Our relationship with you
The Central School of English strives to create a rich learning environment in a space that is welcoming to people of all nationalities and personalities.
To achieve this goal, there are a number of rules in place governing how we run the school and what we expect from you, the student.
These terms and conditions form the basis of our agreement with you and come into effect when you enroll in a course.
Further guidance on how the terms and conditions are applied can be found on the pages listed below.
The texts of these policies can also be read in your student handbook.
Feedback and Continuous Improvement Policy: How we seek your feedback to improve your school.
Complaints Policy: What to do if you are unhappy about anything at school.
Attendance and Punctuality Policy: How we ensure you get the most from your course.
Absenteeism and Expulsion: What happens if your school attendance is not satisfactory.
Disciplinary Actions and the Grievance Procedure: What happens when school rules are broken and how you can appeal a disciplinary action taken by the school.
Admission Policy and Criteria for Programmes: How we ensure you attend the best course for you.
Policy on Entry to and Recording of grades relating to the required end-of-course proficiency exam for non-EU students: How we fulfill our commitments relating to your end-of-course exam.
Before joining the school, students may take a free trial class to ensure our school is the perfect one for them.
This free trial class may be taken at any normal class time. Currently, individual classes start at 09:00 and 11:00 from Monday to Friday and at 19:00 Monday to Thursday. We do not have classes at the weekend.
Students who require immigration permission to study in Ireland (non-EU/EEA students who wish to study for more than 90 days) must enroll in a 25-week course, which we call an Academic Year Programme.
Students who do not require immigration permission to study in Ireland (EU/EEA and Swiss students) may start a course at any time and study for as long as they want.
Course bookings can be made using the school’s Online Booking Form and if the booking is accepted, the applicant will be sent the Registration Form to complete.
The Registration Form can also be completed at the offices of the school at 23 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1.
A course is not confirmed until the completed registration form has been received by the school AND full payment for the course has been made.
If you are from outside the EU and require a visa to study in Ireland, you must pay the full course fee before applying for your visa.
For other learners, full payment is normally due two weeks before the course start date. Any instalment arrangement must be approved by CSE and confirmed in writing.
Your place is confirmed once the required payment has been received and any other enrolment conditions have been met.
Learners from outside the EU who require a visa must pay through TransferMate. Do not pay by bank transfer, card or PayPal.
If you do not require a visa, CSE will confirm which payment methods are available for your enrolment. These may include:
Some payments must be made through TransferMate or another approved safeguarded payment facility. Always follow the payment instructions CSE gives you for your enrolment. If you receive a message saying that our payment details have changed, contact us using the details on this website before paying.
Course prices are published on our website but may change. CSE will confirm the total amount payable, including any applicable charges, before you enrol. Please check the current price when applying. Central School of English reserves the right to change its published prices at any time.
This information applies to all Central School of English courses. Before you enrol, we will tell you the total price, payment terms and any charges that may not be refundable. Your offer and Terms and Conditions of Enrolment provide the terms that apply to your booking.
Nothing on this page limits your statutory rights.
You may request a refund in accordance with your Terms and Conditions of Enrolment and any applicable statutory cancellation rights. We will only deduct a charge or cost if it was identified before enrolment and the deduction is permitted by the applicable terms and law.
If you would prefer to change your start date, you can request a deferral before your original start date. Deferrals are subject to availability, applicable immigration requirements and your enrolment terms. We will confirm any agreed change in writing.
Course fees are not normally refundable once you have started. The Director may consider a full or partial refund in exceptional circumstances, taking account of the evidence you provide, the teaching already delivered, costs incurred and fair treatment of learners.
Missing classes, arriving late or choosing not to complete a course does not, by itself, entitle you to a refund. This does not affect your statutory rights or your rights if we cancel or cannot provide your course.
If you cannot start your course because your required visa has been refused, we will refund the refundable fees you have paid once we have received and verified:
We will explain in writing any deduction. A deduction will only be made where it was disclosed before enrolment, has a permitted basis under the applicable terms and law, and relates to an identified charge, a service already supplied or a cost already and irreversibly incurred.
If we cancel your course before it starts, we will offer you a suitable alternative that you may choose to accept, or a refund of the fees paid for the cancelled course.
If teaching is interrupted, we will apply our continuity and learner-protection arrangements. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve continued teaching, a transfer to another provider or a refund. We will explain the arrangements that apply to you.
Please send your request in writing to [email protected], stating your name, course and reason for requesting a refund. Include any relevant supporting documents. You may also bring a written request to the school.
We will tell you if we need further information. The Director approves or refuses refund requests, and we will communicate the decision in writing. If a refund is reduced or refused, we will explain why and how you can request a review.
Our target is to complete an approved refund within 20 working days after receiving all required documents and complete, verified payment details. We will tell you if payment-provider, banking or safeguarding checks are likely to cause a delay.
