General Terms and Conditions for Courses

V2.4, valid from 30 January 2024

1. Money-Back Guarantee

1.1 Every student attending a regular level course (e.g. B1, B2, C1 etc.) for the first time may cancel the course at the end of the first module and receive a full refund of all course fees paid. A module lasts for 1 or 2 weeks, depending on the course. This guarantee only applies if the student attends every day of the first module and communicates the cancellation to the office no later than on the final day of the module.

1.2 Excluded are certain offers such as exam preparation courses, speech training and private lessons.

2. Guarantee of Success in Goethe and telc Exams

2.1 Bellingua guarantees all students that, after completing a regular level course (e.g. B1, B2, C1 etc.) with a grade of “satisfactory” or higher, they will pass the corresponding Goethe or telc diploma exam, provided they take the exam no later than 4 months after the end of the course. If a student fails the exam, Bellingua will refund the fee for the repetition of the failed exam parts and allow the student to repeat the level course in question free of charge.

3. Guaranteed Maximum Group Size

3.1 The maximum group size is 9 students.

4. Guaranteed Course Provision

4.1 Our courses will be provided even if only one person has signed up to attend.

4.2 If a course day is lost, e.g. because the teacher and the substitute teachers are absent due to sickness, Bellingua will refund the corresponding amount of the course fee.

4.3 A place on the course is only guaranteed for the period which has been booked. The contract can be extended, provided there is a place available.

4.4 For safety considerations (e.g. in a pandemic) Bellingua reserves the right to temporarily switch courses to video attendance only.

5. Student’s Right to Cancel at Any Time

5.1 The student/contractual partner may cancel a course contract at any time in person or by e-mail without needing to give reasons.

5.2 First course contract:

5.2.1 A cancellation before the course start costs CHF 100 and does not require advance notice.

5.2.2 The following applies for cancellation after the start of the course:

  • One week`s notice to the end of a calendar week is required.
  • A processing fee of CHF 50 is charged.

  • The course price is recalculated on the basis of the actual course duration, and any additional amount already paid is refunded in full after deduction of the processing fee. A bill will be issued for any amount still outstanding.

5.3 Subsequent contracts: the cancellation of a follow-up contract is handled as described under point 5.2.2 in every case.

5.4 Excluded are certain offers such as exam preparation courses, speech training and private lessons

6. Bellingua’s Right to Cancel at Any Time

6.1 Bellingua may cancel a course contract without notice at any time, stating the reasons for the cancellation.

6.2 No processing fee is charged in this case.

6.3 If a student fails to attend the first day of a course without notifying Bellingua, Bellingua may cancel the contract with immediate effect and bill the student for the first week of the course.

7. Course Interruptions and Absences

7.1 Any student wishing to interrupt a course and pay no course fees during the interruption must cancel the course contract (see point 5).

7.2 Missed course days are not refunded and cannot be compensated for, even in cases of illness or accident.

8. Attendance Obligation and Required Performance

8.1 Students may be absent from lessons, provided their performance in tests and oral assessments remains satisfactory. Advance notice of absences should be given wherever possible. Students who miss tests must take them at a later date, otherwise their test performance will be regarded as unsatisfactory.

8.2 Arriving at classes late and leaving early are both discouraged as they disrupt the teaching for the whole group.

8.3 If a student`s performance in terms of marks and/or behaviour during lessons is unsatisfactory, Bellingua will cancel the course contract.

9. Payment Terms

9.1 An up-front payment of CHF 320 towards the course fees is required when signing up for a course. This is not a sign-up fee and is deducted from the course bill.

9.2 Payment by instalments is possible for courses lasting 8 weeks or more, provided the student/contractual partner is resident in Switzerland.

9.3 The course bill is payable approximately 2 weeks before the course. The due date is shown on the bill.

9.4 Students who fail to pay their bill on time lose their entitlement to a place on the course but remain obliged to pay the bill.

10. Lessons and Possible Reduction

10.1 Each course lesson lasts for 40 minutes. The intensive morning course comprises 20 lessons per week, the semi-intensive morning course 8 lessons per week, the semi-intensive afternoon course 8 lessons per week, the semi-intensive evening course 6 lessons per week.

10.2 Bellingua reserves the right to reduce the number of the lessons in a course as follows:

  • Intensive morning course: the number of lessons per day is reduced from 4 to 3 if only 3 people have signed up to attend and from 4 to 2 if fewer than 3 people have signed up.

  • Semi-intensive morning and afternoon course: the number of lessons per week is reduced from 8 to 6 if fewer than 4 people have signed up to attend.

  • Semi-intensive evening course: the number of the lessons per week is reduced from 6 to 4.5 if fewer than 4 people have signed up to attend.

11. Concluding Provisions

11.1 Compensation claims by students in the event of changes to the course offering or cancellation of a course contract are excluded.

11.2 Students are responsible for their own accident and liability insurance.

11.3 The place of jurisdiction is Zurich.