| Definitions
and Interpretations in these Conditions
Ability & Suitability for the course
Equal Opportunities
Course cancellation
Booking Flights and other services
Accommodation
Materials and Transfers
Public Holidays
Booking and Payment
Course dates
Prices and Surcharges
Alterations by the Company
Liability of the Company
Alterations by the Client
Cancellation by the Client and Visa Problems
Descriptions
Special Requirements
Insurance
Grievance Procedure
General Information
Definitions and Interpretations in these
Conditions
The 'company' shall mean Cactus or Cactus Language or Cactus TEFL
or Cactus Teachers or Cactus Language Training (divisions of Cactus
Worldwide Limited). 'The client' shall mean the person in whose
name the booking is made and shall include the person or persons
on whose behalf the same is made. 'Force Majeure' shall mean any
event outside the company's control which prevents the prompt performance
of its obligations, including war and civil strife, etc.
’The school’ shall be the course provider - the
third party offering the course.
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Ability & Suitability
for the course
The application process for teacher training courses requires candidates
to complete an application form and attend a face-to-face or distance-interview.
These components are required by the exam bodies, and are in place
to minimise the risk of unsuitable applicants being admitted onto
the course. However, under no circumstances can admission onto a
course form any guarantee of a client passing the course. Courses
are extremely intensive, physically and emotionally demanding, and
clients are to disclose any factors whatsoever, (e.g. medical, physical,
emotional) at the time of application which they feel might reduce
their chances of successfully completing the course. These factors
will be treated as confidential, and will not be used in a disriminatory
fashion, but will form the basis of discussion during interview
to enable the interviewer to form an accurate picture of the client
prior to acceptance. The school is under no obligation to disclose
reasons for declining a client’s application, though may wish
to do so.
Equal Opportunities
The company will receive and forward applications without encountering
prejudice or discrimination because of the client’s sex, race,
disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief. For non-native
speaker applications, the school may wish to request the completion
of an additional language awareness task, as language ability clearly
forms an integral part of the course.
Applications may be rejected for reasons which may be displeasing
to the client, but will never be on the grounds of any prejudice
or discrimination.
Course cancellation
Schools provide the company with appropriate information on planned
course dates which are communicated by our website. As schools require
a minimum number of trainees to run a course (as stipulated by the
exam boards), it may occasionally arise that a school is obliged
to cancel a course at short notice. The decision to cancel lies
beyond the control of the company, and if this occurs, the school
will make every effort to place the client on an alternative course.
The company will also make every endeavour to locate a comparable
course operating at similar times in a similar location. In the
case that a client opts for a course provider (school) other than
that initially selected, reimbursement will be subject to the terms
and conditions of each individual school and subject to an adminstration
charge of £50.
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Booking Flights and
other services
Clients should not, under any circumstance, book flights or other
services until they have been accepted onto a course, have received
a confirmation invoice from the company or school and have paid
for the course in full. The company cannot be held responsible for
any such flights or services paid for which subsequently need to
be cancelled or modified.
Accommodation
Where accommodation is shown for one week, this means 6 nights from
Sunday to Saturday, unless otherwise indicated. However, if you
spend less than 6 nights in your accommodation in any particular
week, you will not receive any discount. For arrival or departure
dates (not on Saturdays or Sundays), a supplement may be payable.
Materials and Transfers
Course materials, airport transfers, accommodation and related services
are not included except where specifically stated.
Public Holidays
Where a course takes place during a public holiday, no lessons will
take place on that day and no reduction in price will be given except
where specifically stated. Courses which require an official minimum
number of hours will either extend the course by the corresponding
number of days, or increase daily tuition to compensate for lost
days. The method of recovery of hours is entirely at the discretion
of the school.
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Booking and Payment
No contract is made between the company and the client and no booking
is valid until the company has issued a confirmation invoice by
post, fax or e-mail. (An e-mail acknowledging receipt of an order
does not constitute a confirmation invoice.) The company will issue
this confirmation invoice after it has received a completed booking
form, a £250 deposit (or full payment) and correct travel
costs and insurance premium if required. If the full balance of
the holiday price is not paid by the due date shown on the initial
confirmation/invoice (6 weeks prior to departure), the company reserves
the right to cancel the client's booking and to impose the cancellation
charges, stated below.
Course dates
Every effort is made to sensure the information contained on the
website is updated at all times. However prior to acceptance, confirmation
of the coures and payment, the company cannot be held responsible
for any errors or omissions with regard to course dates and prices.
Prices and Surcharges
Prices on the Cactus Teachers & Cactus TEFL websites are subject
to changes imposed by each course provider and changes in price
will be communicated to the client as quickly as possible. (Prices
stated on the website are valid until further notice but are subject
to change at any time).
For guidance, your course package price may increase because of
surcharges on the following items: governmental action, increases
in scheduled airfares and adverse currency fluctuations. Even in
this case the company will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of
the holiday price (excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges).
Should there be a favourable currency fluctuation, the company reserves
the right to leave prices unaltered. The prices shown on our website
were calculated at the end of 2003 on the basis of then known costs
and the following exchange rates at that time: £1=$AUS2.25/$US1.75/$CAN2.20/1.42
Euros/$2.55 New Zealand/44 Czech Kroner/0.65 Maltese Lira.
There is a standard 2.5% booking fee on credit card payments. This
is a fee that we are charged by our bank to process a payment by
credit card, and we are obliged to pass it on to our clients.
IMPORTANT: For those accessing the website outside the UK, please
note that the dollar, euro and any other currency rate is a guideline
only. As a UK company we will always take payment in GB pounds and
the amount you are charged will depend on the exact exchange rate
at the time of payment.
