GLS Terms & Conditions
1. Program and services
The services contracted refers to those services described in the respective program and confirmed as such by the order confirmation / invoice.
- An evening course will only take place if there are more than 2 bookings for this course.
- If there are less than 5 participants in a course, the number of hours is reduced from 20 to 16 lessons of 45 minutes each.
All language courses booked as face-to-face courses from July 2020 and held on the GLS Campus are designed with an online option. Should all language schools need to be closed again, teaching will continue online via ZOOM or another video conferencing provider. This also applies to classroom teaching, which is temporarily continued online for prevention reasons due to suspected or confirmed cases of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Should the course continue online, the student is not entitled to withdraw from the course offer.
Cancellation on the part of the organizer
Should GLS have to cancel the course for an important reason (for example the minimum number of participants is not reached) the full course fee will be reimbursed. GLS cannot be held liable for any further costs incurred due to the cancellation.
Online courses
System requirements
- Internet connection - wired or wireless (3G of 4G/LTE)
- Loudspeaker and microphone - built-in or as USB plugin
- A webcam or HD webcam - built-in or as a USB plugin
- or an HD camera or HD camcorder with video recording card
- a headset is recommended
Obligations of the course participant
It is the responsibility of the course participant to ensure that he/she fulfils the above-mentioned technical requirements necessary for participation in the course.
For technical and organizational questions, support is available, which can be reached by e-mail. Participants will usually receive a response by the working day after next.
The personal access data for the course may not be published or made available to third parties.
Copyright, terms of use
The course participant may use the texts, exercises, pictures, program codes, videos and other contents used in the course in accordance with the purpose of the course, e.g. save them, print them out and use them for his/her own purposes. Any other use of the contents is not permitted. In particular, the contents may not be copied and/or distributed or made publicly accessible. Violations of the copyright can be prosecuted.
GLS uses software that is protected by copyright and trademark rights. Neither software nor electronic media may be copied or processed in any other machine-readable form.
Conditions of participation
The online courses are aimed at participants in private and professional environments. The prerequisite for participation is that there are no health problems that would preclude you from participating.
Liability
However, due to necessary maintenance work, force majeure and uncontrollable technical conditions of the Internet, no liability can be assumed for 100% availability, unless the liability is based on an intentional or grossly negligent breach of duty by employees or vicarious agents.
Streaming
By booking an online course you agreed to be streamed.
2. Payment modalities
The course fees shall be paid in advance.
3. Withdrawal from the contract
- Withdrawal from the service(s) booked is permitted at any time. Submission of the notification of withdrawal by registered or certified mail is recommended.
- The following terms and conditions apply to Cambridge examinations (in accordance with the examination conditions of the University of Cambridge):
- Until the registration deadline the examination fee minus an administrative fee of 30,00 € will be refunded.
- Language- and preparatory courses can be postponed with the charge of a processing/administrative fee of 30 Euros if the GLS Language Center is informed at least seven days before the start of the confirmed course. Subsequent to that GLS shall be entitled to 100% of the invoice amount.
- In the case of withdrawal from the examination for personal reasons after expiry of the deadline no refund will be granted.
- In the case of a withdrawal from the examination for reasons of illness, 50% of the fee will be reimbursed upon presentation of a medical certificate - the certificate shall be submitted to GLS at the latest two weeks after missing the examination deadline. Late submissions will not be refunded.
- In the case of withdrawal from the examinations for compulsory professional reasons the employer shall provide reasons in English and in writing which will only be accepted by Cambridge ESOL in exceptional circumstances. Participation by the candidate in another examination such as Abitur (A-level examinations) shall in principle not be accepted as a reason for withdrawal.
- In the case of withdrawal from a booked course, the GLS Language Center shall be entitled to reasonable compensation in accordance with § 651 BGB (German Civil Code). The compensation shall be as follows:
- Up to four weeks before the beginning of the confirmed course, 10% of the invoiced amount
- Up to two weeks before the start of the confirmed course, 50% of the invoiced amount
- Up to seven days before the start of the confirmed course, 80% of the invoiced amount/li>
- After that, 100% of the invoiced amount
- If the start of the course is within the fourteen-day cancellation period, the right of cancellation can no longer be exercised from the time the course starts.
4. Cancellation of accommodation bookings/reservations
- Cancellation up to 7 days before the arrival date is possible without it resulting in payment- or compensation claims.
- In the case of a cancellation after this period GLS shall be entitled to the contractually agreed upon payment minus the saved expenditure. This shall not apply in the case of a breach of obligation by the hotel to respect the rights, legal assets and interests of the customer if the latter can no longer be expected to be bound by the contract or a legal or contractual right of cancellation is applicable. The hotel shall exercise its right to calculate the amount deducted for saved expenditure as a lump sum.
- The customer is therefore obliged to make the following payments:
For bookings of up to 7 nights:
Up to 24 hours before arrival: a flat-rate of 50 EUR
On the day of arrival or in the case of non-arrival: a flat-rate of 80 EUR
For bookings exceeding 8 nights:
Up to 24 hours before arrival: a flat-rate of 100 EUR
On the day of arrival or in the case of non-arrival: a flat-rate of 150 EUR
The customer has the right to prove that the above-mentioned claim has not come about or has not occurred in the amount claimed.
5. Duties/obligations of the participant
Each participant is obliged to assist in facilitating and solving possible performance problems. Any defects must be reported promptly and a reasonable deadline for repair must be set. Only in exceptional cases does this obligation not take effect, i.e. where a solution is impossible, where the latter is refused or an immediate termination of the contract is justified by a special interest on the part of the customer.
Individual teaching units booked must be fully used within two years after the start of the course, otherwise the claim for this service shall be forfeited.
6. General regulations
No lessons shall take place on national holidays.
7. The court of jurisdiction shall be Berlin
7.1. German law shall apply exclusively to the entire legal and contractual relationship between the customer and GLS.
7.2. The client can only institute legal proceedings against GLS at the latter’s registered office.
7.3. The client's domicile shall be decisive for legal proceedings by GLS against the client. In the case of actions against clients or contracting parties to the travel contract who are merchants, juristic persons under public or private law or persons who are domiciled or have their normal residence abroad, or whose domicile or normal residence is not known at the time the action is brought, the place of jurisdiction shall be the seat of GLS.
7.4. The above provisions shall not apply if and to the extent that international agreements or EU provisions contain provisions that dictate in the customer's favor.
Severability clause
Should individual provisions of these general terms and conditions be or become ineffective in whole or in part, this does not affect the validity of the remaining provisions. In the event of legal disputes, Berlin, the place of jurisdiction of the provider, is decisive.
Responsible for the contents:
GLS Sprachenzentrum, Individual Company - Owner: Barbara Jaeschke, Kastanienallee 82, 10435 Berlin
Court of Jurisdiction: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg in Berlin
Registernumber: HRA 24131 / VAT-Identificationnumber: DE 135 548 259
