The Cultural Exchange Project’s TEFL Plus Certification Course

Terms and Conditions Agreement

All TEFL Plus students must agree to and sign this form.

Fees and Payments

Course Fee: The student agrees to pay all fees in full before the course start date. There are 3 course options: a 120-hour certificate course; a 140-hour certificate course including a 20-hour teaching practicum; a “Just The PLUS” option for those who already have TEFL certification from an accredited course and who want to purchase a package including the Renzulli Learning instruction and related features. Additional modules for specialized teaching situations will become available in the future and will be subject to this Terms and Conditions Agreement. The course fee is split into a non-refundable course reservation fee and a final payment of the remainder of the course fee. The non-refundable reservation fee is required to submit an application to The Cultural Exchange Project for the TEFL Plus course.

Upon payment of the non-refundable course reservation fee, the student has one calendar year to enroll in a course and pay the course tuition fee balance. If the student does not enroll in a course within one calendar year, their application will be canceled, and the reservation fee will not be refunded.

Payment may be received by credit card, debit card, or ACH online.

Course Changes: Students who pay the course fee but cannot complete their course within a year are allowed one opportunity to restart the course from the beginning with the payment of a $150 restart fee. If the student wishes to restart their course, they must do so before one calendar year from their original course start date. After one calendar year, a student will not be eligible to restart their course for the $150 restart fee but would need to pay another full course fee and re-enroll.

Late Practicum Grading Fee: If a student who has chosen the 140-hour TEFL Plus course with teaching practicum requires more time to complete their practicum, they must get written approval from The Cultural Exchange Project at least 14 days before the due date of the practicum documentation by sending an email request to teflplus@culturalexchangeproject.org. If a student does not turn in complete and required practicum documents within the allowed time and has not received an approved extension, the student will have up to 180 days from the first anniversary of their course start date to complete their practicum for a $150 late grading fee. Practicum reports and required documents submitted after this deadline will not be reviewed, and the course will be concluded.

TEFL Plus staff may, in their discretion, waive a course transfer fee or late practicum grading fee in the following circumstances:

1. Bereavement
2. Medical emergency for self or immediate family member
3. Long-term illness for self or immediate family member

TEFL Plus staff may require proof of the above circumstances before granting a waiver request.

Eligibility Requirements

Students who wish for a TEFL Plus certification must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. English proficiency:
   1. Students must be native English speakers or maintain an advanced level of English proficiency equivalent to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) B1 level or higher.
   2. If a nonnative English speaker applies for certification in TEFL Plus, they must demonstrate their advanced English proficiency by submitting an official CEFR certificate at level B1 or higher from iTEP All Skills, TOEFL iBT, IELTS, PTE General, PTE Academic, or TOEIC.
2. Competencies:
   1. TEFL Plus coursework requires reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills. Course outcome and evaluation will include elements of all four
3. Age:
   1. Students must be at least 18 years of age or older on the start date of their course.
      
      
4. Students must be capable of using appropriate devices, as all coursework is completed online. Students must have consistent access to internet.

Course Requirements

TEFL Plus courses consist of content modules plus a Welcome module. The content modules are both required and include corresponding graded quizzes and assignments. Each of the content modules consists of multiple consecutive lessons designed to be taken in a linear progression. You need to go over the lessons in order and you will not be able to advance unless each lesson in the module has been completed. In the basic course, there are 235 lessons in total which consist of short instructional videos, readings, and PDF files with relevant information on the explored topics per module. All instructional videos are under 12 minutes.

There are three types of assessments you will encounter throughout the course: quizzes, reflections, and practical assignments. The quizzes are short knowledge checks with 8-10 questions to check your comprehension of the module’s content. The graded quizzes are untimed, and students may take it multiple times until they achieve a passing score of 70%. The Time-to-Reflect assignments are short reflection prompts to get you to think about important issues brought up in the module that may impact your teaching. The Practical Assignments are more hands-on instructional assignments that directly relate to your teaching skills. Once you submit an assignment, you will receive a pass or fail grade and feedback before you can move on to the next module. Expect to receive feedback on the assignment within 3 business days. If you do not meet the assignment expectations, you will have the opportunity to revise your assignment and resubmit for a passing grade. Finally, at the end of the course, you will take a final exam. You will only have three opportunities to get a passing score of 70% in this exam.

To earn TEFL Plus’s 120-Hour and 140-hour TEFL Certificate, students must complete and receive passing grades on 7 time-to-reflect assignments, 10 practical assignments, 11 short quizzes, and 1 final course exam.

Students must earn an average of 70% or higher to pass the course (and maintain at least a 60% throughout the course).

Grading, evaluation, and course performance will be measured according to the following scale:

Distinction will be awarded to students who earn 90% or higher in the course.

Students will have access to their online course for an additional 180 days after the TEFL Plus course concludes. Students have access to their course records at any time by contacting teflplus@culturalexchangeproject.org.

