fbpx

Terms and Conditions

We urge students who book a course with Russian Language Academy to read and understand the following Terms and Conditions.

1. Booking and Payment Conditions

1.1. To participate in the language course, it is necessary to fill in the Online Application Form. It is possible to book the course through the agent too. The booking deadline for students not requiring a visa is 1 week before arrival. For students requiring a visa, the booking deadline is 12 weeks prior to the arrival.

1.2. We always advise students to book classes in advance. Still, even in the case of any last-minute booking, the school will consider the application and do everything possible to arrange the booked course and accommodation. However, the school cannot assure exact fulfilment of all requests.

1.3. The school requires students to take the Online Placement Test directly on the website or through the agent no later than 1 week before arrival. The student’s Russian speaking and listening skills will be tested during a phone interview. For this reason, the school asks students to give their phone number in the application form. If a student can’t be reached before the course start, he/she will be tested on the first day of arrival.

1.4. The student will get a confirmation of accommodation details and transfer the week before the arrival.

About Payment

1.5. Within the next working day after the school has gotten the application form, the student will receive an enrolment confirmation, as well as the invoice for the booked services and a request to follow with a deposit payment of 200 EUR.

1.6. The school considers the language course booked only after the school has received the non-refundable deposit of 200 EUR. For your convenience, the student may choose to pay the whole invoice at once.

1.7. The student needs to make the full payment for the booked services 4 weeks before the starting date. In the case that the school receives the booking less than 4 weeks before the course starting date, the student needs to make the full payment immediately upon the receipt of the invoice. By paying the invoice, the student confirms that he/she agrees to the schools terms and conditions.

1.8. If the student needs a visa, the school sends visa support documents within two weeks. The school will only do so after the confirmation of necessary personal information and full payment for the course. In the case where there is no Latvian embassy in the student’s country, the receipt of the necessary documents may take up to 12 weeks.

2. Russian Language Courses

2.1. The course price includes the teaching materials for one course level. In case the student moves up to the next course level during his/her studies, teaching materials for the next level should be purchased separately. The price for one level teaching materials is 40 EUR.

2.2. The length of one (1) lesson is fifty (50) minutes.

2.3. Group classes are offered from A1 (complete beginners) to B1+ levels. B2 – upon request. Individual classes are offered from A1 (complete beginners) to C1 level.

2.4. All courses start on Monday– except for days when Monday is a public holiday – and last till Friday. There is no reduction in course fees or compensation when a course includes a public holiday. Individual lessons are rescheduled.

2.5. In order to achieve good progress, the student has to regularly attend lessons and finish homework given by the teacher. The time to complete homework is about 60 minutes every day, a total of about 5-6 hours per week. In addition to daily homework, all teachers encourage students to self-study and to use the school library for self-studying.

2.6. Students attend Group lessons in the mornings or in the afternoons.  The school is following a zig-zag timetable. Individual lessons (including those students whose group lessons switch to individual lessons) are scheduled in the afternoons. The school guarantees individual lessons and Group lessons in the mornings for bookings of 30+ lessons per week only.

2.7. The school issues a course certificate if the student has attended 75% of lessons. Moreover, the average result of all tests must be at least 60%.

Additional information

2.7. The school reserves the right to change the program in an appropriate way in the case of riots, strikes, war or other events of force majeure. The school cannot be held responsible for changes occurring as a result of these events.

2.8. If the school has to cancel a group course for lack of students (re: there is only one student left per group) at a certain level, the student will receive one-to-one tuition with 75% of booked group lessons during the same period of time.

2.8.1. For long-term students: If there is only one long-term student left per group at a certain level, the long-term student will receive one-to-one tuition with 70% of booked group lessons during the same period of time.

2.9. In case student’s current Russian language level is B2+ or higher, the course fee is calculated individually taking into consideration course specifics and needs of the student.

2.10. The school only provides booked and confirmed services. In case of any changes, such as adjustments to the original confirmed program, the student has to submit a written statement to the school administration. The student will receive an official written notice of the status of the changes.

2.11. To keep the school’s and the student’s belongings safe, the school’s doors are closed during the time of the lessons to make sure that outsiders and persons not related to school and study persons don’t enter without permit the school while lessons take place. Teachers have a key to open the door during the break time and in case of emergency.

