Terms and Conditions for Sydney
Residential 4 week course
Applicants can pay their USD 500
non-refundable deposit online today to secure their seat in the next
course. If the applicant pays the full fee (which includes the
non-refundable deposit of USD 500) and, for any reason, they cannot
attend the course, and applicants choose not to cancel enrollment
before the course starts, refunds of the available balance will not be
issued. The deposit of USD 500 is akin to a processing fee and is not
refundable under any circumstances. TEFL International does not
guarantee the replacement of course members who subsequently drop out
of our program. The remaining balance of the tuition must be
paid
in full prior to the centre on the first day of class. Please scroll down for details of our refund policy.
Payments can be paid via cash, eftpos
or credit
card at our office in Sydney city or it can be paid via PayPal online.
Please note that credit cards via eftpos machines at our office will
attract an additional 2.5% charge.
Students
interested in other payment arrangements should contact the course
advisor as soon as possible. Alternative payment methods may be
available depending on special circumstances.
Pre-screening
Course fees
Course fees at TEFL International are based on completion of our program. Students are required to complete all course assessments including teaching practices within the four-week course. Students, who fail to complete courses by the finish date, may accrue more costs than originally paid. An extension of time may be granted depending on the circumstances of the situation. Each additional teaching practice needed to complete the course is charged approximately USD $200.00 per lesson, and each piece of written work is charged USD $200.00. Students choosing to leave in the middle of a course, and who would like to re-enter at a later date will be subjected to a USD $250 moderation fee by TEFL International. Transfer to another centre after a course has started will result in a USD 500 fee.
Course cancellations
The TEFL course in Sydney is usually
every 4 weeks. If we
don't get more than 2 trainees register for a course we will offer to
transfer the students to the next available course date (only 4
weeks later) We can also
offer transfers to other centres around the world. Transfers to other
programs offered by TEFL
are also possible as well as priority enrollment in a future course of
your choice. If we have to completely cancel a course you should
contact your original agent and request a transfer or a refund.
Deposits and additional bonuses are organised individually by our 60
agents around the world and so those agents need to be contacted
directly regarding any transfers or changes.
It may sometimes be necessary to
adjust the dates
of courses due to unforseen circumstances in the cities they take
place, for example a natural disaster or a new public holiday. Please
double check your course dates with the centre that you're going to
before booking your flight.
Certificates
The TEFL International TESOL
certificates are given to trainees that pass on the last day of the
course. We take postal details in case there are delays with assignment
submissions or if a trainee is sick, in which case certificates will be
posted.
Disciplinary Action
Students receiving disciplinary action may be subjected to course cancellation. It's the course director’s final decision whether students should be dismissed from the program due to lack of attendance, or failing the courses. Dismissed persons from our program will not receive a refund.
Other activities and services not
listed here may
be advertised by our company and may be an additional charge. Please
check with your course adviser during your course regarding these
activities.
Administration
TEFL International Sydney is a centre
administered from our head offices in the USA, UK and Thailand with trainees
being referred by agents from 60 places around the world. Fees from the
course pay for the teacher in Sydney and administration in our overseas
offices. The friendly people at TEFL international in Sydney can help
you with most enquiries but administration, certificates and moderation
are the responsibilities of our head office and your original agent,
and enquiries regarding these should be directed there. If you're
unsure, James at TEFL International Sydney is happy to help. You can
email him directly via our contact form here.
Refund Policy and Additional Charges
We advise you to familiarise yourself with our refund policy so that there are no misunderstandings. This refund policy is similar to other refund policies by other institutions around the world. In short, the non-refundable deposit is, of course, non-refundable. If the course has started, there are no refunds of the remaining course fees either. More details below.Introduction
This refund policy is applicable to trainees/students who are enrolled in the TEFL International course in Sydney. This policy has been written with references to the rights of consumers according to the NSW Office of Fair Trading.
1. Policy relating to refunds before the course starts.
In the event of a trainee withdrawing from the TEFL International course on or before the 1st day of the course, remaining course fees paid will be refunded. To clarify, please note that this does not include the non-refundable deposit made to your agent to register you for the course, only the remaining course fee paid directly to the centre you attend.
Case Study example
Mandy registers online for a TEFL course in Sydney costing USD 2050 and pays her non-refundable USD 500 deposit to start the administration process and secure her place in the course. A few weeks later she pays the remaining course fee of USD $1550. Unfortunately Mandy is unable to attend the course due to some personal problems and contacts TEFL International Sydney BEFORE THE COURSE STARTS to advise she is unable to attend. TEFL International Sydney refunds her USD 1550 and hopes she can join the course at a later date.
2. Policy relating to course transfers before the course starts
The non-refundable deposit allows trainees to not only transfer between courses in a centre, it allows trainees to transfer to other centres around the world.
Case Study example
Bill signs up online for a TEFL International Course in Sydney starting in a few months time. After paying his deposit he contacts TEFL International Sydney and requests that he change to a centre in Phuket with a course starting in four months time. TEFL International Sydney contacts the centre in Thailand and advises that Bill has signed up through Sydney for the Thailand course. Bill can then attend the Thailand course, paying the remaining course fee directly to the Phuket TEFL International centre when he arrives.
3. Policy relating to Visas and refunds
If a trainee decides to pay their remaining course fee in advance, and arrives in Sydney only to find immigration blocks them from entering, if the course has not started when they advise the centre then a refund of their remaining course fee is payable, less an administration fee of US $250. If the course has already started when they contact us then a refund is not possible.
