General terms and conditions

Course registrations are accepted by phone, email or online form and are confirmed in writing by participants and the course instructor.

The invoice is issued for the first time after the first three weeks of the course. This allows learners to change level if the ongoing course is not a good fit.

ARTICOBAR is exempt from value added tax.

Participants may cancel their course free of charge up to one week before the course starts. For cancellations at shorter notice, one third of the total course fee will be charged to cover administrative costs.

It is possible to join a course already in progress if your German skills match the current course level. If you interrupt your participation during the course, there is no entitlement to a refund.

If participants are unable to attend the course due to illness, no credit can be issued for individual missed course days — except upon presentation of a medical certificate.

Each participant receives a course certificate upon completion of a course offering, stating the German level actually achieved and the course lessons actually attended. ARTICOBAR designates courses at a fixed half-level.

If a participant has not yet reached the advertised level at the end of the course, the level actually achieved will be issued together with a description of the areas that still need to be covered.

ARTICOBAR places great emphasis on supporting participants in their language skills and closing gaps in a targeted manner. The school management regularly exchanges information with the surrounding municipalities (Werdenberg, Sarganserland) so that individual needs can be met as well as possible.

If planned instruction cannot take place due to a short-notice emergency for which ARTICOBAR is responsible (e.g. absence of the course instructor), the session will be led by a substitute instructor. In exceptional cases, a missed course day will be made up.

In cases of force majeure (e.g. strike, disasters, epidemics, pandemics), course fees will not be refunded. The course will be continued after the disruption ends.

The prices shown on the internet and in the course programme are binding. Course materials are not included in the course fee. Course prices depend on the number of participants.

Registration is only confirmed once the first instalment has been paid.

The course fee must be paid within the payment deadline and may be paid in two to three instalments.

Reminder fees: from the 1st reminder CHF 10.–, from the 2nd reminder CHF 20.–, from the 3rd reminder CHF 30.–.

The minimum number of participants is shown in the course programme for each offering. One-to-one tuition is also available on request (price on request).

Changes to the course programme and price adjustments due to changes in the number of participants are reserved.

ARTICOBAR is not liable for property damage or accidents at the course venue. Liability and accident insurance are the responsibility of participants.

Concerns from learners are welcome at any time. The course instructor regularly exchanges information with participants. The first point of contact for suggestions, complaints or problems is the course instructor.

The school management, Maja Hugentobler, and the board of the Articobar Sprachschule association become involved once a conversation has already taken place between the person raising the complaint and the course instructor concerned. The association has procedures for further complaints; a workable approach based on mutual respect is sought.

If a complaint is rejected, the Articobar Sprachschule association is not obliged to state the reasons for non-acceptance.

Swiss law applies. Place of jurisdiction is Mels SG.

Mels, December 2024 — mh