3. Accommodation

3.1. Standard accommodation length calculation is from Sunday to Sunday.

3.2. For students who booked a Share Flat/Residence, a security deposit of 200 EUR is mandatory. The security deposit is not the same as the registration fee and the student needs to pay it at least 5 days before arrival. Students can make the payment online using a credit card via a secure link sent by the school. The school returns the deposit within 5 working days after departure, provided that after inspection, there is no damage left in the accommodation.

3.3. The school does all it can to ensure that students’ requirements are met. However, if the school can not provide chosen type of accommodation, the school will offer the best alternative option available.

3.4. In case the student who booked host family accommodation has questions about payment for room and board, they need to resolve them through the school administration. Exceptions include additional services excluded in the cost, such as extra laundry, Internet, etc.

3.5. The minimum age is 18 for accommodation options, such as Residences, Shared Flat, and Hotels. For a Host Family accommodation – minimum age of a student is 16. Students within a closed group can be younger than 16, if the group has an adult group leader.

4. Transfers

4.1. For course participants who have booked accommodation through the school, the arrival day is Sunday. Arrival on Sunday should be no earlier than 14:00. Departure should be scheduled for Sunday before 12:00 PM.

4.2. For course participants who have booked accommodation through the school a personal taxi arrival transfer from Riga International Airport (RIX) to their accommodation of choice costs only 50 EUR (one way).

4.3. For transfers, it is important for the student to provide information about the date and time of arrival and flight number as soon as possible, but no later than 2 working days before arrival.

4.4. The student can book at school also a departure transfer at the price of 50 EUR, no later than 2 working days before departure. The student should provide the time of his flight and a telephone number.

5. Complaints and Cancellation Policy

5.1. In case the course doesn’t satisfy a student with any aspect of their language stay (studies/ group/ accommodation etc.), the student is required to inform the school administration in writing (using Statement Form) or by email at russian@born.edu.lv

5.2. If cancellation of enrolment occurs 14 days or less (2 weeks) prior to the arrival:

5.2.1. If the student booked tuition only, they are responsible for the settlement of the 200 EUR deposit only.

5.2.2. If the student booked tuition and accommodation, the student is responsible for the settlement of the 200 EUR deposit and one-week accommodation payment;

5.3. If a student cancels the enrolment seven days or less before the planned arrival, the student is responsible for full payment of the booked services.

5.4. If a student does not complete the course/interrupts it/accommodation  for any reason unrelated to the school’s operations or responsibility, the school does not provide refunds for the fees paid. Also if the student fails to arrive or arrives late, the school does not refund the fees. The student is required to inform the school administration regarding course interruption in writing (using Statement Form) or by email at russian@born.edu.lv

5.5. If a student wishes to make any changes in their course and/or accommodation, such as book additional lessons or weeks of lodgings, the students need to inform the school administration at least 2 weeks in advance.

5.6. If a student wishes to reduce/cancel specific amount of lessons or to reduce/cancel remaining accommodation weeks due to justifiable reasons, the student needs to inform the school administration at least 4 weeks in advance. If the student informs the school less than 4 weeks in advance, the school retains the rights at all times to keep the payment for the lessons/accommodation for up to 4 additional weeks. For courses booked for less than 5 weeks in total, the school retains the rights NOT to refund any reduction or cancellation of lessons and/or accommodation once the student has already studied 25% of the total course length. Requests for a possible refund are submitted for review within 10-12 business days from the date of receipt of the request/statement, and the announcement of a decision on a possible refund may take up to 30 working days.

Additional information

5.6. The school can refuse to accept a student for studies if the school hadn’t received payment by the time required.

5.7. The school does not reschedule or refund missed group lessons. Missed individual lessons are rescheduled in case the student timely notifies the school, at least 2 working days beforehand.

5.8. All cancellations or complaints should be done in writing by mail or special school statement forms.

5.9. The сlause No 5.3. of these terms and conditions does not apply to the students requiring a visa and is separately specified by the individually signed agreement for the visa support between the school and the student. The decision regarding refunds in such cases is made on an individual basis, taking into consideration the circumstances of each case. The clauses No 5.7/5.8 of these terms and conditions applies to the students studying long-term with a student visa.

6. Terms and Conditions: Visas

6.1. Many students do not need visa to come to Latvia. For the list of nationalities that may enter Latvia without visa, please visit this site.

6.2. A student needs visa if he/she plans to stay in Latvia for more than 90 days. For certain countries, there is also a bilateral visa waiver agreement, according to which citizens of certain countries can stay in Latvia 90+90 days (180 days in total) visa-free on conditions: not leaving Latvia during second 90 days, and departing from Latvia through countries not listed in the Schengen area. There is a long-term D visa applicable for long-term students (up to one year of studies), as well as a residence permit, issued if a student plans to study for longer than one year.

