The deadline to start the course at Academic Bridge is 2 years after the first payment, either deposit, first installment or full payment, was made by the student.

Each class is three hours fifteen minutes long, with a fifteen-minute break in the middle. Academic Bridge maintains a maximum number of 15 students per class, with average class sizes of 12 students per class.

Every 12 weeks the book will be changed to a different edition, as stated by the Academic Department, to maintain the variety of the core material in class of each level. Acquisition of the coursebook is not mandatory, since they are provided for use in class.

Photocopies are prohibited.

Students who wish to own their copy of the coursebook should purchase one themselves from available bookstores ot online suppliers. Academic Bridge does not sell coursebooks to students.

If a student misses 10 days (20 classes), they will receive their 1st warning email.

If a student misses 15 days (30 classes), they will receive their 2nd warning email.

If a student misses 20 days (40 classes), they receive third and final warning letter. They would then have 5 working days to speak to the Director of Studies. A letter will be sent to IRP, informing them of your poor attendance and they will not be able to renew your visa.

If a student misses 30 days (60 classes), they will be EXPELLED and immigration will be informed immediately. Students must take responsibility for their attendance.

Students wanting to renew their VISA from 1st October 2015 must have a minimum of 85% attendance.

Please note that your monthly attendance will be sent to IRP at the end of every month.

If a student arrives 10 minutes after the class has start, they will have to wait until the break time to enter the class. This means they will only get attendance for half of their
class.

At Academic Bridge we aim to maintain a pleasant, relaxed and friendly classroom environment. Poor and inappropriate behaviour exhibited by one or more students negatively impacts on the learning experience for all the members of the class. As a part of this, inappropriate or abusive behaviour cannot be tolerated, and may result in a student being asked to leave class. Repeated inappropriate conduct will result in the student being excluded from the school.

Inappropriate behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

• Failing to respect the rights of other students to express their viewpoints;
• Talking when the teacher or others are speaking;
• Overt inattentiveness (e.g., sleeping or reading material not connected in to class checking social media, listening to audio messages etc.);
• Refusal to participate in class activities;
• Creating excessive noise;
• Eating in class;
• Entering the class late or leaving early, or going in and out of the class at inappropriate times;
• Use of phones in the classroom;
• Poor personal hygiene (e.g., noticeably offensive body odour).

Abusive behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

• Physically or verbally assaulting the teacher or other students;
• Appearing to be on the verge of physically or verbally assaulting the teacher or other students;
• Damaging classroom furniture or property;
• Carrying a weapon.

If a student is sick, we advise them to contact the school on the first day of their absence. They can telephone on 01 8788616 or email reception@academicbridge.ie and their information will be put on the students’s file.

They must call every day until they return to classes.

If said student has a doctor’s certificate, they must present it on the day they return and a copy will be taken for our files.

Fees include: Learner Protection, Health Insurance, placement test, tuition, handouts, use of coursebooks in class, use of computers, and a certificate.

Fees do NOT include: Lunch or other meals, books for personal use and bank charges.

Academic Bridge can arrange for you to be collected at the Airport and taken to your accommodation. The cost of this service is €35.00 The transfer service is available between 08.00 – 23.00. It may be possible to arrange a transfer outside these hours, in which case a supplement of €10 is payable.

It is the responsibility of the transfer provider to send a message to or email the student 1 day before the arrival date to schedule a meeting point at Dublin airport.

After the aircraft’s arrival, the transfer provider has to wait for the student for the maximum of one hour and a half in the airport and in some cases a student might be asked to wait at the airport for a limited time (never exceeding 1,5 hours) before leaving the airport.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify the transfer agent and the accommodation in case of flight delays, cancellations or in the case of postponed arrival, otherwise the service will not be provided.

Flight tickets must be sent to AB sales agents 30 days before the arrival date in order to book the transfer service for students.

