DEAR AGENT PARTNERS,

Following the French President’s announcement on Thursday, March 12^th we confirm all schools in France will be closed effective next Monday, March 16^th.

Find important updates about how we anticipated managing one, or more, of ALPADIA’s temporary school closure. As always, our top priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff working closely with you, our agent-partners, particularly in these uncertain times.

France

The French government has ordered all educational institutions to close from Monday, March 16^th as a precaution for a minimum of 3 weeks, meaning until Friday, April 3. As such, ALPADIA Lyon will be closed from tonight, re-opening once authorized by the French government. 

At ALPADIA we have been preparing for this scenario and I am pleased to inform you that during the undefined time-frame closing period of ALPADIA Lyon, we will offer online classes at no extra costs to your students with our teachers. The classes can be accessed from laptops, desktops, tablets, and phones; just need an Internet connection and a Skype account. The online academic material is exactly the same than the one used in class as we partner with editors in France and Germany, which have been developing online teaching material. As a consequence, there will be no discontinuity in the student teaching plan.

Lessons will start on Monday, March 16^th at 9:00 AM following the regular timetable schedule until further notice. Today, Friday, your students are being briefed while at school about the situation and informed about the steps to take to log in to the online Skype classes. We hope that this solution will benefit your students while the temporary closure is in place.

On the other hand, should students prefer to return home instead (if they can), a full credit note voucher for the unused remainder portion of their originally booked course and accommodation will be provided, allowing them to resume their studies at a date of their choosing within the next 24 months.

If you have students due to arrive within the next three weeks, from Saturday, March 14^th, at ALPADIA Lyon, we will put the booking on hold for now. Our customer care team will contact you to identify the best new start date allowing your student to pursue their studies at a later date. Should your student decide to cancel we’ll provide a full refund within 45 business days.

REMINDERS

ALPADIA COVID-19 cancellation policy
As communicated last week, we will waive all cancellation fees, including homestay and residence cancellation fees, and will refund students’ application and accommodation placement fees. This applies if:

• School closure imposed by the government
• Students develop symptoms of COVID-19 and are unable to travel and study 
• Students are unable to travel due to government-imposed travel restrictions
• Students experience COVID-19 related flight cancellations which cannot be rebooked to their original destinations

I would also like to remind you of the additional initiatives that have been designed to help your students as they make decisions about their study options: 

Book with Confidence Guarantee
Any course booked between March 6 and 30 April 2020 can be deferred at no additional cost – including summer surcharges or seasonal price differences – to any date in the next 12 months. This gives students the flexibility to make plans, knowing they can make adjustments as needed.

Thank you very much for your support and collaboration.

Yours Sincerely,
  Ugo Toselli,