6.3. In case the student needs visa to come to Latvia, the school charges 100 EUR for visa support documents. The school prepares the visa invitation if the student applies for full-time studies only (20 or more lessons per week). The visa application process is done by the student.

6.4. The student will have to pay full tuition, accommodation, and insurance fees before the school applies for visa support documents at the Immigration Department. After the school had sent the student the visa support documents, the student can apply for the visa at their nearest Latvian Embassy.

6.5. Please note that it may take up to 2 months (8 weeks) to prepare the documents, approve the invitation and obtain a visa, thus please apply for a Russian language course in advance.

Insurance and documents

6.6. It is a must for all students who need a visa to book the insurance for the whole time in Latvia. Insurance costs for 1 week (including civil liability) for students younger than 50 is 25 EUR, for students older than 50 – 35 EUR/week.

6.7. The student has to send the following documents and information to the school to apply for the visa support documents:

6.7.1. Scanned copy of passport (page with personal information and passport number, all other visas marks) via e-mail.

6.7.2 Student’s Name (First Name); and Surname (Last Name); additionally, Place of Birth; Date of birthday (Day / Month / Year); as well as the current address (House number / Street / City / Region / Country / Postal Code); in addition to Citizenship; Dates of Visit (begin to end): Day / Month /Year; and finally the place where student will apply for the visa: Place / City / Country. The student can find the nearest Latvian Embassy by visiting here.

7. General Terms

7.1. The minimum age for General Russian – 16; High school program – 15; Work experience program – 18. But students who come in a private group or during the summer can be younger than 16.

7.2. See the starting dates of the courses here.

7.3. The school is closed on the following public holidays:
New Year, Good Friday and Easter, Labour Day, Restoration of Independence Day, Midsummer, Independence Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

Dates of Public Holidays in 2024: January 1, March 29, March  31, April 1, May 6, June 23, 24, November 18, December 24-26, December 31. All group courses end on Friday, December 20, 2024 and resume on Monday, January 6, 2025.

7.3.2. There are no group lessons during public holidays. There will also be no reduction in course fees or compensation when a course includes a public holiday. The school will reschedule Individual lessons.

7.4. Photos of the school and its students posted on the site are the property of the Russian Language Academy. Additionally, photos of Riga, Daugavpils and Latvia are published with the permission of the Latvian Tourism Development Agency and may not be used without permission.

7.5. For terms and conditions for Evening Courses in Mini-groups, please check here.

8. Terms and Conditions: Internal Rules

8.1. To respect the values of international relations and customs, multiculturalism and multi-lingual environment, the Latvian state, its constitution, history, society, national symbols as well as the school, its culture, and symbols;

8.1.2. To respect the rights and interests of teachers, students, and other persons;

8.1.3. To prevent emotional and physical violence;

8.1.4. To endanger anybody’s health, safety, and life and that of any other person;

8.1.5. It is prohibited to commit violence, to attack physically, emotionally, psychologically, and humiliate students and employees of the school

8.1.6. The school doesn’t allow to bring substances that are harmful to the environment or health of other persons. For instance– cigarettes, alcohol, weapons (arms, gaseous weapons, tasers, etc.), dangerous chemicals, explosives or flammable substances, and pyrotechnics. You may not bring animals and agents that contaminate the environment. Gambling, smoking, and the use of alcohol and drugs are also strictly forbidden on the premises, area, vicinity of the school. Similarly, these activities are forbidden during educational tours and school events.

8.2. Liability for the Violation of the Internal Rules

8.2.1. Failure to follow the Internal Rules of the school will result in warnings, counselling, or reprimands.

8.2.2. The contract with the school will be terminated in case of serious breaches.

8.3. The Rights and Responsibilities of Students:

8.3.1. Students have the right to:

  1. To receive an education and the use of education services in compliance with the provisions of the Education Law,
  2. Be kept informed of the progress and results of their training,
  3. Follow school rules, internal regulations, and guidelines concerning health protection and safety with which they were made familiar with.

9.  If the student has any questions regarding the program or would like more detailed information, they are welcome to contact the school. The school answers the email within the next working day.

10. This agreement is governed by the laws of Latvia. The venue for any possible legal proceeding arising due to the administration of this agreement shall be in Riga, Latvia.