Refund Policy for Spanish Courses

Intercultura - Sámara Language School Cancellation and Refund Policies

Cancellations prior to start of Spanish program:

All students are required to give a 20% deposit to guarantee their place. If a student wishes to cancel the program, they can without penalty 2 weeks or more before the start of the program. If a student cancels less than 2 weeks before the program has initiated there is a 20% penalty for withdrawal (i.e. the student will lose their deposit). If a student fails to check in at the school or has not cancelled their booking, the school will also keep the deposit or impose a “no show” charge of 20%.

Emergencies:

Intercultura and Sámara Language School do not give refunds once students have started the program, except in case of emergencies (must be supported by written documents), in which case 50% of the unused portion of the balance may be returned at the discretion of the administration. Requests for refunds are assessed on a case-by-case basis and may include:  sickness or injury, death and sickness of immediate family member.

In the case of travel delay, the school will allow students to miss the first day of school (Monday) and start at the latest on Tuesday, although refunds are not available for the missed class.

Program changes:

After the student has begun studying Spanish, there may be no changes in dates nor type of course taken: i.e. the student cannot decide to take a week off and postpone his/her classes for the week in question, nor can he/she decide to take private classes instead of the group ones paid for.

Mid-program changes:

After the start of a program, students who change their plans to take time off during their studies will forfeit their homestay and class payment for the time missed. The family will be paid for the time missed, and any later homestay will be charged at the regular rate. IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who reserve a host family in either campus and then decide to switch to the other campus will be subject to a penalty fee of $50 which will be given to the family to compensate for their loss of income. For example: if you book 2 weeks in Heredia followed by 1 week in Sámara, but during your time in Heredia decide to stay there and cancel your stay in Sámara, you will be charged the $50 homestay-cancellation penalty.

Airport Pick-up Cancellation:

Students who request airport pick-up must wait for their families at the airport exit point. If you cannot find your family, please use the emergency contact numbers you have to call the family and/or the school. Do not take a taxi or leave the airport until you have spoken to a school representative or the family. The school will not reimburse students who leave the airport without waiting for their family or contacting us first. It is possible to make a collect (reverse charge) call by dialing 110, or ask the taxi drivers to change a small bill into local money for in order to use a payphone.

Volunteer Placement Cancellations:

No refunds of administrative fees are given for volunteer cancellations. We strongly discourage changes or cancellations for the following reasons: Once confirmed, the organizations plan on having a volunteer for the time and there may not be replacement volunteers available on short notice. Furthermore, if there were other volunteers interested in the placement, they may have been advised that space was not available with the organization and therefore made alternate plans with their second or third choices. If a volunteer does not fulfill their commitment to the placement, then the organization has lost time and resources by training the volunteer. Finally, cancellations and failures to complete agreements discourage the organization from accepting future volunteers.

National and school holidays:

There are no discounts for the weeks that contain a holiday day: no class is held on these days. Holidays that fall on weekends do not affect the program. Holidays that fall between Tuesday and Thursday may be moved to Friday in order to give a long weekend. Homestays are not affected by any national holidays. Students will not be charged for classes during Easter and Christmas holidays when the school is closed: they can choose whether or not to book a homestay during these times, which will be charged as normal if space is available with the family.

Excursion cancellation fees:

Students who sign up for a weekend excursion must pay by Wednesday of the preceding week. Students who cancel after this time will be charged a 30% penalty fee.