letters of acceptance to us. If your visa is refused with less than two weeks’ notice, the normal cancellation charges apply [see Note 2, above].
6. We cannot give refunds for late arrival, early departure, absence during a course (including illness) or change of programme.
7. Fees are for consecutive weeks of study.
8. IH Bristol reserves the right to charge an administration fee of £51 each time the course, accommodation or dates are changed or postponed after IH Bristol has confirmed the initial enrolment. This includes requests for changes whilst the student is at school.
9. We cannot give refunds for days when the school is closed during bank holidays.
10. If you want to take a holiday during your course, you must tell us at the time of application. The holiday period will be added to your course. If you have a visa, for each 10 consecutive weeks of study you are allowed one week of holiday. If you are already attending a course and wish to have a holiday, you must tell us two weeks in advance. In this case, the number of weeks you take as a holiday can be added to the end of your course, depending on availability. Note: additional charges may apply.
11. You may occasionally be included in promotional material – photos for brochures, social media, DVDs or other such advertising material. By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions, you are opting in to your image being used by IH Bristol for marketing purposes. If you prefer not to have your image used, please contact us via email: info@ihbristol.com, subject line: Image use. (U18s we will ask parents and the student for permissions in writing, prior to course start).
12. Students agree to follow all internal regulations of the school. If a student behaves in a disruptive manner, does not follow the school rules, is persistently absent from class, or engages in illegal activity, he/she will immediately be sent home at his/her own, or his/her parents’ expense.
13. For students requiring host family accommodation, there is an additional set of terms & conditions (below). Please read all the clauses and remember that we expect our students to arrive at their host family accommodation on a Sunday and depart on a Saturday.
14. Airport transfers: flight details including airport arrival time, flight numbers, airline and point of origin must be sent to IH Bristol at least seven days prior to arrival in order for IH Bristol to provide airport transfers. No refunds will be granted on transfers if flight details are not sent at least seven days prior to arrival. Airport transfer fees include a maximum of one hour waiting time. In the event of delays exceeding one hour, students will be charged an additional fee.  Airport transfer services are not defined as part of the package provided with courses, are priced separately and travel times cannot be guaranteed. Furthermore compensation due to delays is limited to the transfer price paid.
15. Force Majeure: in the event of the school having to close and/or students having to return home early for reasons of natural disaster such as fire/flooding/infectious diseases or war/terrorism, etc, which are beyond the reasonable control of the school, no refunds will be made. In this event, students may be able to claim compensation under their own personal insurance policy. We will make all efforts to keep the school open and running but this may necessitate making some classes larger, or online, or changing the timetable to allow staff to cover all scheduled lessons.
16. We will not refund or compensate for any disruption to course components (e.g. tuition, flights, accommodation, taxi transfers, exams) which is routinely insurable.
17. You should understand that any information you have provided to us at the school, or will provide in the future, will be processed by the school, in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Under data protection legislation you can ask for a copy of certain personal records held about you.

1. Recipients of scholarship or government grants should expect to pay a deposit (£600) to the school on enrolment. This will be refunded only when full fees have been received from the sponsoring organisation for the full duration of the course.
2. If you wish to postpone your course for any reason, (for example, if you are still waiting for the visa to be issued) you must let us know at least two weeks before you are due to arrive, otherwise you will lose your deposit and will have to pay another deposit before we can confirm a new starting date.

If you cancel your registration after accepting a place on the course, the registration fee of £100 is non-refundable in any event.

• If you cancel your place in writing four working weeks before the first Monday of the course (eg, cancel a place starting August 1st by Friday June 30th), we will refund the course fees and the deposit minus the registration fee
• For cancellation less than four weeks and more than two weeks before the start date, we will refund 50% of the fees
• There are no refunds for cancellations less than two weeks before the start date. There are no refunds if you leave the course after starting.
• Note that the CELTA course is one package.

1. An accommodation placement fee is normally charged, along with the accommodation cost. 
2. IHB will start to look for accommodation once your deposit and parental agreement/medical information forms, if applicable, have been received.
3. The period for which we will arrange accommodation is restricted to the period of study with us.
4. You are not allowed to make arrangements directly with your host. 
5. Extending your stay: students wishing to extend their stay with a host must give us at least a week's notice. Extending your stay may be subject to an administration fee. You do not need to pay this fee if you can stay with the same host and extend your stay by at least several weeks and extend your course at the same time.
6. You must pay for your accommodation at least 4 weeks before arrival. If you book less than 4 weeks in advance, you must pay immediately.
7. You cannot attend classes until your accommodation invoice is paid.
8. You must give the school and the host one week's notice if you intend to leave earlier than planned.
9. You must disclose complete and accurate information regarding medical conditions, allergies, dietary requirements, smoking status or any other information that a host will want to know or may impact an accommodation provider’s ability to host. IHB will not be held responsible if you need to move out of your accommodation as a result of not providing this information, and you will still need to pay for a notice period. You may need to find and pay for alternative accommodation.
10. If you book a transfer through IH Bristol, you must tell us your arrival and departure details as soon as possible and no later than 7 days before arrival.
11. If you have your own travel arrangements, you must tell your host your departure and arrival details.
12. IHB needs advance notice to postpone, cancel, extend or change accommodation bookings. For cancellations or postponements minimum 1 week; for extending or changing host minimum 3 weeks. 

