General Terms and Conditions of BCNLIP-LANGUAGE SCHOOL S.L.

Registered office: BCNLIP IDIOMAS, S.L.U. – Plaza del Duque de Medinaceli, 6, Local – 08002 Barcelona. NIF: B44974046. Phone number: +34 933186591, Fax +34 933014696, e-mail info@bcnlip.com, website www.bcnlip.com.

I.- ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR AND CLASS SCHEDULE

II.- TERMS OF ENROLMENT AND STUDIES.

Preliminary. Acceptance of these Contracting Conditions.

By signing the registration form and/or making a reservation payment or any other payment for any course or program, the student, as someone enrolling in a course or program, automatically accepts the following terms and conditions:

1. The general terms and conditions subject to what was published on the website of the School at the time of contracting and commencing the course. The relevant information can be found in the section titled General Conditions of Registration and Studies on the School’s website.
2. Regarding specific conditions – the terms and conditions (Specific Conditions) are discussed individually with the student prior to the commencement of the course.

1. The price of course/program includes:

The inscription fee, the first textbook of the course, course material – consisting of information about the course/program, some cultural and social activities, Wi-Fi and Internet access at the school, access to the library within the school, general advice regarding the stay and studies, complimentary use of the “snack bar/cafe area” within the school, tutoring with teachers, certificate of attendance and level achieved (our courses do not involve obtaining a formal teaching qualification). Apart from the first book (manual) specified by the course, any other textbooks and/or materials of the following courses/levels are not included in the initial course fee.

In case you don´t pay the enrollment fee, the book is not included.

2. The course/program does not include:

Residence and/or accommodation and subsistence costs (we may suggest our student’s alternatives and give general advice regarding these topics), commuting to/from the airport, travel insurance during their stay and some activities of the cultural program. Any materials, services or expenses that are not included may be found in point II.1 (please see above).

III. Booking and Payment.

3.1 Registration Form and Reservation.

In cases where the student requires a permit or visa to remain in Spain, the courses/programs must be paid in complete before the course commences. In other cases, the student should consult the school regarding the conditions and payment for the course. To proceed to the pre-registration the student must send a properly completed registration form (which can be found on the school’s website), by email to info@bcnlip.com , along with:

a) The receipt of the corresponding payment into the specified bank account. The amount should be confirmed by reception of the school. Payments may also be made in person at the school in cash (up to €2.500 in total according to rules of cash payments, which are subject
to review by the relevant regulations). Alternatively, the fees may be paid by credit/debit card – please note that any resulting bank fees will be covered by the student.

You may find bank details for making the transfer of the deposit on the school’s website, otherwise they may be sent to individual students/candidates via email. The school’s website may provide different account details for the payments to be made – if in any doubt please contact the school’s reception.

b) Copy of Passport / Registration Card / Residence permit / NIE / ID, all valid and within their expiry date.

3.2 Confirmation and Registration.

The school requires that the reservation fee or full payment of fees for the course/program be paid to the school’s bank account along with the Registration Form (in the case of students requiring an entry visa to Spain to study, the fees must be paid in full along with the Registration Form). Afterwards, the school will review the registration form, check the deposit/booking/partial payment/full payment and confirm the course/reservation and pre- registration with the student.

Once pre-registration is confirmed by the school, such registration or pre-registration will be effective enrollment, provided that the student pays the full amount of the course/program within a specified time. The school reserves the right to cancel the student’s enrollment, if the school does not receive the full payment for the course/program within the specified time, without further agreement. The potential students must understand that in cases where students require an entry visa to Spain in order to study, pre-registration does not guarantee a place until their request is accompanied by a consecutive full payment, for which they must provide a receipt as proof.

3.3 Other payment terms. Group Programs.

Any questions or queries regarding payment in any other cases for particular programs or group classes may be clarified at the school.

4. Reimbursement of payments. Future course attendance.

4.1 – The School does not refund amounts received for deposit, reservation, and/or as partial or total payment of a course/program under any circumstance, except if the course/program is not conducted due solely to a fault on the part of the School, or the School does not accept the pre-registration; in the latter case, the reservation amount will be refunded.

Notwithstanding the above, in the event that the student is unable to attend the course due to a visa denial without justified cause, and the student has completed all the necessary procedures and submitted all the required documentation in a timely and proper manner for the processing of the visa application, in such case, the School will reimburse the amount received from the student for the course/program, deducting the registration fee and the administrative/financial expenses incurred, which will be retained by the School: €350. The refund will be processed between 30 and 90 natural days once the requested forms are completed and the confirmation email with the processing date is received.

