Commencement of classes constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions, which you agree to when you make a payment.

If you have any questions or concerns about the terms and conditions on this page, please get in touch via the “Contact” link at the bottom of this page.

This Service

This website and its services are owned and operated exclusively by “Fern’s English”. We are not connected financially or operationally with WordPress.com.

Communication
Please be aware that Fern’s English is based in the United Kingdom, so there may be a delay in responding to messages due to the time difference between your country and the United Kingdom. All messages will receive a response as soon as possible during Fern’s English working hours.

Class provision

Lessons will be provided via a Fern’s English dedicated classroom, which you will access via your student account.  If you have not yet created an account with Fern’s English, please do so now.  Class credits will be added to your account once payment has been received and you will then be able to book and manage your lessons.

Please note: For the best experience, it is recommended that you use a computer or laptop device in a quiet environment.  The recommended browser is Chrome, however most common browsers are compatible.  If you are using an Apple iPad or Apple iPhone to join the lesson, you MUST use the Safari browser.  If you are running a firewall, you may need to whitelist the website https://fernsenglish.live-online-classes.com or ask your IT manager to do so.

Please use this troubleshooter if you have any problems connecting to the classroom, or contact me if you need further assistance.

Please ensure that you provide a telephone number in case of any technical issues on the day of your lesson.

Classroom behaviour
The teacher will treat all students equally and with respect. It is expected that all students, regardless of age, will treat the teacher with courtesy and respect in return. Parents are responsible for the behaviour of students under the age of 16 years. In the event that a student is disrespectful or rude to the teacher during a lesson, the teacher reserves the right to terminate the lesson early, and will make a report to the parents if the student is a young learner to explain the reasons for this. If disrespectful behaviour continues in future lessons, Fern’s English will issue a warning of account termination. If the poor behaviour continues after this warning, the student’s account will be terminated without any further warning, and without any refund of unused credits.

Payment for lessons

All lessons must be paid for at least 48 hours prior to the date of the first lesson.

Lesson duration

Each lesson credit purchased is for a thirty (30) minute lesson.  You may book multiple time slots back-to-back to have a lesson of longer duration.  For example, book two x 30 minutes slots together to have a one hour lesson.   Please note, if you book a class but decide not to stay for the full thirty minutes, you will still be charged for the full amount.  It is not possible to book half of a class.

Cancellations, late arrivals and no-shows
All cancellations need at least 24 hours’ notice. Lessons cancelled more than 24 hours before the scheduled class time will be refunded to your account. If you cancel with LESS than 24 hours’ notice, you will forfeit the lesson and there will be no refund. If the teacher cancels with less than 24 hours’ notice, your class will be rescheduled free of charge.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he or she attends the lesson on time. If the student is late, a reminder message via text message or social media message may be sent at the teacher’s sole discretion but this is not a contractual obligation on the part of the teacher. The teacher will wait for no longer than ten (10) minutes before leaving the classroom. If the student arrives within the first ten (10) minutes, the lesson will continue as normal but no extra time will be added to make up for the missed time (the lesson will end at the scheduled time.) If the student arrives more than ten (10) minutes late, and the teacher has left the classroom, the student may choose to send a message to say that they have arrived, however it is at the teacher’s discretion whether they return to the classroom to continue with the lesson. If the teacher chooses to return, the lesson will end at the scheduled time, with no additional time given. If the student fails to attend the lesson, it will be charged in full and there will be no refund of class credits.

If the teacher is late to class, the time will be made up at a mutually agreed time – usually by adding time onto the lesson or to a future lesson. If the teacher fails to attend the class, the lesson credit will be refunded.

Technical issues

Please use the troubleshooter prior to attending class, to help reduce the risk of technical issues during lessons.

If you have hardware, software, internet connection or power supply problems, we will do our best to arrange an alternative method of conducting the scheduled lesson (Zoom, Skype, Google Meet and Voov (Tencent Meeting) are available as backup options for lessons in the event of technical problems). However, if it is impossible to conduct the lesson due to any of these issues, we cannot offer a refund or rescheduled lesson.

If the teacher has hardware, software, internet connection or power supply problems and we are unable to conduct the lesson using any other method, the lesson will be rescheduled free of charge.

Recording lessons

If you would like to record your lesson using screen recording software you may do so, however please be aware that lesson materials may be subject to copyright, are only for the use of the student named on the account and are not to be shared in any way.

Refund for single lesson bookings

You may request a refund up to 7 days before a scheduled lesson. Refunds will not be given if they are requested less than 7 days in advance.

Refunds for lesson package purchases

You may request a refund for any unused lessons that are part of a lesson package purchase within the first 30 days of purchase. Refunds will only be given on lessons booked more than 7 days in advance.

Expiry of lesson package purchases

When you purchase a package of lessons, it is expected that you will take a minimum of one lesson per week.  We understand that sometimes you may need to cancel a class unexpectedly, or take a holiday, therefore lesson packages are valid for the number of weeks purchased plus 4 weeks: if you purchase a package of 10 lessons, they will be valid for 14 weeks from the date of purchase, 20 lessons will be valid for 24 weeks from date of purchase, 30 lessons will be valid for 34 weeks from date of purchase, 40 lessons will be valid for 44 weeks from date of purchase and 50 lessons will be valid for 54 weeks from date of purchase.  No refunds will be given for lessons which have not been used by the date of expiry.  If you require any clarification of this, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Transfer of lesson credits

Please note that lesson credits may not be transferred to another student.

Account Sharing

Account sharing is strictly forbidden, even between students in the same household.  Each student must have their own account. This is for administration purposes, as each student will be at a different stage in their studies and the lesson history is linked to their account. Accounts are only to be used by the student originally named on the account.  Any student found to be sharing the account or transferring the account to another student will have their account terminated without any refund of unused credits.

Additional services

Any additional services which are requested from the teacher will be paid for in advance at the agreed rate and by the agreed payment method.

Disputes
In the event of any dispute which cannot be resolved amicably, English and Welsh law will apply.