Terms & Conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to classes booked with Toucan Spanish.

Class Schedules

Group Classes:

  • Group classes run 5 days a week from Monday to Friday
  • New classes start every Monday
  • Students cannot join a group class after Tuesday (private lessons may be an option)
  • Class times will be confirmed on the Friday before the class commences
  • Payment for the following weeks class must be received by Friday 2pm

Group Classes run from 9am to 1pm or from 2pm to 6pm with 5 minutes break every 55 minutes of lesson. One class per week may be external to the school in order to promote Spanish immersion, cultural experiences and practice in various environments. This activity is considered part of the week's class content and as such students are expected to attend and no refunds are given if a student does not want to participate.

Private Classes:

  • Private classes are 1 or 2 hours a day for a total of 10 hours per week

If a student wishes to take more or less hours, the classes would be subject to availability. Class changes must be advised with a minimum of 24 hours notice, otherwise the class will be forfeited. There are no refunds for online lessons.

Public Holidays

In Colombia there are about 17 days of public holidays every year, most of which fall on a Monday. The school will be closed on public holidays and Group Classes distributed over 4 days instead of 5.

You can consult the list of COLOMBIAN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.

Class Size

The minimum group class size is three students and the maximum is seven students. Class sizes change from week to week, one week you may have 6 students in your class, the next you might only have 2. The average is usually 3 or 4 students.

If students feel they have too many students in their class they should consider taking private classes.

We reserve the right to cancel group classes in which there are fewer than three students registered at the same level. In this situation where there is only one student the group class will be converted to a private class with half the number of hours (no extra charge). Likewise a group class of two students will be converted to a Private Group class of 3 hours (no extra charge). Where the student does not want to convert they have the option to a) defer classes or b) request a full refund for classes on that particular week. Where a student decides to request a refund for all classes booked, the current week will be refunded without charge and all future weeks will be subject to the normal cancelation procedure.

Teachers & Class Groups

Teachers are not assigned to their classes until the Friday prior to the beginning of each week. We cannot guarantee that students and their former classmates will be placed into the same class on the following week. We reserve the right to reassign professors after a course has started. Students may not request a particular professor for the class they are registering for. Once classes begin there is no transferring between classes, unless supported by the school director.

Professors are not involved in scheduling classes. If you wish to book, change or extend classes you should consult with the reception staff.

Pricing, Payments, Discounts & Fees

We encourage students to register early and pay in advance to guarantee their classes and avoid prices rises. Whilst we do our best to ensure all students are scheduled into classes, unless payment is made in advance, no classes will be guaranteed, even if confirmed previously by email or verbally.

Pricing is subject to change. You may secure the current price and avoid future price increases by paying the full course amount in advance. Once classes are paid the price of those classes will be guaranteed for a period of one year from the date of booking. If a student books classes and the price subsequently rises, additional classes will be charged at the new rate. If classes are not taken within 12 months of payment they will be forfeited. To avoid forfeiting classes a student may retain the classes by payment of a supplement, the different between the current sales price and the price paid. In this situation the validity of classes is extended one more year.

Classes can be paid for online, in cash (Colombian Pesos) or by credit card. Remember to advise your bank that you are travelling to Colombia.

The only discounts given are those mentioned on the Pricing page. Students changing from group classes to private classes will forfeit any discount previously applied, if any.

Attendance, Rescheduling, Refunds & Cancellations

Group Courses are sold on a weekly basis and attendance for the full week is the student’s responsibility. Once classes have commenced missed days cannot be refunded, rescheduled, transferred to another period of time or to another person. In the case of absence please contact your teacher for homework.

In the case of emergencies (and supported by formal written documentation such as a doctors certificate or police report), at the discretion of the school director, a student may transfer the remaining days of the current week to another period of time, transfer the credit to take clases online or request a full refund, minus associated cancellation fees.

Private or Online Classes may be rescheduled where notice is given with at least 24 hours notice. Where a student fails to provide 24 hours notice the class (or classes) will be forfeit, with no reschedule or refund.

Refunds

For all class types students may cancel classes and request a refund prior to the start date by giving 30 days or more notice in writing. Any request for a full refund by any other method or after the refund deadline will not be granted. In this situation a cancellation fee applies.

Students who wish to cancel classes with less than 30 days notice may do so by giving notice in writing and will be refunded minus a 50% penalty, plus a cancellation fee.

Cancellation Fee - 200,000 COP
All cancellations are subject to a cancellation fee. Students are strongly advised to obtain travel insurance to cover accidents, sickness and ill health. 

Refunds are only paid in cash. Due to Colombian banking limitations sometimes it's technically not possible to make "partial refunds" via credit card. Where cash is not an option the refund will be given in the form of a credit for future classes or online classes.

Personal Information

For students taking classes in Colombia the local regulations require that we collect certain personal information from all students. To avoid paying 19% IVA (Sales Tax) the Colombian tax department (DIAN) requires us to take a copy of your passport and the tourist entry stamp as evidence of your tourism status (in the same way hostels/hotels are required to). Without evidence of your "tourism status" we are required by law to charge the statutory 19% IVA.

All information is stored in a secure server and never shared with anyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have additional questions about the school, for example, how class levels are determined, the location of the school or how to pay, you may consult our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Feedback

All inquiries and bookings should be submitted via the Contact Us page.

The Toucan Spanish Terms & Conditions are subject to change at any time.