Terms and conditions of sale

French courses

Updated on: September 12, 2024

Enrolment at l'Etoile, whether made by the student directly or through a partner (university, agency, etc.) for language courses and any related services, implies the student's full and unreserved acceptance of the present provisions and his/her commitment to behave respectfully and in accordance with the internal regulations.

Registration and admission

To register, the student must send l'Etoile the completed registration form (on the website, by email or by post) and proceed with payment:

• 100% of total price for stays of 1 to 4 weeks
• At least 50% of the total price if the stay is longer than 4 weeks (with the exception of au-pair programs); the balance must be paid at least 30 days before the start of the stay (or at least 45 days before the start of the stay if accommodation is booked).
• For au-pair programs: a minimum of one term and administrative fees must be paid at the time of enrolment.

For students applying to programs subject to admission procedures: only complete applications are considered, and a decision is made and communicated to the student/intermediary partner no later than 2 weeks after receipt.

On receipt of the registration form and payment, l'Etoile sends the student or partner a registration confirmation (by email or post) including:

• information about your stay: courses and services
• amounts already paid and amounts still to be paid, with payment deadline
• a certificate of school attendance for students wishing to apply for a student visa

No reservation can be guaranteed by l'Etoile without a registration form and payment of the amount due. If payment deadlines are not met, l'Etoile reserves the right to cancel the registration (course, accommodation, ancillary services). If a payment schedule is drawn up for accommodation fees for long stays, the student undertakes to respect it, and any failure to pay on time may result in eviction from the accommodation.

Registration can also be done on site at the office during opening hours.

The student undertakes to provide a passport photo, a copy of his/her passport and, if applicable, a copy of his/her visa, no later than the first day of the course.

Payment method (in euros only)

The following payment methods are available; please specify the student's name and dates of stay in the order of payment:

• By bank transfer

Customer: Etoile - Paris Language and Solutions

Bank: SG Paris St Thomas Aquin

Address: 199 bis, bd Saint Germain - 75007 Paris

Account no.: 30003 02737 00020015525 36

IBAN code: FR76 3000 3027 3700 0200 1552 536

SWIFT code: SOGEFRPP

• By Wise: send money quickly (payment by card, transfer, etc.) to https://wise.com/ with our bank details.
• By cheque: Bank cheque or Traveler's cheque in euros (endorsed in France). Foreign cheques and/or cheques in currencies other than the euro are not accepted.
• By credit card or in cash: You can pay by credit card online during registration or directly at the center reception desk by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Eurocard) or in cash (in euros).

In all cases, bank charges, exchange fees and other bank commissions are the responsibility of the student and will be re-billed if necessary.

Cancellation

Any course started is due in full and cannot be reimbursed. Similarly, any course extension paid for is non-refundable.

Any cancellation requested before arrival at the center must be sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, together with the original school certificate provided by l'Etoile. Cancellation is effective upon receipt of this letter.

Cancellation fees are as follows:

• 30% of the amount due for cancellations made more than 30 days before the start of the course
• 50% of the amount due for cancellation between 8 and 30 days before the start of the course
• 75% of the amount due for cancellation between 4 and 7 days before the start of the course
• 100% of the amount due in the event of cancellation less than 4 days before the start of the course or in the event of no-show on the first day of the course.

Registration fees, accommodation administration fees and bank charges will be deducted from the amount to be reimbursed. In all cases, reimbursements will only be made in the form of a bank transfer to the person who made the payment subject to reimbursement. Refund transfers will be made no later than 60 days after receipt of the bank details of the beneficiary whose refund request has been validated by l'Etoile.

In the event of early departure, no refund will be given. However, courses not taken may be postponed for a period of 12 months in the event of force majeure (illness, death in the family, serious accident), subject to presentation of supporting documents (death certificate of a family member, letter from a French medical specialist stating that treatment cannot take place in France, etc.) and proof of purchase of a return air ticket to the student's country, purchased after the event giving rise to the cancellation request. Professional or academic obligations do not constitute a case of force majeure, and no refund can be made.

If l'Etoile is obliged to cancel a course, the student will be reimbursed for the amount paid for the cancelled course, without any claim for damages. If decisions by the French authorities prevent L'Etoile from offering face-to-face courses (epidemics, etc.), online courses will be offered and/or courses may be postponed for a period of 18 months at no extra cost.

