Terms and Conditions

ACCEPTANCE OF ENROLMENT

We will respond to your application within 2 days (Monday to Friday). A confirmation of acceptance will be issued only after full payment of the course fees has been received by Headway Institute, whether from the individual or the agent.

PAYMENT TERMS

Students arriving from abroad for a General English course (15 and 20 hours per week) must complete payment in full no later than six (6) weeks before the intended start date. Students arriving from abroad, forming a closed group for any language (customised group) must complete payment in full no later than six (6) weeks before the intended start date. For urgent requests with the starting dates that are within six (6) weeks, the payment needs to be processed immediately and proof of payment must be provided immediately.

Students residing in the UAE and joining General English Course (15 and 20 hours per week), Regular Group Courses (1–6 hours per week) for adults and children, as well as private courses in all languages, must complete the payment at least 2 days before the commencement of classes. Fees can be paid by cash, credit card, bank transfer, or Transfermate. Bank charges for both sending and receiving banks are payable by the sender. International bank transfer or credit card payments are subject to a 3% surcharge.

COURSE START DATES

General English Courses (15 and 20 hours per week) commence every Monday (except UAE bank holidays). While it may be possible to request a change in the starting date, please note that if a visa has been issued, such changes may prevent completion of the course within the allotted time.

Regular Group Courses (1–6 hours per week) have fixed starting dates and schedules. Once enrolled, students are expected to attend according to the agreed schedule. Any transfer to a different group must be requested at least two business days before the start of the originally assigned group, no transfers will be possible after said cutoff date. Group courses are subject to a minimum enrollment requirement. The commencement of a group course is conditional upon the registration of a minimum of four (4) students.The language center reserves the right to postpone or cancel a group course if the minimum number of participants is not met.

Private Classes may commence at any time, provided that payment has been made and the schedule has been confirmed within the validity.

COURSE LEVELS

For General English Courses (15 or 20 hours per week), new levels begin every six weeks.

Students may join an ongoing course on any Monday, provided their placement test results—available for free on our website—indicate suitability for the current level.

Regular Group Courses (1–6 hours per week) have fixed starting dates and schedules according to the level. The level will be advised during the booking process.

TIMETABLE

General English courses (15 and 20 hours per week) are assigned specific levels. Students may join an ongoing morning, afternoon, or evening group on any Monday, provided their language proficiency aligns with the level of the group.

Regular Group Courses (1–6 hours per week) are assigned specific levels. Students may join an ongoing group at any time, provided their language proficiency aligns with the level of the group.

Private Classes offer full flexibility about level and curriculum. Instruction is tailored to each student’s individual proficiency and learning needs, with the teacher adjusting content and pace accordingly.

ATTENDANCE

Consistent attendance is key to language progress and course completion.

General English students (15–20 hrs/week) must attend all classes and maintain at least 80% attendance. Attendance below 70% leads to a verbal warning. Absence over two consecutive weeks may be reported to immigration, and any resulting penalties will be the responsibility of the student.

Regular Group students (1–6 hrs/week) must follow their schedule and meet the 80% attendance requirement to receive a certificate. Missed classes are not refundable or transferable.

Private Classes can be rescheduled with 24 hours’ notice. Short-notice cancellations are non-refundable.

LATENESS

For General English Course classes (15 and 20 hours per week) and Regular Group Courses (1–6 hours per week), three instances of lateness will be counted as one unexcused absence.

For Private Classes, no recovery or compensation will be provided for the missed portion of a class due to late arrival.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Withdrawal refers to ending a course after it has started (groups and individual formats). Requests must be submitted in writing to the school to arrange any required visa procedures. No tuition fees will be refunded after the course begins. Courses are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for other services. All withdrawals follow a strict no-refund policy.

DEFERRAL POLICY

For General English Courses (15 or 20 hours per week) course deferral may be granted in cases of valid extenuating circumstances. Students may defer their remaining course for up to six months. Unused study weeks (General English) will be placed on hold at no extra cost. Any new visa-related fees must be covered by the student.

Regular Group Courses (1–6 hours per week) have fixed starting dates and schedules according to the level. No deferral would be granted once the course begins.