Refunds are normally returned to the original payer through the original payment method. If this is not possible, we will need to verify and document any alternative arrangement before making payment.
If you disagree with a decision, you may ask the Director to review it or use our Learner Complaints and Appeals Policy. This does not affect any external or statutory rights available to you.
All students are expected to attend all their classes and to arrive on time for their classes.
This is out of respect for the teacher and other students.
Additional rules apply to Non-EU/EEA students enrolled in a 25-week course (Academic Year Programme) and these rules are outlined in our policy on Attendance and Punctuality.
EU/EEA students and students on short courses (less than 25 weeks): may take a holiday from their course at any time. This may be agreed at the time of the booking or once the course has begun.
To avoid losing any classes, students must give us a week’s notice of when the holiday begins and when they plan to re-join the course.
Only whole-week holidays can be booked.
Non-EU/EEA students studying on a 25-week course (Academic Year Programme): are not permitted, as part of the conditions of their immigration permission, to take holidays within the first 8 weeks of arrival nor during the last 4 weeks of the conclusion of their course.
These students should arrange their holiday periods during enrolment and before registering with ISD (Immigration Service Delivery). Holidays can only be booked in two-week slots.
These students must inform the school of their intended first holiday break during the booking process. These dates cannot be changed once agreed.
Holiday requests regarding later holidays (if not already agreed) or a request to change the dates of later holidays should first be discussed with the School Manager (Nikola Byrtusova – [email protected]) who will ask you to complete a holiday request form, available from reception or by requesting it via email.
The School Manager will discuss the holiday request with the School Director and/or the Director of Studies as she feels appropriate and will respond to the request within 24 hours.
Under immigration regulations, total holidays can never exceed one-third of the period from the start of a course.
Holiday requests that do not conflict with any of the rules regarding a student’s visa conditions will not be unreasonably denied.
‘Exceptional’ holidays, requested in the case of illness in the student’s family or as the result of a bereavement, as outlined in the school’s policy on Absenteeism and Expulsions policy will be considered on their merit. A reasonable request will not be denied.
We take holidays too. The school is closed for a few days around Easter and for about two weeks at Christmas (the exact dates change each year).
The school also closes for other public holidays in Ireland. Exact dates can be found on our FAQ page.
Students can apply for sick leave from their studies under exceptional circumstances, e.g. for health, medical or compassionate reasons (for example bereavement of a family member).
If a student is sick, they must inform the receptionist at the school on the first and every subsequent day of the illness. This can be done either by sending an email to [email protected] or a text to the school emergency number: 086 178 1687.
Once the student returns to the school they must, within 5 days, produce a hard copy, original doctors/medical certificate confirming their absence due to illness
If the certificate is produced the student’s attendance will not be affected by the sick leave and will be recorded on the school’s attendance system.
If no medical certificate is produced, the student will be marked as absent on the school’s attendance system for the days they were sick and did not attend classes.
Non-EU/EEA students enrolled in a 25-week course (Academic Year Programme) should note that failure to provide evidence of sickness as described above will – if a student’s attendance falls below acceptable levels – result in the actions outlined in our Absenteeism and Expulsions Policy.
Classes missed due to sickness will not be added to the end of the course period.
Any questions about your entitlement to sick leave can be addressed to the School Manager, Nikola Byrtusova ([email protected])
Accommodation bookings must be paid for in full a minimum of four weeks before the start of a student’s stay. The minimum booking is for one week. There is an accommodation booking fee of €50.
Accommodation bookings may be cancelled up to four weeks before the start of a stay in which case a full refund will be made less a cancellation fee of €50. The booking fee will also not be refunded.
Accommodation bookings cancelled between two and four weeks before the start date will receive a 50% refund less the accommodation booking fee and a cancellation fee of €50.
There can be no refunds for cancellations happening less than two weeks before the start of a stay, or once a stay has begun.
Non-EU/EEA students who wish to enroll in a 25-week course (Academic Year Programme) are obliged to purchase Learner Protection Insurance as part of their course fees. This is insurance that protects the student’s fees. The Central School of English purchases this on behalf of the student and the policy through its insurance agent, Arachas. The policy is in the student’s name and is given to the student.
The cost of this learner protection insurance (currently €35) is included in the price of the course and displayed on the student’s invoice.
EU/EEA (and Swiss) students and students on short courses may also purchase Learner Protection Insurance. Full details of costs and how the policy works are available from the school reception or can be received by making a request to [email protected]
Non-EU/EEA students who wish to enroll in a 25-week course (Academic Year Programme), must, as part of their visa obligations, purchase Health Insurance that insures them against medical expenses that may have during their time in Ireland.
An insurance policy, underwritten by Chubb Insurance, can be provided to the student alongside the Learner Protection insurance, that is the two policies are bought together.