Under no circumstances may courses be transferred to another student.

Withdrawal period (European directive): a customer who has booked and paid online on the L'Etoile website may exercise his/her right of withdrawal (by post or email) within 10 days of the date on which the services were booked. The customer waives the withdrawal period if the services booked start in less than 10 days.

Visa

The student undertakes to respect the visa application procedures and to take into account the processing times announced by his/her consulate when booking his/her stay at l'Etoile. A student who has received a visa through his or her registration at l'Etoile is not entitled to any cancellation or refund, and l'Etoile reserves the right to inform the consular and prefectural services of any behavior inappropriate to the conditions of the visa granted.

In the event of a delay in the receipt of a visa, the dates of the student's stay may be changed at the student's request before the scheduled start date. If the student does not notify L'Etoile in advance and does not attend the course, the cost of the course not attended will be considered due and deducted from the amount paid by the student.

If the visa application has been refused, and after providing the center with the original letter of refusal from the French Embassy and the original school certificate supplied by l'Etoile, the center will refund the full amount paid less €150 cancellation fee; administrative fees and accommodation administrative fees are not refunded. If the student has not complied with the visa application conditions and procedures (a requested document has not been provided to the Consulate, etc.), the cancellation conditions and fees apply.

Courses

Course timetables are set according to the student's level (based on placement test and/or class observations) and available places, and are subject to change by l'Etoile at any time.

The maximum number of students per course is 16 (18 for au-pair courses) and the minimum is 3 (10 for au-pair courses). If the minimum number of students is not reached, L'Etoile may cancel the course or transform it into a semi-private course at a rate of 50% of the original timetable. Group courses cannot be changed to private lessons at the student's request.

Appointments for private lessons are considered definitive. All requests for changes must be sent by email to the administrative department at least 48 hours in advance (or no later than 12:00 pm on Friday for a course taking place on Monday). No postponement or refund will be granted for a request for change made after the announced deadline.

Etoile rules

A good atmosphere in the school requires the commitment of everyone and respectful behavior towards students, teachers and administrative staff; no disrespectful behavior will be tolerated. To ensure that classes run smoothly, we ask that students :

To respect class schedules:

• Any time spent late after the start of the course or leaving before the end of the course is counted as absence time.
• Anyone arriving more than 60 minutes late may be refused entry to the classroom, so as not to disrupt the smooth running of the teaching program.
• Learning French is the main purpose of your stay, especially if you have been granted a student visa; please understand that the course schedule cannot be modified to facilitate other activities, such as work.
• Please note that no time off can be made up.

To respect the placement in the courtyards:

• Course times and levels are not "at will"; each person is placed in the course appropriate to his or her academic needs.
• Students must maintain an attendance rate (presence in class) of at least 70% and grades of at least 9/20 on monthly exams; otherwise, Etoile will be forced to change the student's placement to a course better suited to his or her level and to avoid slowing down the progress of the class.
• Moderate use of telephones in class is tolerated, but students should not resort to systematic translation of course material, otherwise a change of level may be necessary.

L'Etoile reserves the right to cancel the services booked by the student without refund if the student fails to comply with the rules imposed by L'Etoile, by suppliers (particularly accommodation suppliers) or by French law, or if the student behaves in a dangerous, inappropriate or abnormal manner. The following will not be tolerated under any circumstances: discriminatory, harassing or violent acts or words, possession or consumption of drugs, intoxication.

Premises and safety

Courses, tests and services can take place at our sites at 38, boulevard Raspail (Paris 7e) and 18, rue de Varenne (Paris ^7e) or in classrooms in the surrounding streets. L'Etoile reserves the right to change the location of courses, tests or services at any time, or to offer distance learning courses in the event of exceptional impossibility of access to classrooms. Students may not use l'Etoile's equipment (especially audiovisual equipment). If a student connects to l'Etoile's Internet services and/or uses the computers made available to students, he/she undertakes to respect good morals, to refrain from any behavior that is illegal or contrary to public order, and to refrain from damaging the equipment (in particular by downloading).

In the event of danger, follow the signs and orders given by Etoile staff and/or those responsible for the buildings in which Etoile premises are located. If an accident occurs on Etoile premises, the student must inform the administration immediately.