INDIVIDUAL FORMATS (PRIVATE AND SEMI-PRIVATE CLASSES) VALIDITY:

Kindly note individual lessons are non-refundable and have limited validity within which the hours need to be utilized in full to avoid being considered taken:

● Packages of 1-12 hours are to be used within 2 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 13-24 hours are to be used within 4 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 25-37 hours are to be used within 6 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 38-50 hours are to be used within 8 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 51-75 hours are to be used within 10 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 76-100 hours are to be used within 12 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 100-144 hours are to be used within 18 calendar months of purchase
● Packages of 145+ hours are to be used within 24 calendar months of purchase

GENERAL CANCELLATION POLICY

A “cancellation” refers to a change made before the first course confirmation letter date. A full course of study is the initial enrolment period; extensions are treated as new enrolments.

If a visa application is refused after payment, all fees, excluding non-refundable charges, will be refunded within 14 days. Non-refundable charges include: enrollment fees, non-refundable deposits related to offers or promotions, bank fees, courier fees, booking fees, visa fees, admin fees, and third-party fees (e.g., agent commission).

Refunds are processed within 14 days based on the following:

1. 100% refund (excluding non-refundable fees) if cancellation is received at least 40 days before the course start.

2. 50% refund (excluding non-refundable fees) if received 25 days before the course start.

3. 20% refund (excluding non-refundable fees) if received 15 days before the course start.

No refund will be given for cancellations received after these periods.

Payments via third parties will be refunded to the same party. Direct payments will be refunded to the original payment method.

ACCOMMODATION BOOKING PROCESS
Accommodation bookings are made provisionally upon receiving the complete registration form and all documents from the student/agency.
The accommodation bookings will be placed starting Saturday or Sunday prior the course starting date (following Monday).
The accommodation check in is strictly 3:00 pm and the check out is 12:00 pm.
Should the student request to check in earlier additional per day charges will apply as per property availability.
The accommodations must be paid in full at least six (6) weeks before the course start in order to guarantee the stay. For starting dates that are within six (6) weeks, the accommodation will be booked immediately upon receiving full payment.
Should the accommodation payment be received in a timely manner and the booking confirmation provided, further changes will be made according to accommodation changes and refunds clause.

ACCOMMODATION CHANGES AND REFUNDS

Students cancelling or changing their accommodation less than six (6) weeks before arrival will be charged an amount equal to three (3) weeks of accommodation.

For cancellations or changes less than ten (10) business days before arrival, a charge equal to four (4) weeks of accommodation will apply.

For cancellations after check-in, the charge will depend on the number of weeks used, with a minimum charge of three (3) weeks regardless of check-in date. Accommodation charges are non-transferable towards alternative accommodation providers after check in.

Changes and upgrades may be accommodated within the selected residence depending on the room availability. All changes requests must be sent to [email protected], the requests will be replied within two (2) business days.

Accommodation security deposits are handled by the accommodation providers and may take up to forty five (45) business days to be refunded depends on the residence procedures. Headway Institute takes no liability with regards to security deposit refunds.

Additional terms and conditions may apply depending on the chosen accommodation option.

COURSE MATERIALS

Our General English Course packages (15 and 20 hours per week) include all necessary materials. Additional charges may apply should the student wish to purchase their book separately.

Regular Group booking (1–6 hours per week) for adults and children may include additional material charges, which will be communicated before enrolment.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

For General English Courses (15 and 20 hours per week), no classes are held on public holidays, and no refund or compensation is provided for missed lessons.

For Regular Group Course classes (1–6 hours per week), classes falling on public holidays will be rescheduled according to the group timetable. This may slightly extend the overall course duration in some cases.

General English Courses (15 and 20 hours per week) Holiday Allowance

Students enrolled in General English Courses (15 or 20 hours per week) are entitled to holidays.

All holiday requests must be submitted in writing via email at least 10 business days in advance.

Requests made verbally, via WhatsApp, or after the holiday start date will not be accepted, and the absence will be recorded as unauthorized. No visa extension will be provided automatically to accommodate the holidays.

Holiday entitlement:

● Under 12 weeks of study: up to 2 weeks'; holiday

● 13 to 24 weeks of study: up to 3 weeks'; holiday

● 25 weeks or more: up to 6 weeks'; holiday

CONDUCT AND LIABILITY

Headway Institute is not liable for service interruptions caused by circumstances beyond its control. Headway Institute reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a session or course due to unforeseen circumstances, teacher's sickness, or weather conditions.