4.2 In the case of cancellation of the course or program for some reason beyond the school’s control, the school may offer student a space in a class in the future.

4.3 The school will not make refunds in cases where the student begins, but does not complete the course. The school will not exchange group classes for private/individual classes and will not return any amount paid in case of a reduction in the duration of the classes, nor in the cases further provided for in paragraph 7. *Please see below.

4.4.‐ The School only refunds the payment for the course under three circumstances: if the School cancels the course due to lack of students (a minimum of 6), due to lack of attendance (less than 30% of the total number of students) or organizational problems only directly attributable to the school. In instances where a group merges with another or undergoes a change in teachers, such scenarios are not considered cancellations; in both cases, the course continues.

5. Attendance of courses/programs. Minimum age. Cooperation. No liability regarding non-attendance – initially or during the course.

5.2. The minimum age for students is 16 years, except in our special junior programs. Students under 18 must present an authorization signed by their parents. The school is not responsible for the custody of underage students, or providing any assistance during their stay in Spain.
5.3. Our school does not tolerate verbal or physical violence or disrespect towards other students, faculty or staff inside or outside the school. Personal choices and freedoms including ideology, religion, gender or sexual orientation must be respected at all times. If any student fails to follow these principles the school retains the right to expel the student. If any student is expelled for the above reason, the
school is not obliged to issue a refund for any course/program the student hasn’t completed.
5.4.‐ Conflicts of a personal, private or extra-school nature are not within the School’s jurisdiction. The school does not respond to these requirements nor does it accept the sending of chats, emails or phone calls that contain sensitive and personal information, which may commit the Student or the School.
5.5.- The student’s failure to attend classes regularly entitles the School not to issue a certificate of achievement at the end of the course/program, resulting in the forfeiture of the amounts paid by the student, without further obligation on the part of the School. To be eligible for the certificate of achievement assessments, a minimum of 80% in-person attendance is required, along with proof of proficiency
in the language studied; unattended classes will not be accounted for in the event of study renewal.
5.6.- If the Student is absent and does not attend classes for any reason beyond the control of the School, said classes cannot be recovered. In particular, students who come to the School with a visa to stay in Spain cannot obtain any discount for unattended classes.
5.7. In-person attendance and school operating system. Students who have obtained an administrative permit to stay in Spain based on a study visa, whether requested at origin or requested in Spain, are subject to the school schedules and availability, since the main reason why they are in Spain is to take an in-person course at school.
The School will always take into account the needs of each Student, but cannot guarantee 100% the times and dates desired by each student. The School organizes the operating regime at its discretion based on professional criteria and in interest of all students.
5.8. In-person and online school places. Certificates of in-person attendance and changes from online to in-person courses. Please remember that our online classes are mostly hybrid as they appear on the website. The hybrid modality consists of a method in which both face-to-face and online students participate in the class simultaneously and equally.
a) Students without a visa / administrative permit to stay in Spain.
If the Student has been enrolled in a face-to-face course where there is a high demand for places and the Student only attends 20% of the course for one month, the School may change the place to the online system at its discretion and apply the corresponding discount that will be valid for the month following notification.
b) Students with a visa/administrative permit to stay in Spain.
The students who have arrived in Spain with a visa or who obtain administrative permission to stay in Spain can only take the courses in person, since the reason for a visa to be granted is the need for the Student’s presence and attendance at the School during the course. In the event of general confinement of the population, documented illness of the Student or necessary displacement and justified to another
city during the course, classes will be taught online. If the Student attends 20% of the course during a month, the School will request sufficient proof at the School’s discretion and, if there is a high demand for face-to-face classes, the School may transfer the place in the face-to-face course to another student who is on the waiting list to attend the face-to-face course.
c) Certificates of in-person attendance, especially for visa renewal.
Due to legal administrative requirement at the end of the course, the school can only issue a certificate of in-person attendance to those Students who attend the School regularly (80%) in person throughout the course.
d) Change from online course to in-person course
If the Student has been enrolled in an online course and wishes to change to a face-to-face course, they can request it from the School and the School at might accept or deny said request based on the reservations and places available.