Just The Plus Course

Individuals who already possess a valid TEFL Certificate from an internationally-accredited course may purchase a package including instruction in and access to Renzulli Learning software and related benefits.

Cancellation and Refund Definitions

The following definitions will apply for the purposes of any cancellation, withdrawal, transfer, or refund requests from The Cultural Exchange Project and TEFL Plus.

• Cancellation: A student who never completes a quiz or an assignment and informs The Cultural Exchange Project.
• No Show: A student who never completes a quiz or an assignment and never informs The Cultural Exchange Project.
• Withdrawal: A student who completes at least one of the following actions: completes a quiz or submits an assignment but does not complete all assignments as required by The Cultural Exchange Project.
• Termination: A type of withdrawal initiated by TEFL Plus due to failure to meet one or more TEFL Plus policies.
• LDA: Last Date of This will be calculated by the date of the most recent action of one of the following: completes a quiz or submits an assignment.
• DOD: Date of The date the student notifies The Cultural Exchange Project of their withdrawal or the date TEFL Plus terminates or administratively withdraws the student.

Cancellations and Refund Policies

1. TEFL Plus Cancellation: If The Cultural Exchange Project cancels any part of a course, The Cultural Exchange Project will allow students to move to another date, or refund all monies paid by the student.
2. Student Withdrawal/Cancellation:
   1. If a student accepted by The Cultural Exchange Project cancels their enrollment less than 7 days after their final payment is made, The Cultural Exchange Project will refund all monies paid, less the non- refundable reservation fee. If a student accepted by The Cultural Exchange Project cancels their enrollment anytime before their final payment is made, The Cultural Exchange Project will not refund the non-refundable reservation fee.
   2. Cancellation after the course starts and no assignment completed: If a student starts a course and has yet to submit an assignment or take a quiz and wishes to cancel their enrollment, The Cultural Exchange Project will refund all monies paid, less the non-refundable reservation fee.
   3. Cancellation after completing an assignment in the course: If a student submits at least one quiz or assignment and withdraws or stops completing assignments or quizzes, no refund will be provided.
   4. If an applicant is rejected from enrolling in the TEFL Plus course, they will be refunded all monies paid to The Cultural Exchange Project.

Refund Due Dates

1. All refunds due will be made within forty-five (45) calendar days or the date of cancellation.

Analyzing Student Coursework

TEFL Plus staff may sometimes view and analyze student coursework, discussion board posts, tutorials, and any other activities related to completing the TEFL course. This research is conducted to continue to offer the best educational experience possible and to increase industry knowledge of best practices in online instruction. All reporting is done anonymously – student name and likeness will not be used in any presentations or publications that result from this research. If the student doesn’t consent, they must write to The Cultural Exchange Project before starting the pre-course module.

The Cultural Exchange Project expects all students to adhere to academic honesty in all their work. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in disciplinary action, including expulsion from the TEFL Plus course with no refund.

Intellectual Property

The Cultural Exchange Project expects all faculty, staff, and students to comply with United States Copyright law. The Cultural Exchange Project staff, TEFL Plus faculty, staff, and students are prohibited from copying or distributing copyrighted material, including licensed software, without authorization from The Cultural Exchange Project.

Responsibility

The Cultural Exchange Project reserves the right to dismiss from the course any student who is deemed, by The Cultural Exchange Project or the course instructor, to be a danger to themselves or to others, whose academic performance, including English language ability, is inadequate, who does not complete the course work as required, or whose conduct is determined in The Cultural Exchange Project’s sole discretion to be detrimental to the success of the course or the reputation of The Cultural Exchange Project or Accreditat, the accrediting organization. In the event of such dismissal, The Cultural Exchange Project shall not be required to return any fees paid by the students.

The Cultural Exchange Project offers job placement guidance and assistance as a service to course graduates. Job placement opportunities do not constitute firm job offers. The Cultural Exchange Project endeavors to provide reasonable guidance; however, there is no guarantee that a job offer will result from such guidance or that placement will be secured. If a placement is accepted on one of The Cultural Exchange Project’s “Teach-in” programs, there will be a fee charged for participation in the program. Students should be aware that schools in some countries will only accept students from certain countries.

From time to time, students may receive evaluation surveys or requests for comments about the course. The Cultural Exchange Project may publish these comments in full or in part, and attribute them to the student using their first name, last initial and country.

The Cultural Exchange Project and TEFL Plus are not responsible for delays, cancellations, or any issues related to the program due to force majeure or for reasons beyond their control, such as, but not limited to, acts of government, labor disruptions, changes in staffing requirements, etc.

Disputes

Binding Arbitration. Any dispute concerning, relating to, or referring to this contract, the brochure, or any other literature concerning my program or the program itself shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, according to the then-existing commercial rules of the American Arbitration Association. Such proceedings will be governed by substantive Connecticut law. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this contract is void or voidable.

I have carefully read and understand this entire document. I agree to comply with the terms and conditions set forth in this Terms and Conditions Agreement.

I certify that I sign this contract of my own free will.

Name, date, and signature (electronic form)