Terms and Conditions

The following constitute the terms and conditions to which applicants agree when booking any training or eLearning courses of Geistzeit Ltd (german-academy-zurich.ch). Throughout the terms and conditions the German Academy Zurich (GAZ) stands for Geistzeit Ltd. The GAZ reserves the right to review and update these terms and conditions periodically.

1. Registration with the GAZ (creating an account)

When booking onto a training or eLearning course we require you to register to create an account and provide us with certain information about yourself. In doing this, you agree to:

Provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the registration form
Maintain and promptly update the data we hold by logging into your account and updating via ‘My profile’

2. Booking a training or eLearning course

2.1 Training and eLearning courses can be booked via the booking forms available on the GAZ website.

2.2 When you submit a booking, your submission represents an offer to the GAZ to book you onto the course you selected. On submission of the training course or eLearning course form you will receive an automated summary email of your selection.

2.3 The GAZ will accept your offer by entering your booking onto the GAZ system and sending you an email confirming that you have been booked together with information on starting your learning.

3. Prices and services

3.1 Notice of new pricing will be given in advance, but the GAZ reserves the right to change prices listed without notice.

3.2 The training course fees include: access to the digital learning course and all relevant course materials. The standard and premium version of the course also include the specified amount of private training lessons and an exam at the end of the course. After the successful completion of the final exam we will issue a A1 German certificate to the learner. The basic version of the course does neither include any private lessons nor a final exam. For the completion of the basic course no A1 German certificate is issued.

3.3 The booked course is for one individual only. You are not allowed to share your login data with other people. You are responsible to make sure that your login information stays secure.

4. Payment

4.1 Fees must be paid at the point of booking via Revolut’s secure online payment process. If you have an applicable discount code this must be entered at the time of booking, as the discount cannot be applied retrospectively.

4.2 We accept Mastercard and Visa card payments. A receipt will be sent to you by email from Revolut confirming payment. Revolut will receive the information needed to verify and authorize your payment card and to process your order and is under strict legal and contractual obligations not to disclose this information to third parties. Please note that if you do not provide accurate details (including type of card and number) or if your credit card company does not authorize payment, your application will be deemed void. The GAZ will not accept any liability for costs incurred as a result of applications deemed void in this manner.

4.3 Sales taxes (VAT, TVA etc.) are charged at the applicable rate depending on the product and/or customer.

4.4 We cannot invoice for fees or accept payment by installments.

5. Prevailing terms and conditions

Please note that this and all other GAZ pre-contractual documentation shall not constitute an offer. All services provided by GAZ are on the basis of these Terms and Conditions and if you wish to engage any GAZ services we shall only provide them if you accept the Terms and Conditions. If you offer to engage GAZ on your own terms and conditions then we shall only accept your offer subject to the Terms and Conditions, which shall, if we provide the services you offer to engage, prevail over any other terms and conditions.

6. GAZ Learning Study site

6.1 After booking onto an eLearning course you will be given access to the study site. You will be given a licence period of 547 days (18 months) when purchasing a course (e.g. A1 German Course). By using the site you agree to these terms and conditions. If you do not agree to these terms, you cannot use the site.

6.2 Whilst we make every effort to keep changes to the site to a minimum, we reserve the right to make any amendments to the terms and conditions at any time to reflect changes affecting our business, including but not limited to, changes in technology, payment methods and legal and regulatory requirements. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept any changes made to the terms and conditions.

7. Ownership and intellectual property rights

All learning materials, whether on the course pages or on the private training sessions, are owned by the GAZ. All intellectual property rights in all materials available, including the design, graphics, video and text of all printed or digital materials and the audio of all courses, webinars and podcasts, are owned by the GAZ. When you are given access to the site, you are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the materials. No content may be copied, reproduced, uploaded, posted, displayed or linked to in any way, in whole or in part, without the GAZ’s prior permission. Any such use is strictly prohibited and will constitute an infringement of the GAZ’s intellectual property rights.

7.1 Video recording of private lessons

The recording of private lessons is only allowed with the prior written consent of the GAZ.

8. Special requirements at the training course

The GAZ will make every effort to accommodate special requirements that have been notified in advance.

9. Behaviour

The GAZ reserves the right to remove any delegate from a training course whose behavior is deemed inappropriate by the GAZ or its teachers. In these circumstances, the GAZ will neither refund any fees nor reimburse any other costs.

10. Teachers

The GAZ shall provide such teachers to present the language course as it, in its sole discretion, deems fit and the GAZ shall be entitled at any time to substitute any teacher with any other person who, in the GAZ’s sole discretion, it deems suitably qualified to present the relevant course.

11. Liability

The GAZ does not accept responsibility for anyone acting as a result of information in, or views expressed on, its courses including course materials. Opinions expressed are those of individual teachers and not necessarily those of the GAZ. Participants should take professional advice when dealing with specific situations.

12. Technology

The GAZ does not warrant that the provision of any content online will always be available or be uninterrupted, timely or error-free, that defects will be corrected or that such content is secure or free from bugs, viruses, errors and omissions.

13. Joining Instructions for private lessons

Joining instructions for private lessons will be sent per email 1 day prior to the start of the private lesson. The GAZ will not be held responsible for non-receipt of joining instructions and refunds will not be issued under such circumstances.

14. Personal data

The personal data you provide when you book the training course will be held in accordance with GDPR and used by the GAZ for the purpose of delivering your training course. Your full name and email address will be shared with your teacher in advance of the course.

15. Cancellation

15.1 Cancellation of an eLearning course

Once you have booked onto an eLearning course you have up to 30 days from the purchase date to cancel your booking and receive a full refund provided that neither a private lesson has been booked nor that the chapter 7 of the course has been started. After the 30 days, or if a private lesson has been booked or if chapter 7 has been started, you will neither be entitled to any refund, nor will you be able to transfer your eLearning to another person. Refunds will be processed within 28 days of receiving your request via bank transfer to the original payer.

15.2 Cancellation of a private lesson

If you need to cancel an already booked private lesson, you must notify the GAZ via email more than 48 hours before the private lesson starts. You can then book a new private lesson without any consequences. If you cancel your private lesson less then 48 hours before the private lesson starts the count of the available private lessons in your course will be reduced by one. You will not be entitled to a refund.

15.3 Transferring your account to another person

If you can no longer attend the training course you are not entitled to transfer your booking onto a different person.

15.4 Changes and/or Cancellation by the GAZ

The GAZ reserves the right to alter or cancel a private teaching session up to and including the day of the training course in extreme circumstances. If the GAZ has to cancel a private teaching session, the following will apply:

the GAZ will try to reschedule the private teaching session and will inform you of the rescheduled dates
if you are unable to attend the rescheduled dates, you will be able to choose a new date from the calendar provided

15.5 Non-attendance

If you fail to attend the private lessons you are booked onto without giving prior notice to the GAZ (48 hours in advance), we will be unable to reschedule your lesson (we have to pay our teachers for these hours).

In case you have any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to felix.zeeb@german-academy-zurich.ch