Last updated: 10:30 Friday 5 June 2020
Student emergency support - help if your school ceases trading
It is rare that a language centre ceases trading suddenly. However, if this does happen, English UK tries to limit the impact on current students, by helping them to continue and complete their studies without additional course costs when their course is unexpectedly stopped at a British Council accredited English language teaching centre. During the Covid-19 pandemic, our support will continue, although your course may be continued online.
We will also try to help students whose English language course was due to start in the future, though this help cannot always be guaranteed.
Student emergency support during the Covid-19 pandemic
During the Covid-19 pandemic, English UK continues to support students. We will help students whose courses are unexpectedly stopped, by finding them an alternative English language course, free-of-charge.
Due to the current health crisis, all teaching in the UK has moved online. You will therefore only be offered an online course as a replacement for as long as this situation continues.
English UK will work with other accredited ELT centres to find a course at the same level and for the remaining number of weeks, but there may be some differences outside of our control.
Help for students whose English language course was unexpectedly stopped
You can apply for a replacement online course if:
- You have paid in full for an English language course at a British Council-accredited centre which has permanently ceased trading
- Your course started, or was due to start, before the language centre ceased trading
Please note this support is for businesses that have permanently ceased trading, not temporarily paused their services due to the Covid-19 crisis.
What kind of replacement course will we offer?
- We will offer you a replacement English course, taught by another English UK member language centre, which will be online for the foreseeable future due to the Covid-19 pandemic
- We will try to offer you a similar course to the one you paid for, but cannot guarantee it will be exactly the same
- We will offer you only one option - if you choose not to accept the offer, we cannot help further
- We offer this service at no cost to you, so we ask all students to be flexible with the new option we provide
- Please note English UK cannot offer a refund under any circumstances.
Help for students who were due to start their courses in the future
If your course was due to start in the future (after the date that the language centre ceased trading), and you have paid your course fees in full, we will try to help you, although we cannot guarantee that an appropriate replacement centre can be found in this instance.
English UK will endeavour to find a new language centre for you to complete your courses at no extra cost, at a time when it is safe and appropriate to provide classroom-based teaching in the UK. This may require you to be flexible with your course start date.
To apply for this support, please email membership@englishuk.com and provide your course confirmation. We will keep a record of your details and contact you once face-to-face teaching has resumed at most English UK member centres.
Emergency accommodation support
We will endeavour to provide emergency financial support to students who are in the UK and at risk of being made homeless in the event an accredited ELT centre ceasing trading. We can help if you have paid for accommodation through a British Council-accredited language centre.
- For adult students, we may be able to cover your emergency accommodation costs until you are able to make alternative arrangements (up to one week)
- For students under 18 years of age, we will ensure that you are safely housed and cared for until alternative arrangements can be made.
How to apply for student emergency support
Please contact our team on membership@englishuk.com to apply for support.
In your email, include your course confirmation so we have the information we need to help you. Please read the information on this page before you contact us, so you understand how we can help.