6. Course/School program cancellation due to insufficient number of students.

The number of students per class will range from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 20, depending on the classroom and type of course. On occasion, the number of students may exceed 20, but the School commits to reducing the number within a span of one month. If the minimum number of students in a group is not met, either before the start of the course or during its progression, the School will offer a
spot in a smaller group or individual classes. Only in this case may the duration of the classes be reduced, as the School’s policy is not to exchange group classes for private ones.
Merging the groups of the same level or changing the teacher is not considered cancellation of the course as in both cases the course continues.
6.1. Cancellation policy:
In courses that are contracted without requiring a prior visa, cancellations or any modification must always be made before starting the course. A final date will be calculated taking into account cancellations previously agreed with the School. Unless specifically agreed with the School, cancellations or modifications of attendance dates will generally not be accepted. The end date of the course can never vary.
In the case of other languages, if the class is canceled by the entire group, there is the possibility of recovering it at another time and day subject to rooms availability.
6.2. Change of schedules and group in the same course. Students may request a change of group in the same course for reasons justified and as long as there are places available in the new group requested and it does not affect the number of students required for the class to be open to other students. The Student who wants to change group in accordance with the above must request it at least one month in advance and the school will evaluate and decide on that request.
6.3. Change to lower level. The Student may be changed to a lower level if the student a) misses 8 consecutive classes, due to it being 15% of the level; b) failed a level test; or c) attended less than 40% of classes. The teacher has the right to evaluate the level of the Student during class at any stage of the course without exam. If the level is evaluated as insufficient, the Student will be assigned to a lower level group.

7. Visas & certificate of registration at the school for visa application.

Students who are EU nationals or residents in the Schengen zone of the EU (European Union) do not need any visa to attend the courses.
Non-EU nationals or residents of countries outside the Schengen zone must obtain information regarding the necessary visa to study in Spain. This information is available at the Spanish embassy or consulate in their country of residence.
If the student should require a letter of confirmation from the school to apply for their visa this may be done with the following conditions.
First and foremost, payment in full for both the course/program and accommodation is required before the school can provide the requested documentation. Payment to the school may be executed through a bank transfer, credit card payment or any other form which can be validated and received by the school in due time.
7.1 Start of course and change of dates for Students with a visa or who obtain administrative permission to stay in Spain.
a) In the case of having processed the visa in the country of origin:

1. There is the possibility of changing dates as many times (before starting the course) as the Student needs if the Student requires only digital copies of the documents.
2. If the Student needs to change the date of the course and receive the original reservation and contracting documents again (always before starting the course), the Student will have to pay for the shipping cost that usually ranges around €150.
3. Once a course has started, dates and times cannot be modified without prior approval from the school.
4. Regardless of the outcome of the visa application, the student must notify at least two weeks in advance about the resolution and inform about their situation and the expected date of arrival in Barcelona.

If no written information is received with sufficient notice of at least two full weeks, the School does not guarantee an in-person attendance spot on their arrival date, and the student will have to wait until the start of the next course. In any case, they can always start the course online while waiting for the next month.

2. All beginner courses start at the beginning of the month. After two weeks, it’s better to wait until the next month to start a course from scratch. These two weeks will not be deducted at the end of the course.
   b) In the event of having processed the visa directly in Spain: The start date of the course cannot deviate from the date indicated on the registration form. If the student is still awaiting the administrative decision regarding the residence permit in Spain, there are three options:
3. Start the course online. If the student residence permit is not ultimately granted and as a result, you leave the country, 75% of the completed classes will be deducted.
4. Start the course in-person. If the student residence permit is not ultimately granted and as a result, you leave the country, 100% of the completed classes will be deducted.
5. Do not start the course and wait. If the student residence permit is not ultimately obtained and as a result, you leave the country, the course fees will be refunded. However, if it is granted, the waiting time will not be deducted from the registration and the end date

