Alpha School of English

Classes and Courses

Students intending to study in Malta need to check if a visa is required. Please visithttp://www.foreign.gov.mt for up to date information.

All group courses start on a Monday and end on a Friday. At the school’s discretion, special arrangements may be made to start courses mid-week to coincide with students’ flights. Lessons are held between 09:00 and 16:30.

Lessons are usually held as follows: standard courses: 09:00 - 10:30, 11:00 - 12:30, intensive courses: 13:00 - 14:30 or 15:00 - 16:30. However, during busy periods we reserve the right to hold standard courses in the afternoons.

Alpha School of English reserves the right to hold classes outside school premises and to make use of school annexes which are separate and completely independent from the main school building.

A minimum of two students is required to offer a standard course of 20 lessons per week. When there is only one student in the class, the student is given individual tuition and the total number of lessons is reduced by a third. There is no change to the cost of the course.

All students are given a certificate of achievement provided they have attended 90% of their lessons.

Course resources are required by all students. Course material depends on the type of the course and can include photocopies/student packs/USB drives. Course books are used in selected Adult courses only. Writing materials are not provided by the school.

Examination Preparation Courses must be booked for a minimum of four weeks. The cost of an Examination Course does not include the examination or the transfer to the examination. Students must bring a valid identity card with photo or passport to the examination.

Holidays

The following dates are Public Holidays in Malta and the school will be closed on these dates: 10 February, 19 March, Good Friday (varies each year), 31 March, 1 May, 7 June, 29 June, 15 August, 8 September, 21 September, 8 December and 13 December, 25 December. During weeks that include a public holiday the first lessons will be held from 09:00 to 11:00 (30 minute daily extension). The intensive lessons will be extended by 30 minutes on three days of the week. The school is closed at weekends and for the 2 week annual shutdown over the Christmas season.

Complaints & Problems

In case of emergencies students should phone our school representative on our 24-hour helpline: (+356) 79 99 9444.

Any complaint should be brought to the attention of the school and registered in writing during the course of the student’s stay in Malta. Alpha School of English cannot be held liable for any complaints sent to the school after the student’s departure from Malta.

Cancellations

It is possible to cancel a course at any time before the start date. However the following cancellation charges will be incurred:

i) cancellation up to 30 days before start date: €175 per person
ii) cancellation up to 14 days before start date: €175 per person + 25% of total invoice
iii) cancellation up to 7 days before start date: €175 per person + 50% of total invoice

No refunds will be given after the English course/vacation has commenced. Similarly, no refunds will be given for classes not attended, services (eg. accommodation/excursions) not utilised or for ‘no-shows’.

Enrolment and Accommodation Charges

Students wishing to change their accommodation will be charged a 6-night cancellation fee for the original accommodation booked.

A €50 fee will be charged for any changes to a student’s enrolment after the course has begun. While we will do our best to change course or type of accommodation when requested, this may not always be possible. It is not possible to change from group lessons to One-to-One lessons after a course has begun.

Liability

Students are liable for any damage caused to school premises and accommodation.

Alpha School and its staff are covered by adequate public liability insurance. Alpha School of English is not liable for theft or loss of students’ possessions. Nor is it liable for any accident that may occur on the school premises. All students travelling to Malta should have accident, health and travel insurance.

Alpha School of English must be informed of any medical or psychological conditions affecting students. Failure to do so may result in the student not being accepted for an English course (no refund will be given in such cases).

Conduct & Behaviour

Alpha School of English reserves the right to dismiss students who behave disreputably and fail to abide by the rules of the school and/or the laws of Malta. Such students could be sent home without warning depending on the gravity of the offence. No refunds will be given. Students will have to pay for any repatriation expenses incurred.

No smoking or consumption of alcohol is allowed in the school building.

To ensure the safety of our students, minors residing in host family accommodation and the School Guest House should return to their accommodation by the following times: students under 14 - 22:00, students under 16 - 23:00, students under 18 - 24:00.

Host Families shall ensure that minors will not be lodged in the same room as Adults and that a responsible adult will always be present overnight and when the minors are at the Host Family residence.

Excursions

All school excursions are accompanied by a school group-leader. However, outside of school and after excursions, junior students will not be supervised.

Excursions are only included for those students who have booked one of our Activity English Courses or Leisure Activity Packs.

Alpha School of English reserves the right to change the excursion programme without prior notice and to substitute excursions in the case of bad weather, attraction closures, road works, etc.

Please note that a medical declaration form must be completed for all scuba diving activities. If you have a medical condition and require an examination by a doctor in Malta then there is an additional charge for this which must be paid locally to the dive centre before you start diving.

Accommodation

Students who book a self-catering apartment or Host Family must also book an arrival airport transfer to ensure safe arrival at the accommodation.

Cleaning is not included in Apartment or Villa accommodation, however bed linen and towels are changed weekly.

Airport and Harbour Transfers

Arrival details for transfers must reach our school a minimum of three days before student’s arrival in Malta. Students who fail to provide the necessary information on time are not eligible for a refund in the event of a missed transfer.

Minors

Students under the age of 13 are only accepted by the school if they are accompanied to Malta by a parent or caregiver.

By enrolling your child at Alpha School of English you are providing us with consent to act on your behalf in the case of an emergency. Parents and caregivers will be informed of any such developments as soon as possible.

Photography & Filming

Alpha School may take photos/film footage of school lessons and activities for promotional and marketing material. Students who do not wish to participate should inform us beforehand.

Miscellaneous

The legal personality of “Alpha School of English” is Patricia Marshall as Sole Trader and Proprietor

Prices of courses, accommodation facilities and all other services listed in this price list are subject to change without prior notice. However, your price is guaranteed once you receive a booking confirmation from Alpha School of English.

Alpha School of English reserves the right to change services without notice. Any services provided as substitutions will be of the same standard as those originally booked.

Alpha School of English has one official website www.alphaschoolmalta.com. While we do our utmost to ensure that all our agents and representatives provide accurate and up-to-date information about our school and services, we cannot accept responsibility for any information found on external websites and other media.

Bookings/payments are non-transferable.

It is not possible to transfer fees paid for English courses to accommodation/sports/leisure activities and vice-versa.

Payment

A non-refundable deposit of €175 is required to secure any reservation. The reservation should only be considered as confirmed after the school has issued a letter of confirmation and invoice.

All fees and expenses must be settled in full at least 30 days prior to the commencement of courses/vacations.

Our preferred method of payment is by bank transfer / credit card through Flywirehttps://www.flywire.com/pay/alphaschoolmalta (No charge is made for bank transfers and credit card payments in other currencies. For Visa/Mastercard/Eurocard payments payments made in euros only through Flywire a charge of 1.8% of the total amount applies.

Payment may be made directly to Alpha School by credit card. In this case students should advise the school of their credit card details (name, number and expiry date). The following charges apply to credit card payments made directly to Alpha School:
i) 2.75% of the total amount on Visa / Mastercard / Eurocard.

You can make a direct payment to Alpha School using PayPal. Please note that you are responsible for all PayPal transaction charges (currently 3.88% to 5.25%) and these will be added to your final invoice. PayPal payments should be sent to payments@alphaschoolmalta.com