Travel to Teach Terms and Conditions

Download our terms and conditions as a pdf file: Travel to Teach Terms and Conditions.pdf

Valid from 01.01.2008

The following terms and conditions are an agreement between you and T2T. When you make a booking for a T2T program, you are agreeing to what is written below.

We have attempted to make these terms and conditions as clear as possible so it is vital that you read the whole document and understand what each part means. For this reason, you should not accept a placement with us unless you have read this document carefully and understood its contents. If you have any feedback, comments or questions about our terms and conditions, please email apply@travel-to-teach.org. and we will be happy to help.

1. The service we provide

The exact service provided various between programs, however all programs include the following:

1. A volunteer placement.
2. Assistance and information via email preceding your arrival.
3. Comprehensive details of your project and it's location, accommodation & in country coordinators.
4. Regular contact with an English speaking country coordinator, one formal weekly volunteer meeting and 24-hour emergency support while you are on your placement.
5. Accommodation.

For further details please check the individual Fees & Info page for your relevant program.

2. Applications

Upon receipt of your application we will start to process your placement.

We will send you a pack which will include written confirmation of your placement and an invoice which sets out the payment details. The invoice is due for payment 30 days after issuing. The final deadline for payment is 60 days before your arrival date, or on booking, if you apply within 60 days of the proposed arrival date.

T2T cannot guarantee the absolute accuracy of placement information and may very occasionally make minor changes prior to your arrival. We do our very best to ensure the information is as up to date as possible, and are in daily contact with our coordinators to this effect.

If you wish to make alterations to your placement once it has been confirmed, we will endeavor to make the changes (subject to availability.)

We are also entitled to refuse your application or cancel your booking at any time in the event that you (1) fail to complete the application process (including providing requested information) within the applicable time scale or (2) fail, in T2T's reasonable opinion, to demonstrate the necessary attributes either for volunteering generally or for your chosen placement or (3) have a criminal conviction for a serious offense or for one which is incompatible with your chosen placement or (4) any similar circumstances which come to our attention.

3. Start date.

Subject to availability, you may change the dates of your placement by up to 12 months from the start date of the original placement. If you wish to do so, you must make your request to us in writing (e-mail), giving details of your preferred alternative date. If we can meet your request, we will confirm this in writing (e-mail).

4. Disruption to your placement

If your placement is disrupted in any way, you should inform your local coordinator. He or she will investigate the situation and confirm any necessary action to you. If you feel the matter has been improperly handled you should contact head office.

5. Unusual Circumstances during your placement

Your placement may be disrupted by an unusual event or circumstances that T2T could not reasonably have foreseen. If the unusual event is serious enough to significantly affect your placement, we will try to arrange a suitable alternative as soon as is reasonably possible, at another location where the unusual circumstances are not a problem. This may be in another country. You have the right to accept or decline the alternative. We do not make any refunds in these situations and you will be responsible for any travel costs involved. We cannot accept liability for the effect of any unusual event or for any loss, damage, expense or claim of any description you suffer as a result.

6. In-country Support

T2T supports you in all countries in which we operate. A team of support staff operate at every placement location. You will receive their full contact details no later than 7 days before your placement start date. Coordinators are responsible for your in-country orientation, arranging and placing you at your project, providing your teaching and cultural inductions and arranging extra activities. They are there as a source of advice, support and as a point of contact in the event of an emergency. They can help you to solve problems at your placement and if you need to return home, give you any assistance. They will be available during business hours under normal circumstances. In an emergency, they are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. N.B If you are unable to attend your orientation for any reason, we are not obliged to arrange further orientation for any that you missed.

7. Passport & Visas

You must ensure that you have a full passport, valid until at least 6 months after your planned return date. We will provide you with information to assist you in obtaining visas that allow you into the country of your placement.

Many countries do not issue visas specifically for volunteers. Work permits are often difficult to obtain. In certain countries therefore, T2T advise volunteers to enter on tourist visas. Technically, you are not permitted to work on tourist visas, but because you are not undertaking paid work, it is tolerated. At the time of writing (January 2006) none of our volunteers, to our knowledge, had encountered any problems with immigration authorities at port of entry on this point.

If your placement has to be canceled or significantly curtailed due to the immigration authorities not accepting your visa, we will offer you a suitable alternative placement in another country. In such cases, you will be responsible for any additional travel costs. We will have no additional or other liability to you. If you undertake other work in addition to or instead of your placement for which you receive payment and are asked to leave the country as a result, you will not be entitled to any refund or alternative placement from T2T.