Students are liable for any damage to school property or accommodation, intentional or not.

Headway Institute acts as an agent for accommodation, and students must accept the provider's terms. In shared housing, students are jointly responsible for common areas, and the school may charge for damage or excessive cleaning.

VISA SUPPORT

1-year Student Visas under the school’s sponsorship are multi-entry and available only for courses of 24 weeks or more. These visas can be renewed. Students will remain under the school’s sponsorship only while enrolled in a full-time study program and cannot be sponsored after completing their studies. The Student Visa requires cancellation to be processed by the sponsor, in this case, Headway Institute, before exiting the country. The student must make travel arrangements to exit the UAE before their visa expires and inform the institute accordingly at least 21 days before visa expiry. Any fines resulting from overstaying or failure to leave the country will be the sole responsibility of the student.

Tourist visas may be opened via a third party if necessary for up to 90 days. All visas are subject to immigration approval.

For starting dates that are within six (6) weeks, the visa application process will start immediately upon receiving full payment.

For starting dates that are further away the visa application process will start six (6) weeks prior to intended starting date.

HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE

The visa sponsored by the school includes basic insurance. This coverage may not be sufficient for students with chronic conditions. Should the student have a chronic condition, they must declare it when proceeding with the insurance; additional charges may apply. Headway Institute has preferred insurance partners, and additional coverage can be arranged through the school administration. Please note that once booked, insurance is non-refundable.

EMPLOYMENT

Headway Institute allows and encourages students to work part-time or take temporary jobs in their free time to practice English. The school supports this by issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) upon request.

MEDIA AND PUBLICITY

Permission is given by the student, their parents, or guardian with acceptance of these terms and conditions, for the use in Headway Institute's promotional materials of student comments, opinions, images, or video, whether produced by Headway Institute or by nominated third parties, unless requested otherwise in writing.

JURISDICTION

● Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with this website shall be governed and construed by the laws of the UAE.

● The United Arab Emirates is our country of domicile.

● Minors under the age of 18 are prohibited from registering as users of this website and are not allowed to transact or use the website.

● If you make a payment for our products or services on our website, the details you are asked to submit will be provided directly to our payment provider via a secure connection.

● In case of online payment, the cardholder must retain a copy of the transaction records and the merchant's policies and rules.

● Payments are accepted online using Visa and MasterCard credit/debit cards in AED.

● Headway Institute will NOT deal with or provide any services or products to any of the OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) sanctioned countries by the law of the UAE.

● The UAE introduced VAT from 1 January 2018 at a standard rate of 5%. As per the ‘UAE Executive Regulations of the Federal Decree-Law on Value Added Tax (VAT)’, all the fees charged by HI will be subject to VAT as prescribed by the law.

● As per the Executive Regulations, the VAT will be due on invoices issued before 1st January 2018, where the actual part or all of the goods/services is on or after the date.

To comply with regulations, we will therefore have to raise additional invoices for VAT due on the portion of goods/services charged in 2017, but supplied or otherwise derived on or after the implementation date, i.e, 1st January 2018.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR MOTHER TONGUE PROGRAMS AND AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES WHICH RUN AT SHOOLS

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR KIDS CLASSES

NON-SOLICITATION POLICY
To protect the integrity of our educational services and community, we kindly remind all clients that:
For a period of twelve (12) months after the completion of any course or cooperation with Headway Institute, clients are strictly prohibited from directly or indirectly approaching, soliciting, or entering into any form of cooperation or employment agreement with our teachers, staff members, or other clients introduced by the Institute.
This includes (but is not limited to) offering private lessons, initiating business proposals, or encouraging any Headway-affiliated individuals to terminate their relationship with the Institute.

PRIVACY POLICY

All credit/debit card details and personally identifiable information will NOT be stored, sold, shared, rented, or leased to any third parties.
The Website Policies and Terms & Conditions may be changed or updated occasionally to meet the requirements and standards. Therefore, the Customers are encouraged to frequently visit these sections to be updated about the changes on the website. Modifications will be effective on the day they are posted.
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