Manchester Academy of English

General Information

 Manchester Academy of English is an English Language School accredited by the British Council and a member of English UK and English UKnorth, a consortium of recognised English Language establishments located in the UK.   Our highly-qualified permanent teaching team delivers a broad spectrum of experience in teaching English across all levels to students from over 50 different countries.

Tuition takes place in the heart of Manchester. We are just a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly Train Station, Bus Station and tram stops and we are surrounded by numerous shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and supermarkets.

Student Registration

1. All applicants must be aged 16 or over.
2. Courses start every Monday. When Monday is a public holiday, the course will start on Tuesday. The minimum course duration is 1 week (part-time is 4 weeks).
3. Read all the information and the ‘Terms and Conditions’ carefully.
4. The full payment of the course fees and accommodation fees must be received no later than one week before the start of the course.
5. All courses must be booked in advance and where appropriate can be started on any Monday.
6. Manchester Academy of English reserves the right to cancel or change the course programme without prior notice.

Facilities

Library
Many videos and DVDs 
19 well-equipped classrooms
computers
Free internet access
Wifi throughout the school
The student lounge
CD player, TV and DVD player
microwave, hot and cold drinks

Student Information

If the student is under 18

The person in charge of the student (father, mother, or guardian) will have to sign the application form and accept the points listed below:
1. I will allow my child to travel into Manchester by public transport.
2. I authorise my child to take part in all tourist, sporting and cultural activities.
3. The student can be treated in an emergency and a doctor has permission to carry out an emergency operation if required.
4. The guardian will pay the doctor’s/hospital bills for any treatment given.
5. The guardian will provide the school with a contact telephone number in case of emergencies.
6. Manchester Academy of English is not responsible for the student outside of scheduled activities and class times.
7. Please ask for a copy of our Equal Opportunities policy if required.

Social Activities

The school staff will advise you on things to do in Manchester. Our Activity Organiser also arranges a lively social and activity programme for all our students that you are most welcome to join.
The students can take advantage of the varied and inclusive Social Programme which is built around exciting, cultural and engaging activities. Every Wednesday and Friday afternoons are spent in such places as Manchester United's Stadium, visiting some of the city centres many museums and galleries or travelling further afield to places such as Liverpool or Chester. During the summer, full day excursions are also available to destinations such as the Lake District, York and Blackpool.

Policies on holidays

In order to receive holiday entitlement, students must be studying for a minimum of 10 weeks and must give 2 weeks’ notice. The course can be extended and the period of absence must be for a full week. These are the bank holidays for 2010:

New Year’s Day - Friday 1st January, Good Friday - Friday 2nd April, Easter Monday - Monday 5th April, Early Spring Bank Holiday - Monday 3rd May, Late Spring Bank Holiday - Monday 31st May, Summer Bank Holiday - Monday 30th August, Christmas Day Bank Holiday - Monday 27th December, Boxing Day Bank Holiday - Tuesday 28th December

Insurance

We strongly recommend that every student takes out insurance to cover such events as: cancellation or curtailment of the course booked due to serious illness or accidental injury before your arrival; loss of personal effects; loss of passport or tickets; medical expenses and repatriation; personal liability and personal accident. Failure to do so could cause serious problems in the case of an emergency.
For students staying in accommodation (homestay or residential) arranged by Manchester Academy of English, insurance covering personal liability is highly recommended. If you do not have an insurance policy and an incident occurs, you will be responsible for all the costs incurred.
In the event of death or illness, we do not accept responsibility unless the cause is shown to be negligence by Manchester Academy of English or Manchester Academy Tours Limited or its staff. We do not accept liability for loss of students’ property or for extra expense incurred by circumstances outside our control including strikes, riots, war etc.

Attendance, absences and early departures

We would encourage all students to attend all classes and to make the most of their time at Manchester Academy of English. As a general rule 80% class attendance is required. All attendance letters, progress reports and final certificates will be issued upon overall attendance of minimum of 80%.
In cases where a student’s visa has been granted on the basis of his/her studies at Manchester Academy of English, the Home Office will be immediately notified should the student stop attending or discontinue. The school is duty bound to inform the Home Office of persistent non-attendance.

Terms

Cancellation Charges

a) The registration fee and accommodation booking fee are non-refundable.
b) If cancellation is due to a visa refusal, a refund will only be given when we have received official written confirmation of the visa refusal from the Home Office or British Consulate/Embassy concerned. In the case of a visa refusal, we are notified up to a week before the course starts, we will refund the deposit less registration fee and accommodation fee. If we are not notified of this a week before the course is due to start, other charges will be incurred.
c) In case of other cancellations written evidence of the student’s inability to attend must be provided. Cancellation fees are as follows:
Up to 28 days before the course starts: lose deposit of 25% of th total fee
7 – 28 days before the course starts: lose 50% of course fee and one week’s accommodation fee, if booked.
0 – 7 days before course starts: lose 100% course fees and one week’s accommodation fee, if booked.
d) Students with one-to-one lessons need to give 24 hours’ notice of cancellation for the lesson to be re-arranged. No refund or re-arrangement will be given for non-attended classes or when giving fewer than 24 hours’ notice.
e) If the student wishes to cancel the host family, they must give us one week’s notice.
f) If the student wishes to change the host family a £60.00 change fee will be incurred.
g) With regards to residential accommodation terms and conditions may vary. Please note that in some cases no refund might be possible and you may not be able to shorten your stay in residence. Cancellations may be subject to a cancellation fee. Please refer to residence terms and conditions.

Postponement /Change Fee

You must give a minimum of one week’s notice if you are forced to postpone the start of your course. If such notice is not given the normal fees may be charged. If you postpone more than once, a change fee of £60 will be charged.

Refunds

Courses cannot be changed or shortened. Tuition fees will not be refunded for early departure, absence or illness once a course has started. No refunds or credit will be given for a reduction in previously booked hours. You are recommended to take insurance to cover this.