8. Health

In the interest of your health and safety you must:

1. Visit your doctor and inform him / her of all countries you will be traveling to well in advance of your departure.
2. Obtain relevant health advice from your doctor or a reputable travel clinic and arrange to receive all necessary vaccinations in good time.
3. Take with you and use as appropriate, a sufficient supply of any necessary medication and / or prescriptions.
4. Obtain advice on equipment to take to your particular destination such as first aid kits, syringes, water sterilization equipment and mosquito netting.

For further health & travel advice, please see www.masta.org and/ or www.fco.gov.uk We will not be liable for any consequence of your failure to comply with the above. We reserve the right to reject your application or cancel your booking on medical grounds.

9. Accommodation and Meals

T2T arrange accommodation at all placements. The accommodation will be of a local standard that may differ from what you are accustomed to in your home country. You may be required to share a bedroom and/or bathroom. With the exception of our turtle conservation projects in Samarra, Costa Rica, basic amenities will include, running water, drinking water, electricity, fans, mosquito nets and/or screens, refrigerator and water boiler. Extra commodities vary for each project location. If you choose to be away for a weekend or holiday during your placement, you will not receive any refund for the accommodation. T2T adopt this policy to ensure home stay families and other accommodation hosts receive all finance promised to them.

10. Flights and other Transport

You are responsible for arranging and paying for flights to and within your chosen country. Apart from the meet and greet service when you first arrive (where available), you are responsible for internal travel costs during your placement. In some cases, this may include daily transport to and from your placement.

T2T cannot meet, reimburse or otherwise be responsible for any flight, travel or other costs or expenses of any nature (including, for example, any charges made by airlines etc for cancelling, changing or transferring flights or other arrangements) which are incurred or arise as a result of your placement not proceeding or being canceled, curtailed, withdrawn or changed due to circumstances outside our control.

11. Insurance

All volunteers on T2T placements are expected to arrange their own comprehensive travel insurance. T2T will not be held liable for any illness, injury that occurs during the placement. A copy of the insurance document is to be given to your coordinator on arrival

12. Problem solving during your placement

Volunteers may encounter challenges and difficulties during their placement. For this reason, T2T have created a procedure, to help you at these times. If you require support, you must follow T2T's support procedure:

1. If the problem is minor air your concerns with your local coordinator immediately and explain the problem, together to try and arrive at a solution.
2. If speaking to your local coordinator does not satisfactorily resolve the problem, or the problem is of a more serious nature please contact the T2T head office, outlining the facts in writing. You should ask your local coordinator for a support sheet and email or fax it to the head office. We will respond within 48 hours.
3. If you have followed these steps and remain unhappy with the situation, please refer to our complaints procedure in the next clause (13).

13. Complaint Procedure

If you wish to make a complaint, you should write detailing the precise nature of your complaint(s) within 90 days of the event that gave rise to your complaint, to:

Travel to Teach, 772 Moo 4, Soi Chuenjit 1, Prajak Road, Amphur Muang Nongkhai, Nongkhai, 43000, THAILAND apply@travel-to-teach.org.

Please include relevant contact details.
We will acknowledge, in writing, that we have received your complaint within 5 working days. Sometimes, we may call you to discuss your complaint in more detail. A full reply may take up to 28 working days, if we need to contact overseas partners.

14. Code of conduct

All volunteers are expected to adhere to the T2T volunteer code of conduct (appendix A). This covers, but is not limited to, respecting others' cultures and beliefs, working responsibly at your project, respecting the accommodation and avoiding drugs and illegal activities.

15. Ending the Agreement

We will end our agreement with you, in writing:

1. If we discover that you have deliberately lied or not disclosed important requested information about yourself during the application process, which may call into question your suitability for volunteering
2. If you are found to be involved in the misuse of substances which are illegal in the country of your placement or you are charged or convicted of a criminal offense while you are on your placement
3. If you break any part of the volunteer code of conduct. (see appendix A). In certain circumstances, we may find it more appropriate to issue a written warning to you. We will make the reasons for the warning clear, and give you a reasonable amount of time to alter your behavior. If you do not comply with this request, we will end our agreement with you.

You may end your agreement with us, in writing:

1. If T2T has failed to provide you with the appropriate placement and, after following the steps in clause 12, no suitable replacement project has been offered to you.
2. For personal reasons, i.e. family illness. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to claim for part of your placement fee.