Case Study example
Marge pays the full amount of USD $2050 (non refundable deposit of USD 500 + remaining course fee of USD 1550) online directly to TEFL International Sydney via Paypal. Unfortunately, when she arrives in Sydney, immigration prevents her from entering due to arriving on a tourist visa with a bag full of resumes without a return ticket. She does not have a worker's visa but obviously plans to work in Australia, so immigration sends her back to her country. She contacts TEFL International Sydney who refund her the amount less the non refundable deposit. Marge receives a refund of USD $1550.
4. Policy relating to not completing a course and refunds.
No refund is possible in the following situations:
a. Ill health/sickness
b. Family problems
c. Bankruptcy or other financial situation
d. Changing their mind
e. Being thrown out due to unacceptable behaviour
f. Criminal activity
g. Any other reason that causes a trainee to leave the course after starting the course.
To clarify, in the event of a trainee discontinuing the course after starting, no refund is possible for any reason.
Case Study example
Josephine joins the course and pays her remaining course fee of USD $1550 on the first day. The administration process for that centre's course starts and private students and places in classes of students are organised, observation lessons set, manuals and other printed materials supplied, her certificate is ordered and paid for, teachers' commissions paid and other fees and charges are taken from Josephine's course fee as a necessary part of completing her enrolment and making sure the course runs efficiently.
After two weeks of doing the course Josephine gets sick, has family problems, goes bankrupt, loses an uncle, has a car accident, is arrested, her house is destroyed in a hurricane, and other terrible things happen to her and she is unable to continue the course. No refund can be given but TEFL International Sydney offers her a place in a future course when she is able.
Please be very, very sure of starting a course as no refund is payable.
5. Policy relating to transfers between centres after a course has started
If the remaining course fee has already been paid for a course at a particular centre and the trainee has started the course but then wishes to continue the course in another place, then additional transfer fees will be charged of USD $500 per transfer between centres and a percentage of the course time spent at the initial centre will be taken from the amount of the remaining course fee paid to the initial centre.
Case Study example
Robert pays the remainder of his course fee at the centre in Sydney but, after a week at his course his workplace orders him to China. He requests for a transfer to the centre in Shanghai, China. As he paid his remaining fee of USD 1550 and spent a week at the school, TEFL International Sydney takes a percentage of the course training fee of 25% of the amount paid in Sydney. USD $387.50. They also take a $500 USD transfer fee. This leaves USD $662.50 to transfer to China. The final payment for the course in Shanghai is USD $1290 so Robert pays the remaining amount of USD $627.50 to the centre in Sydney and the amount of $1290 is transferred to the centre in Shanghai. As the course in Shanghai and the course in Sydney will be slightly different due to being in a different environment, it is best that Robert starts the course again from the beginning with a new teacher so will attend the first available first day of a course in Shanghai.
(NB: Due to the difficulties involved, no one has actually done this yet as it is easier to complete the course in Sydney or to just quit altogether. The case study example is here in the unlikely event it happens)
6. Policy relating to transfers between course dates
a. If a transfer is requested between course dates before the course has started then there is no additional charge. If you've paid your non-refundable deposit you can change your course start dates as often as you like within a 12 month period. Please give at least a week's notice though as centres are already planning for your arrival a week before the course starts.
b. If a transfer is requested after the course starts then a USD 250 course transfer fee is charged.
Case Study example
Joyce attends the first and second day of her course and pays the remaining course fee but for whatever reason she decides to delay the course for another time. She requests a transfer to the next course in September. The process incurs a USD 250 fee at TEFL International Sydney due to a number of administration processes that need to be put on hold and people needing to be informed. The course date approaches and Joyce calls again to change dates. An additional USD 250 is charged. When Joyce eventually starts the course again she will be charged an additional USD 500 plus an additional USD 250 for each additional change of dates.
NB: If the remaining course fee has already been paid then the Principal has the discretion on whether these fees will be passed on. If the trainee started the course but didn't pay the remaining course fee before transferring, the course transfer fees will definitely be charged. In any case, please assume that these transfer fees will be charged.
7. Policy relating to TEFL International Sydney cancelling a course.
This is an extremely rare situation. We've only had to cancel a course near the start date once and that was due to only having one person register for it (middle of winter!). Even then, the student was able to take the course at another centre. In the unlikely event that a course is cancelled we will endeavour to ensure that all people registered for the course are given plenty of notice and refunds of any course fees paid. Trainees will also be able to transfer to other courses.
8. Policy relating to delays completing work
If for some reason important lesson plans or assignments have not been completed by the final day of the course, these assignments will incur a $200 marking fee for each additional piece submitted after the end of the course. A teacher will have to be hired to work additional hours to mark overdue work so this fee will be used to pay for these additional hours. We strongly recommend that you have everything completed by the last day.
Case Study example
Neil decides his spare time is better spent drinking and partying rather than completing his work so he leaves everything to the last minute. Unfortunately on the last day he realises that he still hasn't completed a lesson plan from week 3 and his final language diary entry from week 4, even though the trainer has reminded him of it daily. And, while his marks have been good, she can't give him his certificate until all work has been completed. She also plans to take the next month off to go on holiday so won't be around to mark his assignments. Neil finds he has to hand his assignments in at the office when they are done and a new teacher needs to be hired to mark his work, calculate his marks and then issue his certificate. Neil is charged an additional USD $400.
NB: There is usually plenty of time to do your homework. We also have mentors available if you need additional help.
Thank you for reading our refund policies. Please click here to go to our registration page and join one of our exciting courses worldwide.