8. Renewal Policy and Obtaining BCNLIP’s Certificate of Achievement (Course Completion Certificate).

Upon completion of the course, the student can request the Certificate of Achievement. To do so, it is necessary to make an appointment in advance by informing the school’s administration via the following email: info@bcnlip.com. Please note that our certificates are not confirming the Student´s proficiency. For this purpose, we recommend obtaining a DELE or SIELE diploma.
The Certificate of Achievement is only granted if the student has passed the level tests during the course and has attended the classes. The certificate is issued based on the assessments taken during the course and attendance. If the student has not been able to take the level test during their course, they must schedule an appointment to take the exam and wait a week to receive the certificate. The school will retain
the certificate for a month; after this period, the student will be required to pay a fee of 20€ for a copy of the original.
a. The school will assess attendance and tests taken through a credit system. Each subject or activity corresponds to a number of credits, based on the number of hours needed to complete it. The teacher must award credits based on attendance (80%) and the student’s academic performance (pass). Certificates and assessments will be issued with a final rating of “pass/fail”, and there’s an opportunity to
receive an honorary mention if the student has earned more credits than required to obtain the specific certificate.
The credit system is detailed in the student handbook and on the website. However, in case of doubt, it is essential to contact the school for clarification.
If a student hasn’t earned enough credits to obtain the full course completion certificate, the school will issue a certificate detailing the competencies acquired within the enrolled program.
b. Commercial Spanish: upon completion of the course, the school can issue a Certificate of Achievement in commercial Spanish for the renewal/extension of the student residence administrative permit (TIE), or the academic certificate of competencies which is academically sufficient for the validation of an advanced level course. The B2 level Spanish language course equates to 8 credits and the commercial
Spanish requires 12 credits.
c. For the acquisition of a certificate of achievement in commercial Spanish for the purpose of renewal/extension of the TIE (Student Residency Card in Spain):
To obtain the Certificate of Achievement in commercial Spanish for the purposes of renewing/extending the TIE (Student Residence Card in Spain), it is an administrative requirement of the Immigration Department that, in addition to passing the contracted course level, the student has attended in person at least 80% of the classes.

d. Notwithstanding the above, in cases of non-attendance due to force majeure – which arises after the start of the in-person course – and/or if for a valid and justified reason there’s an extraordinary absence, the school, to issue a certificate of achievement and attendance, will conduct a preliminary assessment of the student’s personal circumstances and academic performance.

9. Insurance

All students are covered by a policy of liability insurance whilst on the school premises. School is not responsible for accidents that take place outside school’s premises e.g. at the student’s accommodation, while on excursions and elsewhere. The school is not accountable for theft or loss of personal property, within school’s facilities as well as outside the premises. The school does not take responsibility for risk of contaminating diseases, both inside and outside the school. All we may suggest is washing your hands and keeping them clean at all times. We recommend that our students take out an insurance policy that covers accidents and health care in country of their origin, valid for the entire duration of the student’s stay in Spain.

10. General.

10.1. Claim forms. The school has an official model of claim forms available to students or their legal representatives.
10.2. Personal data. The processing and storage of personal data of our students by the school is in compliance with current regulations & legislation regarding the Data Protection Act. Protection of personal data is insured through a file of confidential personal data, in compliance with the ’15/199 Protection of Personal Data and Regulations’ law. By the act of signing this document the student authorizes
and empowers school to do the following:
a) Keep your personal information on file in the school’s register for administrative and academic management purposes. The school needs the following information for organization and development of the activities of the school. Transferring any data to third parties may only happen in situations regarding the school’s management, administration, commercial, financial and tax training. Please note that the student
hereby authorizes the transfer and communication of their data to public and private organizations cooperating with the school.
b) Publish catalogues of the school & advertising/video/intranet/social networking sites/internet/different graphic and audiovisual material, showing school activities in which the student may appear. The images will not be used for purposes other than those expressed above, images or content will not be shared with third parties, unless authorized by the school.

c) Students may exercise their legal rights, rights of access, rectification and cancellation, by sending a letter to the school’s Academic Secretary addressing the letter as following: For the Attention Of: Academic Secretary, Calle Avinyó 50, 08002 Barcelona, Spain, or via e-mail to info@bcnlip.com
10.3. Applicable law. Jurisdiction.
All relations between the student and the school, as well as between any service contractors and the school, are governed by Spanish law. For any disputes arising from such relations or from the interpretation, execution, and compliance of this agreement, all parties expressly waive any other jurisdiction and submit to the jurisdiction of the Courts of Barcelona.
10.4. Validity and scope of these general terms and conditions.
These General Terms and Conditions, along with the Specific Conditions set out in the program/course provided to the student, together constitute the Teaching Contract that governs the relationship between the school and the student.
These terms shall apply to any course the student enrolls in from the date of their publication on the school’s website, unless they are modified and such modification is published on the school’s website. This is irrespective of any Specific Conditions for each course or any agreement made between the school and the student on a case-by-case basis.
Should these General Terms and Conditions undergo any changes, they will be updated and published on the school’s website, with the effective date of any such changes being the date of their publication on the school’s website.

10.5. On the school’s website, www.bcnlip.com, students can access informational brochures about courses and programs, as well as other academic and administrative information related to them. In any event, making a reservation payment or any other payment towards a course/program inherently signifies the student’s acceptance of these General Conditions and the Teaching Contract.
10.6. These General Conditions and their subsequent updates are regularly filed away at the Commercial Registry (Registro Mercantil), which is kept at the registered office of the School.

Last updated in Barcelona in January 2024.