It is forbidden to smoke or consume alcohol on the premises of l'Etoile and in the buildings where l'Etoile premises are located, including the courtyard at 38, bd Raspail.

Everyone is responsible for looking after their personal belongings, and l'Etoile accepts no responsibility for theft or damage.

Insurance and liability

L'Etoile and the accommodation providers cannot be held responsible for any damage caused or suffered by the student and/or his/her personal belongings. In this respect, L'Etoile recommends that students take out comprehensive third-party insurance covering accident, illness, theft, etc.

When staying with a host family, and for certain other types of accommodation, students are required to take out comprehensive home insurance including civil liability.

L'Etoile reserves the right to refuse access to its premises and services to any student suffering from a physical or mental pathology that could endanger L'Etoile students and employees.

For students enrolled through a partner (agency, university, etc.), l'Etoile acts as an intermediary between the student and the partner/accommodation provider, and will be required to communicate information concerning the student to the parties concerned in order to ensure the smooth running of the stay.

Minors

Minors aged 16 and over are accepted at l'Etoile provided they are self-sufficient. There is no supervision or control of minors by the center.

A waiver from the legal representative must be signed before the start of the stay.

Vacations and public holidays

During public holidays, courses are not held, made up or refunded. The center is closed during certain vacation weeks during the school year, depending on the type of course.

Students enrolled on standard or intensive long-term courses may take vacations under the following conditions: 1 week's vacation (taken as a full week from Monday to Friday) is allowed per 12-week period of continuous enrolment. Students are free to choose their own vacation week, but must inform the administrative staff in advance by e-mail. The student's registration will then be extended accordingly.

Using the image

L'Etoile may take photos or videos of students to illustrate promotional material (brochures, websites, etc.). Acceptance of these terms and conditions constitutes express authorization by the student to use these images. The student may refuse such use, but must inform l'Etoile in writing at the time of registration.

Claims

In the event of a complaint, it is imperative that the student follow the procedure indicated by l'Etoile (file to be completed and any supporting documents to be supplied), so as to give the center the opportunity to provide one or more appropriate responses to the complaint. The indicative processing time is 5 working days, but may be extended depending on the complexity of the request.

Right of access to computerized files

The information requested from the student at the time of registration is transmitted only to those individuals or legal entities expressly authorized to receive it.

Any student may ask L'Etoile to communicate information concerning him or her, and have it rectified if necessary, in accordance with the provisions of law N° 78-17 of January 6, 1978 on information technology, files and freedoms.

Privacy notice - RGPD

The center processes personal data in order to provide, among other things, the services for which the student has registered.

Personal data is kept by us for the duration of the contractual relationship, then archived for the period linked to our responsibilitý, before final deletion.

The personal data we process is provided by the student, or by authorized third parties (such as an agency) at the time of registration and during the student's stay.

Students have the right to access, rectify, delete, oppose and limit the processing of their personal data. They may exercise these rights by sending a written and signed request to l'Etoile. A reply will be sent within one month of receipt of the request, which may be extended if necessary.

Disputes

These GTC are written in French and automatically translated into other languages by a plug-in. In the event of any conflict between the French and other language versions, the French version shall prevail over any other version. The terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with French law.

In the event of a dispute, the Paris Commercial Court shall have sole jurisdiction.

Terms of use

This website is published by PL+S, a limited liability company with a share capital of 7,500.00 euros, registered in the Trade and Companies Register (RCS) of Paris, France, under number 497 738 963, and whose registered office is located at 11, rue de la Boétie 75008 Paris, France.

The publisher can be contacted by telephone at +33 1 45 48 00 05 or by e-mail at contact@etoileinstitut.com.

The publication director of this site is Mr Joël NANGIS; the site is hosted by SAS OVH, whose registered office is at 2, rue Kellermann - BP 80157 - 59100 Roubaix.

All rights reserved - Reproduction prohibited

Right of access to computerized files

The information requested from the student at the time of registration is transmitted only to those individuals or legal entities expressly authorized to receive it.

Any student may ask L'Etoile to communicate information concerning him or her, and have it rectified if necessary, in accordance with the provisions of law N° 78-17 of January 6, 1978 on information technology, files and freedoms.