If you terminate your agreement with us for personal reasons once you have started your placement but prior to its completion, you are responsible for the consequences of that decision. We will not be responsible for you once you have left your placement; will not be responsible for any costs, expenses, loss or other sum(s) of any description you incur or suffer as a result; and will not give you any refund of any payments you have made.

16. Accuracy of Marketing Materials

We believe that all statements made in our brochure, website and other marketing materials are factual and correct at the time they are made. Every reasonable effort has been made to describe the placement and to provide the amenities described. We cannot be held responsible for any changes that become known or happen after the brochure was produced (up-to-date information can be found on the website). Nor can we accept liability for happenings outside our reasonable control. We undertake to advise you of any material changes known to us prior to your departure providing there is sufficient time to do so and we can contact you.

17. Our Responsibility for your Placement

We will use all reasonable skill and care in arranging your placement in accordance with our agreement (including these terms and conditions). Some organizations that provide project-work are independent of T2T and, while we will have vetted or visited the project, we have no direct control over the organization(s). Unless we have failed to use reasonable skill and care as above, we will not be liable for what projects do or do not do or for any loss, damage, expense or other claim of any description which you suffer in connection with your placement.

A few project coordinators are engaged by T2T to undertake certain duties. However, they and their staff are not employees of T2T, and as such, we cannot ultimately exercise direct control over them or be responsible for their actions.

If you have had no work for over one month (and this excludes time for holidays both at the placement and your own personal travel), and you have not been offered any alternative work, then we will refund you the months program fee minus the €150 euro administration fee. If your placement is 28 days or under and you have been offered no work for one week (excluding time for holidays and personal travel), we will refund you at our standard weekly rate of €50. This refund, where payable, is the maximum extent of our liability in this situation. Whether or not you are entitled to such a refund, you may not claim any other sums (including, by way of example, any refund/reimbursement of any other payments made to ourselves or to your coordinator and/or flight and other traveling expenses) as a result of not having work during the whole or any part of your placement. Work is offered and arranged as part of a placement in good faith but cannot be guaranteed due to circumstances outside the control of ourselves.

Except in the case of death or personal injury caused by the negligence of T2T or any of its employees, the maximum amount T2T will have to pay you in the event of our being found liable to you on any basis is 100% of your program fee.

18. Use of photos and comments

By signing these terms and conditions you agree that we may use any photo(s)/image(s) we or someone on our behalf take of you or any comments (written or verbal) you make during or in connection with your placement for our promotional/marketing purposes (such as including them in our brochure / website) without obtaining your further specific permission or making any payment to you. Such use may include mentioning your name, age and town / city / area of residence.

19. Personal Data

T2T adhere to the data protection act and will not pass on any personal data to any third party agencies. T2T may use your details to contact you after your placement has finished informing you of any relevant events or activities related to your T2T program. T2T will only pass on your email address to other volunteers if you have ticked the consent box on the application form

Appendix

A. T2T Volunteer Code of Conduct

Participants of the program should comply with any reasonable request by the placement. Participants will not be asked to work more than four hours a day but may do so if they wish.

Participants must attend project and do programmed work according to the project agreement.

Participants are not allowed to enter into any negotiations or other contractual arrangements during their placement.

Participants are not allowed to take on any paid or voluntary work with T2T connected institutions unless agreed upon by T2T, the institutions and the participant.

Participants are responsible for any damage they, or their guests, cause to their accommodation.

Participants must dress appropriately for work and interviews.

Participants must behave according to locally accepted behavior (outlined in the cultural introduction.)

Participants must not have any connection with illegal activities or substances including drugs. Travel to Teach will accept no responsibility for any volunteer found to be in violation of any local or international laws.

Participants must not behave in any manner which is likely to bring Travel To Teach or the placement organization into disrepute.

Participants should only consume alcohol in moderation and should not attempt to drive any vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol.

Participants must be considerate of those living around them both in the dorm and in the neighborhood.

Participants must not cause distress to anyone at the placement including students or fellow workers.

Physical violence towards any other volunteer or community member will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program.

Any volunteer found to be to be in violation of this code may be issued with a verbal warning. If inappropriate behavior continues after two verbal warnings have been given a final written warning will be issued. After this point Travel to Teach reserves the right to terminate the volunteer’s placement, at any time, without refund.

Travel to Teach reserve the right to terminate any contract, without refund, if a volunteer is found to be breaking the law or seriously endangering themselves or those around them.