The Central School of English purchases this on behalf of the student from its insurance agent, Arachas. The policy, which is in the student’s name, is given to the student at the beginning of their course or can be sent to the student in advance of their arrival in Ireland.
The cost of this health insurance (currently €60 or €55 when purchased with Learner Protection Insurance) is included in the price of the course and displayed on the student’s invoice.
If, as an alternative to this health insurance, a student wishes to purchase his/her own health insurance, evidence of cover must be provided to the school before the student will be enrolled in a course.
EU/EEA and Swiss students and students on short courses may also purchase the same health insurance through the school.
Full details of how the policy works and what is covered are available from the school reception or can be received by making a request to [email protected]
As a minimum, EU students are advised to seek a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in their own country. They may also wish to seek their own private medical insurance.
If a student has a problem with their classes, they should first take the issue to their teacher, who will attempt to find a solution.
If a student has a problem with their accommodation, they should first take the issue to the school’s Accommodation Officer, who will attempt to find a solution.
If a class or accommodation problem cannot be resolved at this level, the issue will be taken to the School Manager.
Any other problems should be addressed directly to the School Manager.
In the unlikely event that the School Manager is unable to find an acceptable solution to your issue, the matter will be taken to the School Director.
If at any time you feel that your issue requires a more formal response you can start a formal complaint by completing a ‘formal complaint form’ available at the school reception. Our Complaints Policy will then apply.
We welcome feedback at all times and ask for it regularly. Any comments sent by email to [email protected] will be read by the School Director.
Please also see our Continuous Improvement Policy, where we describe how we seek your feedback to help us improve your school.
The Central School of English is a community of adults from all over the world. We aim to foster a culture of mutual respect and a rich learning environment.
In this regard, we expect all students to treat their colleagues and the staff of the school with respect. Students who the school feels fail to do so will be expelled from the school in line with the policy outlined in our policy on Disciplinary Actions and the Grievance Procedure.
There are buses and taxis to the city centre and other destinations just outside the terminal building of Dublin Airport.
Buses are cheap and taxis operating out of the official taxi-stands are regulated. We are happy to recommend both.
However, if you’d like us to arrange a transfer to your accommodation we can do this.
The fee is €80 for a one-way trip within the Greater Dublin area.
Students who recommend our courses to friends or family members get €25 off their next payment when that friend or family member signs up for a course (minimum 4 hours per week for 4 weeks).
Simply tell us the name of the person you are recommending our school to and when they join the school we will credit your account.
Alternatively, ask them to mention you when they register for a course.
Your €25 credit can be spent on courses, coursebooks or exam fees.
On registration, students are required to give the school their contact details. We require a full name and address in Ireland, a contact telephone number and an email address. We also require details of a friend or relative that we can contact in the event of an emergency.
The email address is so that we can send information that may be useful to you during the course, such as details of our social activities and any changes to class times etc.
We may also send you details of any promotional offers that may interest you after you have left the course, but you can remove yourself from this mailing list at any time by emailing us or clicking on the appropriate link in each email.
Your contact details are secure and will not be shared with anyone else, unless we are required to do so by law. For details on how we keep your data secure and to see how you can update or delete the information we keep on you please see our Privacy Statement.
Sometimes we take photographs or video of school activities including social events for use in promotional material.
Unless you advise us otherwise in writing at the time of your booking a course, we reserve the right to use any such image that you appear in for promotional purposes without seeking further approval.
Courses at the Central School of English are open only to students aged 18 and over.
We can only accept accommodation bookings from students over 18.
Non-EU/EEA students on a 25-week course (Academic Year Programme students) are required, as part of the conditions of their immigration permission, to maintain an 85% attendance rate for the duration of the course and must ensure they abide by the rules of our Attendance and Punctuality Policy.
The Central School of English takes its responsibility for ensuring regular attendance and punctuality seriously and failure of a student to abide by the above-mentioned policy may result in them being expelled from the school in the manner described by our Expulsions Policy.
Academic Year Programme students arriving more than 15 minutes late for their class or leaving before the class has finished will be marked as absent for that class.
While EU/EEA students are not bound by the same rules as students on the Academic Year Programme, they are required to respect their classmates and teachers by maintaining regular attendance and being punctual for their classes in order to maintain the continuity and integrity of the courses.
We care about you.
When a student enrolls with the Central School of English, they will be supplied with all contact details of the school, along with emergency contact numbers for use in emergency situations outside of office hours. This emergency contact number is also displayed in the Student Handbook, which you will be given to you on enrollment.
A Central School of English member of staff is available on this number 24 hours of the day, 365 days a year:
The Central School of English will not be liable to the student in any way if it is unable to provide a service contracted to the student because of industrial dispute, public disorder, extreme weather conditions or any other reason beyond the control of the school except where such liability cannot be excluded by Irish law.