A booking fee of €50 will be charged on all accommodations booked by Academic Bridge.
Flight tickets must be sent to AB sales agents 30 days before the arrival date in order to book the accommodation service for students.

Host Families
– Prices are based on 7 night stays, beginning on any day.
– Half board Monday- Friday. Weekend options are full board or breakfast only.
– All guests must show a valid ID upon arrival
– Located in Dublin suburbs. Average travel time of 30/40 minutes on public transport. This may be longer at peak traffic times.
– Extra nights costs €35 per person per night sharing (check on availability).
Student Residence
– Based on 7 nights, beginning from any day.
– Self-Catering: No meals included
– All guests must show a valid ID upon arrival.
– Extra nights cost €30 per person per night individual or €25 per person per night sharing.
Hostel
– Based on 7 nights, beginning from any day
– Continental breakfast included sometimes. No lunches or dinners included
– All guests must show a valid ID upon arrival.
– Extra nights cost €25 per person per night (check on availability).

All non-EU students are required to have private medical insurance. Academic Bridge can make arrangements for any student wishing to get private medical insurance, with Endeavour Insurance Services Ltd, trading as Academy Plus. These policies cover emergency medical expenses and are compliant with the applicable visa regulations. An eight months’ policy cost €120.  A copy of the policy will be given to the student.

All EU nationals should bring their European Health Insurance Card with them, this covers public medical care.

All non-EU, student enrolled in Academic Bridge are covered by Learner Protection with, Endeavour Insurance Services Ltd, trading as Academy Plus.  Should a programme be cancelled prematurely students will be placed at another school to complete their course or students will be refunded their unexpired fees.

In addition to Learners Protection, Academic Bridge, is a member of the Private College Network, (PCN), an organisation of private schools in Ireland, that have a common interest, in promoting English language teaching in Ireland and improving the educational standards within this sector.

Feel free to visit their website for more information at  http://pcn.ie/

Non-EU nationals should contact their local Irish embassy or Consulate or visit the Department of Justice website (www.justice.ie) for details of visa requirements. Academic Bridge offers an efficient visa support service.

According to immigration rules and regulations students are obliged to follow the following rules:
1) Students are allowed to study for a minimum of 25 weeks.
2) Students have to complete one third of their course before they can request a holiday. Holidays can only be for a maximum of one month.
3) Students are not allowed to change the time of their programme.

For more information on the rules and regulations please go to this link:
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Interim%20List%20of%20Eligible%20Programmes20-%20ILEP

Full payment of fees is due 4 weeks prior to arrival date. Payment can be made by any of the following ways.

(a) Bank transfer to the following account;

ACCOUNT NAME: ACADEMIC BRIDGE LTD

ADDRESS:126 Capel Street, Dublin 1, Ireland

BANK: AIB

SORT CODE: 931101

ACCT.: 50998180

SWIFT: AIBKIE2D

IBAN: IE30 AIBK 93110150998180

(B). Cash
(C). Pay to Study http://academicbridge.paytostudy.com

Important Payment Notes
-All Bank / PayPal charges must be paid by the sender
-Please state student name on payment

Long-term (25 weeks or more)

Booking may be cancelled up to 2 weeks prior to commencement of course with €300 administration penalty for International Students and 20% for EU students.  For cancellations between 1 and 13 days prior to the course start, 50% of the full amount will be refunded, an additional €50 penalty fee applies.

There is no refund for any cancellation once the course has commenced. This includes a late arrival, early departure, or days missed during the course.

A fee of €300 applies to cancellations due to visa refusal. Visa refusal documentation will be required for refunds to be processed. Courses are non-transferable.

Short-term (up to 24 weeks)

For cancellations up to 2 weeks prior to the start of the course, 70% of the full amount will be refunded.

For cancellations less than 2 weeks in advance, 50% of the full amount will be refunded, an additional €50 penalty fee applies.

