Procedure and Terms
Your journey to the Liden & Denz Language Centres in St.Petersburg or Moscow needs careful preparation. The following guidelines and information should help you to stay clear of any uncertainties and will remind you of some important points to consider when planning a language stay in Russia.
If you have any questions regarding our programme or are requesting more detailed information, please send us an email, call us or send a fax. We will answer any fax or email no later than during the next working day.
Natalia Sazonova heads our booking department since spring 2007. She joined us after working for many years at the well known 5-star hotel Corinthia Nevskij Palace.
Natalia Sazonova
Booking Officer
Booking procedure
You can sign up either directly on this website or use one of 200 appointed booking agents in over 50 countries. Signing up locally has certain advantages: your booking agent will advice you on airfares, travel insurance and might help you organising your visa. The course fee should be the same as when signing up directly but you will most probably be invoiced in your local currency and you are under full legal cover of your local jurisdiction. On request, we will send you names and addresses of your nearest appointed agents.
If you decide to sign up directly, the easiest way is to use our online signup form . You may also print out the offline booking form and fax or airmail it back to us. For all One-to-one Courses we require course participants to complete our Needs Analysis Form, which can be downloaded here.
In both cases we will confirm within 24 hours of receiving your booking by email or fax. You will receive from us (by email only):
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Your booking confirmation/invoice (immediately)
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Your visa support letter (immediately if course lasts 4 weeks or less, otherwise within 3-4 weeks)
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Your accommodation confirmation (3 weeks prior to arrival)
Your booking becomes valid only after we have received the non-refundable enrolment fee, which covers visa and paperwork related expenses. For reasons of conveniency, it might make more sense if you settle the whole invoice at once (enrolment fee and course costs).
Please download our credit card authorisation form here, if you are going to pay by credit card (Visa, Euro/Master, American Express).
Procedure for Work-Experience Students
Please be reminded that all work-experience programmes include either a group language course of at least 4 weeks or an individual course of at least 3 weeks. This course needs to be completed before your work experience can start. It is therefore necessary that you fill out two booking forms:
Alternatively, you can use the online signup form which includes questions about your work experience programme. We further require from you:
- recent Curriculum Vitae (in English or Russian) with a photograph
While the language skills required differ for the various jobs, we do ask you to apply for work experience only if your level on arrival in Russia is at least A2 (click here for our level descriptions).
If you are interested in an internship, we do ask you to apply only if you have previous working experience in that field or have (or are going to have) the necessary qualification for that area.
Liden & Denz will confirm reception of the documents and your registration to the programme 24 hours after having received them. A work placement confirmation is sent as soon as we receive the confirmation from the host company/organisation. (6 weeks before the arrival date at the latest). The work placement confirmation is comprised of two documents: a Letter of Acceptance and a Placement Description Form.
Conditions and Terms of Participation
Booking deadlines
For all short–term courses (up to 4 weeks) the booking deadline is 3 weeks . For all long-term courses (5 weeks and more) and all work experience programmes, bookings should reach us at least 8 weeks prior to arrival. This will ensure that all students receive their visa on time.
Terms of payment
Payment of the total amount (including enrolment fee) is to be settled no later than 30 days prior to the course starting date (immediately if enrolling later) by credit card.
Russian entry visa and its prolongation
Please check our visa information here.
Arrival and beginning of tuition
Arrival day is Sunday! All courses start on Monday. Course participants who have booked accommodation through Liden & Denz are met at the airport or railway station and driven straight to their accommodation at no charge, if they arrive on Sunday.
Lesson length
One lesson lasts 50 minutes . Breaks between lessons last 10 minutes each.
Cancellation fees
Until 30 days prior to the beginning of the course – 10%, until 10 days – 25%. For cancellations that occur later, the cancellation fee amounts to 50 % of the total fee. Cancellations should be communicated in writing (e-mail or fax) directly to our central booking office in St.Petersburg or to a local agent.
Programme interruption/discontinuance
must be communicated in written form at least 15 days in advance . Under no circumstances has the participant the right to reclaim the total fee. A partial reimbursement is at the discretion
of Liden & Denz.
Late arrival or absences during the programme
for which Liden & Denz cannot be responsible, will not be reimbursed. Absences cannot be compensated through additional lessons.
Minimum age language courses
The minimum age for all courses is 16 . Students coming with a closed group can be younger than 16, if the group comes with an adult group leader.
Minimum age work experience
The minimum age for Internships is 21, for volunteer work is 18.
Insurance cover
Participants are asked to check their personal insurance protection as they are not automatically insured by Liden & Denz against illness, accident, theft, personal liability etc. If a booking agent cannot provide adequate insurance cover, we can provide our clients with the services of an international insurer (on request).
Group Courses
If Liden & Denz has to cancel a group course for lack of participants at a particular level a student will receive one-to-one tuition with 75 % of booked group lessons during the same period of time. Under no circumstances will the participant receive a refund of the fee.
Accommodation
We do all we can to ensure that students’ requirements are met. However, the fact that the language centres could not provide the type of accommodation preferred does not constitute a case for reimbursement.
Host families: Liden & Denz confirms home stay and shared flat accommodation three weeks prior to the course start date. If required, host-family change can be organised after arrival, but only on weekends. If a change is required immediately, fees apply (equivalent to one week accommodation costs).
Shared flats: If the arrival day is not Sunday, please note that a pickup transfer is compulsory (required for key handover and instructions).
Private apartments: Apartments are selected prior to arrival according to the information sent by e-mail. If necessary, an apartment can be changed after arrival but not earlier than one full week after arrival date. Apartment change handling fee is € 100. In case of cancellation less than two weeks prior to the arrival date we will charge a cancellation fee of up to € 500 (depending on the period of stay and the apartment price).
Work experience students: During the course preceding the work experience, participants can choose between host family stay and shared apartment. As soon as the work experience starts, the participants needs to move into a shared apartment.
Change of programme
Liden & Denz reserves the right to change the programme in an appropriate way in case of riots, strikes, war or other events of force majeure . The language centres cannot be held responsible for changes occurring as a result of these events.
Change of workplace (for work experience students)
Once the work placement has been confirmed according to the requirements and profile of the participant and of the host Company/Organisation, no programme changes can be made.
Public Holidays
Our language centres are closed on the following public holidays: JAN 1, 2, 7; FEB 23; MAR 8; MAY 1, 9; JUN 12; NOV 4. No lessons are held on these days. Compensation is only provided for One-to-one Courses.
Place of jurisdiction
St.Petersburg, Russia.
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