I strongly advise prospective students to read the rules governing the services I provide.
All students must agree with the terms below before lessons commence.
House rules
Enrolment
1. When you enrol in the course, you automaticaly agree with these terms of service.
2. The enrolment is realised by filling the electronic enrolment form, sent to you once your application has been accepted.
Booking your lessons
1. Lessons are booked and managed via the Booking Website and are confirmed upon payment.
2. Once you reserve your preferred days and times via the Booking Website, an invoice will be sent to your e-mail address and payment is expected within 48 hours.
3. Once payment is made, your reservation is confirmed. Non-payment within that time incurs in the cancellation of the reservation.
Lessons and Course Cancellation
1. Lessons are managed via the links sent with the confirmation e-mail.
2. You can change or cancel your lessons using the Booking Website up to 24 hours before they are due.
3. Lessons cannot be cancelled or changed 24 hours before they are due.
4. If your miss your lesson or cancel it 24 hours before they are due, you will forfeit the fee paid.
5. In the event I need to cancel your lesson, I will either reschedule it asap or add the fee paid for it as a credit to be redeemed in your next invoice. I can also reimburse the fee you paid if you request me to.
6. You and I may cancel the course as a whole at any time with a week notice to the other by sending a Cancellation Notice in writing via email or post, confirming the cancellation of the course. Please see item 7 for rules:
7. If you decide to cancel your course, lessons that are due on the week of the cancellation will be forfeited and the subsequent lessons paid in the last invoice and still not attended will be reimbursed to you by cheque via post. Refunds may take up to 60 days to process once the Cancellation Notice has been given.
Payment rules and expire date
1. Payments are made via bank transfer, all details are stated in the invoice.
2. Lesson fees do not include course books, extra materials, translations, travel expenses, social events where fees are charged or personal and health insurance.
3. You must use the lessons you confirmed through payment over a period of 60 days from the payment due date of their invoice
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4. Confirmed lessons not used after the period of 60 days will be considered as “attended” and Portuguese on Demand will retain the fee paid.
Classroom rules
1. Smoking or alcohol consumption is not permitted anywhere in the building.
2. You agree to switch off and put away your mobile phones (not on the table) during the length of your lessons. Mobile notifications using sounds, flashing lights or vibration are highly distractive and disturb my concentration and they are a sign of disrespect towards your teacher. I expect all my students to reciprocate the respect I dispense to their presence in my classroom.
3. The use of recording devices is not permitted unless with my specific instruction.
4. You agree to arrive for your lessons on time, no more than 5 minutes before its scheduled time or extending your stay in the classroom after the lesson is finished.
5. You agree to avoid any interruption during the duration of your lesson. Any interruption caused by the student will not be compensated in the length of class.
6. You are responsible for the care of books, DVDs, CDs and any other material loaned to you and will be held accountable for loss of, or damage to, these and any other classroom media material, including flashcards and games belonging to me which might be under your care.
Online lesson rules
1. Online lessons are delivered via Skype or Zoom.
2. You agree to read the technical instructions regarding Online Tuition (available here) and adhere to the rules below:
3. I will video call you via Skype or Zoom at the time agreed for your lesson and, in the event you are not available to take the call, I will text you to let you know your lesson has already started.
4. I will wait by the computer for up to 15 minutes in case you are late for your lesson. After 15 minutes have passed, I will mark the lesson as attented. No re-scheduling or reimbursement will be granted.
5. I will not compensate for loss of lesson time due to problems with your internet connection or issues with your equipment. If I experience problems with my internet connection or equiment during your lesson, I will compensate for the loss of time either by extending the lesson or by schedulling an extra session with duration proportional to the length the time lost.
Student Support rules
1. E-mail support includes homework queries and any task I asked you to complete independently.
2. E-mail support does not include personal translations, research and the marking of mock tests or extra tasks which have not been assigned by me. All these extra queries will be dealt with during your lessons.
3. All queries which fall in the category of "email support" stated above will be replied in 48 hours.
4 Personal translations, regardless of their length, are charged by word (in the language of the document being translated), according to the fees applied by professional translation agencies, as seen below. Due to time restriction, I cannot accept translation requests for texts with more than a thousand words.
5. Payment for translations charges will be made before the work commences.
6. If you wish to have your own translation marked, this will be conducted during your lesson. I do not offer marking of translations via e-mail, unless they are assigned as homework.
Privacy Policy
1. The booking and payment data which is provided by you will be treated with absolute confidentiality.
2. You agree on submitting the enrolment form that I keep your personal records on my computerised systems. (these will not be shared with any third party). Should any circumstances change it is your responsibility to keep me informed of all changes, in particular, of any changes of home address in the UK, as well as changes to emergency telephone numbers, contact names and change of email address.
Liability
L1. Students are advised that the Portuguese on Demand, its employees and its representatives accept no liability for personal injury and / or loss of /damage to personal property in the classroom premises, whether by fire, burglary, theft or otherwise. This condition also applies to public and private places when students are on trips, excursions or events promoted and guided by Portuguese on Demand or its representatives.
L2. Students may from time to time be photographed, the photographs of which may be used in the promotional / publicity material in this website, blog and classroom posters. The student has the right not to be photographed. Portuguese on Demand reserves the right to all photographs and the use of these photographs in promotional material where permission has been granted for their use. The copyright to all photographs shall belong to Portuguese on Demand.
L3. It is the policy of Portuguese on Demand not to divulge any personal details of students to a third party, other than to the appropriate authorities, without the student’s prior consent.
These Terms are governed by the law of England and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England.
For the Complaints Procedure please, click here.