Practical Information

Yes. Nearly all courses come with a certificate of attendance.

Yes. We offer optional package extras which means that you can book as little or as much as you like with Cactus, and the rest by yourself or with other companies. We can recommend flight providers for you and we can arrange airport transfers and accommodation as well. It’s up to you – if you would just like to book the course only with us, that is ok too.

Courses run throughout the year from Monday to Friday (unless otherwise stated). The courses nearly always start on a Monday. The duration of courses is from 1 or 2 weeks minimum, up to a year. The number of weeks you study is completely up to you.

You can choose! For all non-beginners courses generally start each Monday of every week. There are restricted start dates for beginners, so if you are a beginner please check this on the website.

Beginner courses will always commence on a certain day, so that all students are there from the very start. Normally though, when non-beginner students start a course, most of their classmates will already have been there for a few weeks. This is simply because most language schools have continuous enrolment, and students can choose their length of study. For this reason, courses are not designed to lead on from one week to the next, and each week will comprise a variety of skills that are taught around a few topics. This is common practice amongst schools, and teachers and the administrative staff will be used to integrating new students into existing classes.

With our group courses classes are either scheduled in the mornings or afternoons depending on your level and the season. In high season during the summer periods some schools alternate lessons; having mornings one week and afternoons the following week. The school will determine when the lessons are held. For individual courses we can accommodate your needs and requirements in terms of timetables, providing we have the teachers available. Please indicate your preferences at the time of booking.

Group classes can range in size from 4 to up to 20 students per class, depending on the location. Please check the course pages on the website.

We recommend booking at least one month in advance in order to secure your course and accommodation preferences. We can organise courses last minute, up to a week beforehand but cannot in this case guarantee all courses/accommodation options will be available.

Classes do not take place on bank holidays or national holidays. If the lessons missed are not compensated for by our partner schools, then the missed hours will not be refunded. For each school you can check on the website when the school will be closed for public holidays.

Please check our Language Levels guide. But please don’t worry if you are unsure! All non-beginners will take a placement (level) test on the first day of their course to assess their exact level, except for one or two schools which test students in advance. In this instance we will send you the placement test by email for you to complete.

This only occurs occasionally as the placement tests give the school a clear indication of which level/class is appropriate for each student. If you would like to change classes please discuss this directly with the Director of Studies and your teacher, the school will then do their best to accommodate your level.

Yes – we are more than happy to do this. Our booking system recognises repeat clients by their email address and will automatically apply a discount.

Yes. For groups of 10 or more people learning in the same location at the same time, we offer a discount on the course fees for the teacher or group leader if there is one. Please contact us via info@cactuslanguage.com for a quote.

You can pay by credit card (Visa/Mastercard), for which there is a standard 2.75% booking fee, by UK debit card, cheque or bank transfer.

Full payment of the booking balance should be paid 4 weeks prior to departure, unless it is a late booking or if we are waiting for a decision on a visa from a consulate.

If you would like to reserve your course and accommodation (more than 4 weeks before the course), you can pay us a deposit – this is £250 for all bookings. You will then need to pay us the balance 4 weeks before the course starts. If you pay a deposit and then cancel your course, we reserve the right to keep the deposit (since we usually have to pay this to the school).

If you would like to cancel your booking this must be done in writing by the person who completed the booking. The date of cancellation will be taken as the date that the company receives the e-mail. We reserve the right to apply the following cancellation charges:
For cancellations made 28 days or more before departure we will keep the deposit of £250 only. For cancellations made 8 – 27 days before departure we will keep 50% of the total booking fee (if greater than the deposit) and for cancellations made 1 – 7 days before departure we will keep 100% of the total booking fee.

When you have chosen your course options go on any course page and click on the ‘Book Now’. Here you can check the and go ahead with your booking. To secure your place on the course you need to pay a deposit of £250.00 or the total amount of the course if it starts in less than one month. You will then receive your final confirmation email. We strongly recommend you await the confirmation email before booking any additional travel-related services such as flights. In the unlikely event that your selected programme is unavailable we will contact you within 2 working days to discuss your options.

You may need a student visa depending on your destination and length of stay. We will be able to advise you during the booking process and we will send you the documents you need for your visa request. If you have an EU passport, you will not need a visa to study within the EU. The majority of the other countries, apart from Russia, Egypt or China, allow you to study for up to 12 weeks as a tourist.

All customers must purchase adequate insurance to cover themselves whilst abroad. The company reserves the right to refuse to accept bookings from clients who are not adequately insured against holiday risks. Clients may be asked to provide evidence of adequate alternative insurance at the time of booking.

Your travel pack contains all the information you need for your trip including important contact details. This is usually available within 2 working days of placing your order.
If you booked accommodation you will receive your accommodation details approximately 1-2 weeks prior to departure and you will be notified of this by e-mail.