Frequently Asked Questions

All cancellations must be made in writing.

You may cancel your whole enrolment by giving 7 working days’ notice. We will refund all fees paid, except the fees relating to the notice period, the registration fee, accommodation placement fee, insurance & any bank charges.  

You may cancel your whole enrolment with less than 7 working days’ notice, but we will charge you for the minimum period for your first course. For homestay accommodation terms, please see section terms and conditions for more details. 

The PCQ (Pre-Course Questionnaire) gives us some information about you, your English learning and your goals and needs before you start your course. It also lets us see an example of your written English so we get an idea of your level. We use this information to plan your classes and make sure you have booked the correct course for you. 

You can see which course you have booked in the ‘Enrolment Confirmation’ document. This is emailed to you when you have paid your deposit. You can also find this in the ‘My Documents’ tab on London School Online. The document shows you the course you have booked and the dates of the course. 

For face-to-face group classes you cannot choose your trainer. For face-to-face 1-1 classes we try to match you with a trainer that you request, but we cannot guarantee they will be available to teach your classes. For online classes you can choose the trainer you would like, but sometimes we have to make changes. When we can’t give you the trainer you request, we match you closely with a trainer who has a similar style. All of our trainers are very experienced and talk to each other about our students and their learning needs and preferences. 

The online test helps us understand your level of English and your knowledge of English grammar. We use this information to make sure we put you in the correct class. 

We use your level of English to make our classes. If your friends have the same level as you, then we may be able to put you in the same class. 

No, we make our classes on your level of English first. We then look at the mix of nationalities, ages of the course participants and how long people will stay with us. 

You will be placed in the class with your level at the beginning of the course, and we will continue monitoring your progress. During your course, our trainers share your progress with the rest of the team to make sure your learning needs and preferences will be met. 

However, if you would like to speak about your level, we highly recommend you speak to the Courses department as soon as possible.

Before you arrive in the UK, we strongly recommend that you take out insurance for your own financial and personal security. Insurance can help you in case of medical emergencies, cancellations or needing to shorten for unexpected, and theft, loss or damage of luggage and personal belongings. You can find more information on our website.

Lunchtime is an excellent opportunity for you to eat delicious food in a relaxed, friendly environment. It is a great networking opportunity for you to practice your social English and meet other students. Our lunches are freshly prepared every day in our in-house kitchen with healthy options including two vegetarian salads, one hot main dish (meat/fish or vegetarian/vegan) option, dessert and a selection of fruit. 

We are happy to advise you on the most suitable accommodation option. You would need to consider your priorities: 

- Do I want to be fully immersed in the English language? If yes, homestay is the best option for you as you will live with a British family.  

- Is it important for me to have my own cooking facilities? If yes, Prince Consort Village residence is the best option for you.  

- Do I want to be comfortable in a fully serviced accommodation with room service and breakfast included? If yes, Vincent House residence is the best option for you. 

We use your level of English to make our classes, but when we have more than one class at the same level we look at ages and try to match people to their age group. 

Once you have made payment for your course, we can provide a visa support letter for a Standard Visitor visa or Short-Term Study visa depending on the length of your course. Your visa support letter will include your personal details, course information including dates, and the amount paid for your course. You can find more information on our website.

If your visa is refused, we can provide a refund as long as you inform us with sufficient notice and provide the visa refusal letter from the British Embassy/Consulate. You should send your visa refusal letter at least 7 working days before your first course is due to start. If you do this, we will refund any fees that you have paid, less the registration fee, accommodation placement fee and any bank charges. You will find more details in section 4 of our Terms & Conditions.

We are a quality school which provides a quality learning experience. Our classes are smaller than most schools (maximum group size is 8 - 10 in July) so you get more attention from your trainer. Many schools have class sizes of 12 or more. Our trainers are highly qualified with an average of 11 years of experience teaching English to adults. They understand that every client is different, and their teaching style is flexible to adapt to the students in each group. We also use a variety of course content and textbook, so that we can build lessons around your goals and those of your classmates. This means a highly tailored experience that helps you to achieve your language goals. 

We work to encourage a wide nationality mix and this improves the experience for clients in our school.  In other schools there can be one or two nationalities which dominate.  A wide mix it important to encourage English speaking outside of lessons and for an enjoyable international experience 

If you have already started a course, you may shorten it by giving 7 working days’ notice. If you give less than 7 working days’ notice, you will lose the fees for the notice period, plus 30% of the fees for the remainder of the course after the notice period. 

You cannot shorten a course below the minimum course booking period (see terms and conditions) 

You cannot shorten an exam course or Legal English 20-30 course. 

If you are taking more than one type of course, a future course is considered to be separate and you may cancel it with the same conditions as above. 

