Terms and Conditions

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION TO LANGUAGE COURSES

PERSONS CONCERNED
The following terms and conditions apply to any person who joins any of the courses at the Alliance Française of Madras (hereinafter referred to as “AFM”) and its branches and annexes.

COURSE ADMISSION CONDITIONS
To join the general French courses at the AFM, the minimum age requirement is as follows: 16 years for ADULT classes; 11 years for TEENS classes; 7 Years for KIDS classes. 

The number of students per class is limited. Registration is on a first come first served basis.

AFM reserves the right to deny admission to a particular class to any individual whose level of French has been deemed inadequate for that class after an evaluation done by the teachers at the end of a course or the placement test, endorsed by the Course Coordinator or the Course Director.

PAYMENT CONDITION
Fees must be paid in full at the time of registration for a course at AFM. No one will be allowed to attend classes without full payment of fees. Payment can be made by cash, credit / debit card, local bank cheque or UPI.

Fees can also be paid through EMI.

The purchase of the textbook(s) used in class is compulsory and the price of the textbook is not included in the course fee.

TARIFF
The tariff applicable will depend on the rates prevailing on the date of registration. GST is applicable on all Course fees and is included in the tariffs* mentioned.

*The course tariff is subject to change every year.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE
Online registration option available at ‘Register Now’ with instructions and payment options.

Or under normal working conditions, you may visit our reception during the working hours. Complete and sign the registration form. 

The student takes full responsibility in choosing his/her course timings and session.

The signing of the registration form as well as the submission of the online form, mean that the student accepts the “Terms and conditions of Admission to the language courses” of the AFM. 

On payment of the full fee, the AFM will issue a receipt as proof. 

If the student wishes to enroll to any level other than the beginner’s level, the AFM reserves the right to first verify the student’s language level by means of a PLACEMENT TEST, and helps in the placement of the student in a course corresponding to his or her language level.

Placement test at the AFM is charged INR 1200. This fee is non-refundable even if the student does not take up the test.

In case a student wishes to enroll for a higher level directly, he/she is entitled to submit the following:

• DELF/DALF certificate of his/her level
• Course completion attestation from any Alliance Françaises in India taken within 4 months of registering for the new course
• Placement test results from any Alliance Françaises in India taken within 1 month of registering for the new course

Commencement or postponement of the batches will be intimated via email.

Commencement of a batch is subject to minimum enrolment. Dates indicated in the course schedule are tentative.

TEACHING AND ORGANIZATION OF COURSES
All classes from beginners to advanced levels will be conducted entirely in French from day 1 in accordance with the immersive language techniques we follow.

For online classes, the teachers reserve the right to take screenshots or record the classes, if necessary.

The AFM reserves the right to not disclose the identity of the teacher for the course either before or during enrolment. The AFM reserves the right to change a teacher, if necessary.

In the absence of the teacher, the AFM will make sure that a replacement teacher is made available. If finding a replacement is not possible, the AFM reserves the right to postpone the class to a later date.

Depending on the circumstances, trainees or any member of the AFM management may attend/participate in the classes.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND
If for some reason the student wishes to withdraw his/her registration, he/she must inform us in writing before we communicate and confirm the commencement of classes through email (the date of receipt of the student’s communication by AFM will be considered as the date of request for cancellation). He/she can send an e-mail addressed to the reception or the Course Coordinator at [email protected]. The student’s registration fees will be refunded after deduction of Rs. 500/- as administrative fees.

After confirmation of a batch, i.e., after we send an email regarding its commencement, there is no possibility of a refund, transfer or adjustment of fee, irrespective of whether the student has attended any of the classes or not.

If there are no sufficient enrolments for a particular course or time slot, that course will be cancelled and the students will be offered the option of:

• choosing an alternative class time (once the student chooses one of these options, refund is not applicable)
• choosing an alternative class at the same time but starting on another date (once the student chooses one of these options, refund is not applicable)
• being fully refunded

DELF-DALF and TEF Canada exams

Once a candidate registers for the DELF/DALF/TEF Canada exam, he/she cannot avail a refund under any circumstances.

If a candidate wishes to defer the exam to another session, he/she is liable to inform through email to the Course Director ([email protected]) or the Course Coordinator ([email protected]), 3 working days before the day of the exam. The student is liable to pay the difference in the exam fee, if applicable.

TRANSFER TO ANOTHER COURSE (After confirmation of the batch)

Only requests made under following exceptional circumstances with supporting documents will be considered and are subject to management’s approval:                                                                                        

The students can choose the new batch from available time slots (subject to availability of seats)

A fee of Rs. 2500/- will be levied to cover administrative costs (for any requests made after confirmation of the batch, even if the student has not attended any classes)

If the student wishes to transfer to a course with a higher tariff, he/she must pay the difference and an additional fee of Rs. 2500/- to cover administrative costs.

Management’s decision regarding your request for transfer or deferral is final.

ATTENDANCE ATTESTATIONS
At the end of the course, an attestation is issued only to those students who have attended at least 80% of the total duration of the course. This attestation certifies the regular participation of the student in the class session; it DOES NOT certify the language level of the student and cannot be used for this purpose.

This attestation may be awarded to the student within four months of his/her last class of the course. Beyond this period, the AFM can no longer issue attendance attestations.

This attestation is only valid for 4 months from the month of completion for admission to subsequent levels.

BENEFITS FOR AFM STUDENTS
Membership of the AFM library is free for all students for the duration of their course as well as to the online media library Culturethèque.

AFM students receive a discount at the time of registration for the DELF DALF, DELF Junior or DELF Prim exams, if the registration is made within 6 months of completion of the course. 

HOLIDAYS
As with other organizations and institutions, the AFM will remain closed on certain days. The holiday dates will be displayed in the premises of AFM. The course schedules takes into account the various closures and public holidays.

STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
We reserve the right to expel, without refund, any student who:

• intentionally damages or steals or destroys AFM property or that of another student;
• is repeatedly disruptive in class;
• harasses any course participant or staff member.

All students are requested to take care of their personal belongings. AFM is not responsible for any loss of property on its premises.

Students are permitted to park their motor vehicles inside the AFM campus from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after their class sessions in designated areas only (subject to availability on ‘first come-first served’ basis).

Consumption of food and beverage is not permitted inside classrooms before, during or after class sessions. Food and beverage can be consumed outside classrooms in designated areas. Use of garbage disposal bins is advised.

LIABILITY OF THE AFM / FORCE MAJEURE
The liability of the AFM and its staff is limited to intent and gross negligence. The AFM does not accept liability for the cancellation of its services due to force majeure (e.g. natural disasters, fire, floods, war, official orders and all other circumstances beyond the control of the contractual parties).

FINAL PROVISIONS
The present terms and conditions are an integral part of the AFM registration form and by signing this form the student agrees to abide by these regulations. 

These regulations and conditions are subject to Indian law and any dispute arising shall be under the jurisdiction of the Indian authorities.