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Alterations by the Company
The company will do its utmost to provide the arrangements that
have been confirmed, but it must reserve the right to modify or
cancel any holiday, flight schedule, carrier or aircraft type, accommodation
or itinerary if unforeseen circumstances arise. If the company cancel
or significantly alter an essential element of the client's holiday
for reasons of force majeure, on or before the date when the payment
of the balance becomes due, the company shall inform the client
as soon as possible. If the company is unable to offer an alternative
of similar price, the company will offer the nearest available alternative
and will refund the difference paid by the client. If force majeure
occurs while the holiday is in progress, the company will try to
make reasonable alternative arrangements. The airline and types
of aircraft which are likely to be used for the holidays are subject
to change and the company is obliged by the CAA to state that it
cannot give the client any certain information about the airline
or the type of aircraft on which the client will travel. Clients
should also be aware that where airlines hold codesharing agreements,
the flight may actually be provided by an operator other than that
which issued the ticket.
Liability of the Company
The company accepts responsibility for ensuring that all parts of
the course are supplied as described and that all services shall
reach reasonable standard. However the company shall not be liable
for the failure or improper performance of these services where
such failure or improper performance is attributable to a) the fault
of the client, b) the unforeseeable or unavoidable actions of an
unconnected third party, e.g. the school, c) unusual and unforeseeable
circumstances beyond the company's suppliers control, including
force majeure (or delay, overbooking or cancellation by an airline,
bus, train, car hire or ferry company). The obligations and responsibilities
of the company shall also be limited where international conventions
in respect of air or sea carriers apply. The company strongly recommends
that clients pay an additional £5.00 for Special Delivery
(within Mainland UK) of their flight, rail or coach tickets. If
tickets are lost when regular post is used, there may be a charge
for re-issue and in some cases no re-issue will be possible and
the flights will be forfeited. The company cannot be held responsible
for tickets after they are posted.
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Alterations by the
Client
If the client wishes to change their booking in any way after the
confirmation invoice has been issued, they must inform the company
immediately, in writing (preferably by email), and the company reserves
the right to charge £50 per person per change to cover the
additional administration involved, plus any additional charges
imposed by schools, airlines or other suppliers (details available
on request). All airline tickets and other travel products (train,
coach, bus tickets) issued are non-flexible (except where the company
explicitly specifies otherwise) which means that any changes including
date, time, destination, and name on a ticket will normally be treated
by any airline as a cancellation and re-booking, and 100% cancellation
charges may apply.
Cancellation by the
Client and Visa Problems
If the client wishes to cancel their booking this must be done in
writing by the person who signed the booking form or who made the
online order. The date of cancellation will be taken as the date
that the company receives the letter.
The cancellation charges are:
· 43 days or more before departure = deposit only + any non-flexible
travel products
· between 28-42 days before departure = 40% + any non-flexible
travel products
· between 8-27 days before departure = 60% + any non-flexible
travel products
· between 1-7 days before departure = 100% + any non-flexible
travel products.
Where a client has made a reasonable attempt to obtain a visa for
the destination country within a reasonable timescale but is unable
to obtain the visa, all money and deposits will be returned subject
to a £75 administration charge on receipt of written confirmation
from the relevant consulate detailing the visa rejection (only original
documents will be accepted). No refunds will be given for flights
or other travel products. Notification of visa rejection must be
made to the company in writing (or e-mail) at least 2 weeks before
the start date of the course or accommodation booking.
In the case of cancellation or visa problems,
the client will also be subject to the following charges, depending
on the method used to provide the refund: £25 for a bank transfer,
£7.50 for an international cheque, £1 for a UK cheque
or a refund to a UK debit card, or 2.5% of the total to a credit
card.
It is the client's responsibility to claim
any insurance monies due as the company cannot claim on behalf of
the client, which is why insurance should always be taken out at
the time of booking.
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Descriptions
The company honestly believes that all statements made in its website
are factual and correct. Every reasonable effort has been made to
describe the schools and environs and to provide the amenities described.
The company cannot therefore be held responsible for any changes
that subsequently arise , nor can the company accept liabilities
for happenings outside its reasonable control. The company undertakes
to advise the client of any material changes known to it prior to
the client's departure.
Special Requirements
Any special requests must be advised to the company in writing.
Insurance
The company reserves the right to refuse to accept bookings from
clients who are not adequately insured against holiday risks. The
standard holiday insurance organised by the company is strongly
recommended. Clients not taking this insurance must provide evidence
of adequate alternative insurance at the time of booking.
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Grievance Procedure
The company treats any expression of dissatifaction with course
or course provider (school) very seriously and will do everything
in its power to bring disputes to a satisfactory conclusion. However
as an admissions service, the company merely acts as an intermediary
between client and school.
Once the clients has paid for the course in full, and has been accepted
onto the course, the school becomes the main point of contact once
the course has commenced. Whilst the company wishes to be informed
of any irregularity, problem or dispute, it is imperative that the
clients brings any issue raised to the attention of the director
of teacher training or director of the school in the location where
the course is being followed. If a mutually satisfactory solution
cannot be reached within the confines of the school, a grievance
procedure exists for the exam boards of Cambridge & Trinity,
and the school is under the obligation to explain the routes open
to the client in that time. In the case where a course has been
purchased with no recourse to an external exam board, the company
will endeavour to support the client in the case of a disagreement
and try to bring any dispute to a satisfactory conclusion.
General Information
General information is included on the website for help and guidance
to the client. Please read it carefully. The contract incorporating
these conditions shall be governed by English law and any matters
arising out of it shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts
of England and Wales.
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