Accommodation

Accommodation bookings may be cancelled up to 2 weeks prior to arrival at the accommodation. If this is followed, we will refund 100 euro per week booked.  Accommodation bookings are non-transferable.

Transfer

Transfer bookings may be cancelled up to 2 weeks prior to arrival at the airport. If this is followed, we will refund 25 euro per booking. 

Transfer service is non-transferable. 

If a student wants to postpone their start date, they must inform their student advisor 15 days before the start date. To reschedule and book a new start date, students have to contact their student advisor 30 days prior to the new start date in order to have a space booked for them on the course.

No refunds will be made after a course has started.

Approved refunds will be sent within 40 working days of cancellation. Sending bank charges will be deducted from the balance being refunded.

In the case of illness, students may ask for a course to be postponed to a later date. In this case, the school will require a medical certificate. Courses and accommodation bookings may not be carried over year-to year.

The refund

Refunds will only be paid by bank transfers into bank accounts of which the nominated students are the holders. They cannot be paid in anyone else’s account on student’s behalf.

A student must complete 8 weeks of their course before they can request a holiday/break.

After 8 weeks in class, students can request 2 weeks of holidays.

After 9 weeks in class, students can request 3 weeks of holidays.

A maximum of 4 weeks can be given after completing 12 weeks of classes, providing the students attendance is 80% or more. All students must request holiday via the school website.  An email will be sent directly to the student confirming or denying holidays.

Working holidays can only be requested during the months of June, July, August and September, and from 15th December until 15th January, when students can work full-time legally.

All students registered with Academic Bridge will be OBLIGED to undertake externally-verified tests of their English proficiency;

The tests which Academic Bridge recommends are: TIE, IELTS, CAE/FCE.

Academic Bridge will facilitate the student in entering one of these exams.

a) All students registered with Academic Bridge MUST undertake an externally verified exam (as above) of their English proficiency; this is a mandatory Immigration requirement and is not open to negotiation.

b) Students who fail to satisfy this condition will be deemed to have broken the Terms & Conditions of their enrolment and will be removed from Academic Bridges’ register AND the Immigration Authorities will be notified that they have abandoned their course of study.

c) Before students can request any documents from the school i.e. Bank Letters, IRP letters, etc they will have to present proof of paying for an external exam.
Students will only receive a certificate from the school once they present a certificate from an external exam body.

Academic Bridge observes strict guidelines with regard to equality, bullying, harassment and protection of minority rights; any student found to breach these guidelines will face disciplinary action (subject to the law of the land) and censure.

Non EU students are reminded that they must comply with the regulations of immigration at all times. Academic Bridge will be obliged to inform Immigration in the event of a student not achieving the required level of class attendance over the academic year without valid reasons (e.g. medical certificates). Academic Bridge will also have to inform Immigration in situations where the student has had their visa renewed for a particular course and chooses not to attend or to defer the commencement date.

Academic Bridge organises and hosts a number of extra-cultural social and academic activities, both on the school premises and elsewhere, to augment the student experience and learning outcomes. During these activities it is normal for photographs, videos and recording to be made which may be used for promotional activities (internet, podcasts, website, newsletters, social media, etc.); if a student does not wish to be recorded or photographed during these activities they MUST make this clear during the activity, otherwise the school reserves the right to use this materials for the stated purposes.

If a student has experienced dissatisfaction with anything in Academic Bridge, they can raise their concerns, with any member of staff, verbally or in writing.  Complaints forms are available at reception.  

The complaint will be sent to the relevant Director and a response will be sent to the student within five working days. All staff have a responsibility for treating complaints seriously and dealing with them promptly and courteously.  All complaints and actions taken, will be sent to the Managing Director & Director of Studies.

By accepting Academic Bridge’s terms and conditions, the student accepts that Academic Bridge freely can use all Photography, film, and sound material that has been created by Academic Bridge and/or Academic Bridge’s staff during the trip, without asking further approval from student.