1-1 lessons which are not booked as part of a combination course, or in a block of at least 15 hours per week are considered ‘Ad-hoc’. If you want to cancel ad-hoc 1-1 lessons, you must inform us in writing latest by Wednesday of the week before the lesson is due to take place. After Wednesday of the week before, it will be treated as a cancellation and you will be charged the full amount for the following week. 

You may take a holiday during your course on the following conditions:  

- You must give us 10 working days’ notice. If you fail to do so, you will lose one week’s course fees.   

- Your holiday must consist of whole calendar weeks and will be added to the end of your enrolment.   

- If you have a visa, it must be valid for long enough to extend your enrolment. If it is not, you will lose the weeks you take as holiday.   

- You cannot take a holiday during exam courses, English For University, English for Work and Careers or Legal English 20-30. 

Please note: If you move weeks of your course for a holiday, we will not make any refund if you choose to cancel them at a future date. 

We do not give refunds for sickness at short notice.  Please follow the terms for cancellation and taking a break in the course. 

You can reset your password by clicking on ‘Forgot Password’ on the log-in page for London School Online. You can also speak to someone at reception who will be able to reset your password for you. When you have reset your password, you are sent an email with a link asking you to make another one. If you don’t receive the email, please check your junk folder on your email account. 

You can see feedback from your trainer in your ‘Learner Plan’ which you can find in the ‘Questionnaires’ tab on the student portal of London School Online. You will see your trainer’s view of your level in different areas and some comments about you. There are also some recommendations of what you can do to improve your English.

When you are finishing your course, your trainer will ask you if you want to extend. Someone will then speak to you about what you want to do and whether it is possible. If it is possible, then we will send you an invoice to make payment. 

Your trainer will write a Learner Plan for you at the end of your first week for face-to-face classes which shows your level. For online classes your trainer will write a Learner Plan after you have completed 5, 10 or 15 hours depending on your booking. The Learner Plan shows you your trainer’s assessment of your level in different areas such as speaking, reading, vocabulary. The Learner plan also has some comments from your trainer about your English and some recommendations to help you improve. Your Learner plans can be found under the ‘Questionnaires’ page in the online student portal.

On the notice board at the bottom of the stairs in the school or on the website under the ‘Why choose us’ page. Please sign up if you want to join a social programme activity.  Most social activities are also listed here

No, you do not get time back for missing part of your classes. If you need to miss part of your class or course, please speak to your trainer.

For courses which are only 1-1 classes, you can request to have your classes in the morning or afternoons. For combination courses, you cannot decide when you want your 1-1 classes, and they could be in either the morning or afternoon. If you book a small number of 1-1 hours per week, your classes will be at 16.15.

No, holidays can only be booked in full weeks Monday-Friday. If you need to miss classes please tell your trainer. If you want to book a holiday, you need to tell us 10 working days before the holiday starts.

No, you cannot get money back for missed classes. We recommend that you get our insurance to cover you in cases of emergency. 

Yes, you can buy a coursebook from reception if you want to. Please speak to your trainer before you buy a coursebook because they will be able to give you some advice. If you don’t want to buy a coursebook, this is not a problem because we have copies you can use in your classes.

Applications such as Google maps and City Mapper will help you to get around London easily. London has many public transport options, including the Tube (The London Underground), buses, and even boats. Most places in London are very well connected, and you can travel round quickly and conveniently. This page on the Visit Britain website has a useful introduction to the different ways that you can travel around London. You can find more information on the official Transport for London website, including ticket prices, Oyster cards (a type of pre-paid pass card you can use to pay for your journeys), and route options. 

London buses are all cashless, so you need an Oyster card, Travelcard or contactless payment. A bus fare is £1.65 per journey, and you can hop on unlimited buses or trams for free within one hour of touching in for your first journey. You can find more information about transport on the TFL website

There are plenty of taxis available too. In London, you can catch a Black Cab in the street, or book a minicab by going into a booking office (you can find these on high streets), calling a taxi company, or using an app, e.g. Uber. Always book your minicab and do not catch an unbooked minicab in the street because these may not be official taxis. 

You will be allowed to prepare drinks and sandwiches in the kitchen, but please make sure that you leave the kitchen as clean and tidy as you found it. Do not assume that you can use the kitchen to prepare your own meals. If you do wish to use the kitchen facilities, you will need to agree this with your host. 

Please speak immediately to reception if you have a problem or question about your homestay. The Courses department can help you regarding any course related questions and problems. We will be able to help you in the best way possible the sooner you let us know.

You get access to the basic content on London School Online when you book your course. When your course starts, you get access to the full content and you can use it for 3 months after you complete your course. 

We recommend you to download the app TodayTix to find the best theatre deals or go directly to the Half Price ticket booth in Leicester Square for deals on the day. You should book football tickets in advance to avoid any disappointment and it is best to try on the official website of the individual football club.