Student Conduct

You must follow school rules in your homestay or you may be asked to leave.

1. You must follow IHB procedures for payment plans, moving homestay, complaints and holidays. Please see our FAQs for details.
2. You must tell your host if you break or damage something. You must offer to pay the host before you leave. International House Bristol accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage directly or indirectly caused by any student or host.
3. You must behave reasonably. See our FAQs for a list of examples of unreasonable behaviour. 
4. You must not download unsuitable material from the internet while staying with a host. See our FAQs for examples of unsuitable material.
5. You must return to your homestay by curfew time (if appropriate). Curfew times: 11-15-year-olds by 9.30pm, and 16-17-year-olds by 10.30pm, or by the time requested by your host - whichever is earliest.

If you cancel your registration before the deadline, the registration fee of £40 will not be refundable in any event.

• For cancellations after the application deadline has passed, refunds will only be given in extreme circumstances (such as due to severe illness) with evidence provided, and at the discretion of University of Cambridge. A written request for refund must be received by our office within seven days of the exam.
• Your application will not be confirmed until the full payment is received
• If you don't receive your certificate, you must inform IH Bristol within six months after the date of the exam

Exam numbers: IH Bristol will run all sessions numbers permitting. Candidates/preparation centres are informed by  the closing entry date should IH Bristol not be able to run a session.

Candidates with learning or physical disabilities Candidates with learning or physical disabilities need to contact IH Bristol  by the closing entry date with a medical report in English (not older than 2 years) giving detailed information about their condition so that appropriate arrangements can be made. IH Bristol cannot guarantee that a special arrangement can be accommodated so please contact us for more information.

Complaints procedure: If you wish to make a complaint about anything related to your Cambridge exam, you must do so in writing within 48 hours of your test day.  All complaints must be sent to exams@ihbristol.com and we must receive the complaint no later than 48 hours after your test day. Alternatively, you can fill in a Candidate Comment Form on the day of your test and hand it to a staff member. No complaint can be processed after your results have been released.

Payment: After you book your exam on the IELTS website, you will be given a link to International House Bristol’s payment page, which will ask you to enter your card details. Please note that if you do not pay for your exam within 72 hours of booking, your entry will automatically be cancelled.

PLEASE NOTE: You must pay for your exam by the end of the Monday before (5 days before the test) or your registration will be cancelled.

Cancellations

To cancel your IELTS (Academic and General Training) test, please log in to the Test Taker Portal and submit a cancellation request, along with an upload of supporting documentation/evidence.

If a medical certificate confirming illness on the date of the test is provided via email to ielts@ihbristol.com within five working days of the test date, together with the submitted cancellation request on the Test Taker Portal, the fee is refundable, minus a 25% administration fee. All refunds will be made against the original payment method.

Transfers: If you would like to transfer your exam to a later date, you will need to contact the centre at ielts@ihbristol.com. If medical evidence is provided within 5 working days of the test date, you can request a transfer to a later exam within 3 months of the original test date, which will incur a transfer fee (25% of the original test taker fee).

If the transfer request is made within 14 days of payment, we can grant a free transfer to a later date (within 3 months of the original test date) without a transfer fee.

Exam numbers: IH Bristol will run all sessions numbers permitting. Candidates/preparation centres are informed within one week of the date should IH Bristol not be able to run a session.

Candidates with learning or physical disabilities Candidates with learning or physical disabilities need to contact IH Bristol  by the closing entry date with a medical report in English (not older than 2 years) giving detailed information about their condition so that appropriate arrangements can be made. IH Bristol cannot guarantee that a special arrangement can be accommodated so please contact us for more information.

Complaints procedure: If you wish to make a complaint about anything related to your IELTS exam, you must do so on the same day. You can ask a staff member for a Complaint Form on the day of your test and return it before you leave.

Cancelling your contract within 14 days of application: please click here to download a cancellation form (Ms Word format)