Language Travel Service Guide & Fee Schedule
This guide explains how we work — from the first consultation through to the student's return home — what our service fee covers, which costs are paid to third parties, and when each payment falls due. It is a reference document: there is nothing to fill in or return. Figures and lead times below are indicative; the amounts that bind us are the ones written into your signed enrollment agreement.
Section 1 — How We Work, Stage by Stage
- Consultation. A 45-minute conversation about the student's language level, goals, budget and travel window. No charge, no obligation.
- Shortlist and quotation. We propose two or three destinations and schools with a full cost breakdown, so you can compare like for like.
- School placement. Once you choose, we reserve the course, confirm the start date and secure the accommodation type you asked for.
- Enrollment agreement and deposit. We issue the agreement and the invoice. The booking is confirmed when both are settled.
- Visa support. We supply the acceptance letter, accommodation proof and payment receipts, and walk you through the application checklist for that country.
- Accommodation placement. We match the student to a host family or residence and send the full placement details, house rules and travel directions.
- Pre-departure briefing. A one-hour session covering arrival logistics, culture, money, phones, school expectations and the emergency procedure.
- Arrival and settling in. Airport transfer, first-day school orientation, and a check-in call to the family within 48 hours of arrival.
- In-country care. A named local contact, a mid-stay review of progress and accommodation, and a 24-hour emergency line for the whole stay.
- Return and follow-up. Certificate and final report collected, a wrap-up conversation, and planning for the next step if the student wants one.
Section 2 — What the Agency Fee Covers
Included in our service fee
- Consultation, needs assessment and destination shortlisting
- School research, course selection and enrollment handling with the provider
- Accommodation request, placement matching and liaison with the host or residence
- Visa document pack, checklist guidance and appointment preparation
- Pre-departure briefing and written arrival instructions
- Named in-country contact, mid-stay review and 24-hour emergency line
- Certificate collection, final report and post-return debrief
Not included in our service fee
- Course tuition, registration fees and exam entry fees charged by the school
- Homestay or residence charges, meal supplements and accommodation placement fees
- Flights, airport transfers, local transport passes and excess baggage
- Visa application fees, biometrics, courier charges and any health surcharge
- Travel and medical insurance premiums
- Course books, materials deposits, optional excursions and personal spending
- Guardianship services where a host country requires them for under-18 students
Section 3 — Third-Party Costs
These are set by the school, the accommodation provider, the insurer or the authorities — we pass them on at cost and show them as separate lines on your quotation.
| | |
|---|
| | In full before the visa application is filed |
| School or accommodation provider | With the balance, 30 days before arrival |
Travel and medical insurance | | Before the visa application; cover must span the whole stay |
Visa fee, biometrics, health surcharge | Consulate or immigration authority | At the time of application — non-refundable |
| School transfer service or local operator | Booked with the balance once flights are confirmed |
Books, materials and exam entry | | Locally, in the first week of the course |
Section 4 — Payment Milestones
| | |
|---|
| Agency service fee plus the school registration fee | On signing the enrollment agreement |
| Tuition in full, where the consulate requires proof of payment | Before the visa file is submitted |
| Accommodation, transfers and any remaining course costs | |
| The full amount in a single payment | When a booking is made inside 30 days of departure |
| Course extensions, excursions, materials deposits | Paid directly to the school during the stay |
Section 5 — Cancellation & Refunds
- All cancellations must reach us in writing. The date we receive the notice is the date that counts.
- More than 60 days before departure: school and accommodation costs are refunded less the provider's own retention. The agency service fee is not refundable once placement work has begun.
- 60 to 30 days before departure: refunds follow the school's published cancellation scale; accommodation placement fees are usually retained in full.
- Inside 30 days, or after the course has started: no refund for unused tuition, accommodation nights, transfers or absences.
- Visa refusal: we refund everything the school and accommodation provider release to us, less the agency service fee and any consulate charges already spent. Send us the refusal notice as soon as you receive it.
- Postponement is often cheaper than cancellation — most schools will move a booking once, free of charge, if asked more than 30 days out.
- Refunds are paid in the currency of the original payment, to the account that made it, within 30 days of the provider releasing the funds.
Section 6 — Destination Comparison
A rough orientation only. Visa categories and processing times change; we confirm the current rules for your nationality before you commit to anything. Cost bands compare total program cost per week, not tuition alone.
| | | | |
|---|
| Visitor route for short courses; Student route beyond 6 months | | | |
| Short-stay C visa; study permission for longer stays | | | |
| F-1 with I-20 for intensive courses; B-2 for part-time study | | | |
| eTA or visitor visa under 6 months; study permit beyond | | | |
| Visitor visa for short courses; student visa beyond 12 weeks | | | |
| Schengen short-stay up to 90 days; national student visa beyond | | March–June, September–October | |
| Schengen short-stay; language course visa for longer programs | | | |
| Temporary visitor for short courses; student visa with CoE beyond 90 days | | April, July, October intakes | |
Section 7 — Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead should we book?
Four to six months for a summer program, and longer for destinations with slow visa processing. Popular schools and the best host families are allocated early.
Can you guarantee the visa?
No agency can. The decision rests with the authorities. What we can do is make the file complete, consistent and on time, which is where most refusals come from.
What if the student is unhappy with the host family?
Tell the local contact first — most issues are a misunderstanding about meals, laundry or curfew and settle within days. If they do not, we request a relocation; providers normally move a student within a week of a written request.
Can a student be placed in the wrong class level?
Schools test on the first morning and will move a student in the first week at no charge. Raise it early — after week two, changes are usually refused.
Do you handle under-18 students?
Yes. Minors are placed in vetted junior programs with supervised transfers, curfews and a guardian arrangement where the host country requires one. Parental consent forms are part of the enrollment pack.
Can a program be extended once the student is there?
Often, subject to class and accommodation availability and — critically — the visa. Ask us before asking the school, so the immigration side is checked first.
Who does the family call in an emergency?
The 24-hour number in the pre-departure pack, which reaches a live person in the destination time zone. Local emergency services first if there is danger, then us.
This guide is general information about our services and is not immigration or legal advice. Visa rules differ by nationality and change without notice — always confirm the current requirements with us before booking travel.