FAQ
Accommodation in host famlies Normally, students are placed in host families during their language holiday. This provides them with the opportunity to get to know everyday life and culture of the host country. Two or three students will be living with the same family who provides them with everything they need (according to destination and personal preferences they are accommodated on full or half board basis). Students should be aware that they are part of the family for the duration of their stay, which is not to be compared with a stay in a hotel. As the success of a language holiday also depends on the well-being of the student in her/his host family we are especially concerned with the choice of appropriate host families. Due to our long experience with the accommodation of young people in host families, we already know a great number of families all over Europe. Additionally, the families are continuously controlled by our partners and have to comply with our high standards. We are aware of the possibility of a student who doesn't feel well in her/his family. In this case we guarantee an uncomplicated change of family. On demand we are also happy to organise accommodation in a hotel or a youth hostel. Going out in the evening Naturally, some limits should be set for students during their language holiday. If parents don't want to leave this decision to the host families we recommend telling us the time of curfew in the evening. Of course we will forward this information to the host families who know that they have to take care of the abidance of these rules. Language tuition Tuition normally takes place from Monday to Friday in carefully chosen local language schools. Students will be taught by experienced and competent native speakers in small groups. In average, three hours of tuition are scheduled, but the extent of tuition may very well be reduced or increased. Preparation of a language holiday As soon as you've decided on organising your language travel with PDM you'll receive all the necessary information as soon as possible:
Public holidays As we work with local language schools, no tuition will be held on public holidays of the host country. In return, Austrian public holidays will not be kept. We will be happy to provide you with necessary information on public holidays in your host country. Social program Naturally, we are also ready to organise leisure activities during your language holiday. However, if you decide not to take this offer, the responsibility for the students after and before tuition lies in their own hands respectively in the hand of the accompanying teachers.
Supervision at course location Our partners have the assignment to be at your disposal for questions and requests. You are always free to contact them and they will react immediately in case of problems or complaints. Especially if you're discontent with a situation, we insistently ask you to contact us or our local partner, so we will be able to solve problems as fast as possible and provide you with a well-organised language holiday. Although we trust our local coordinators, we also want to be available for you during your stay which is why we can be reached 24/7 on our special emergency number. Travel insurance Security is a very important topic when travelling with a group. This is why we provide each participant with comprehensive travel insurance on demand. For further information on the insurance, feel free to contact us!
According to EU-regulations citizens from EU-countries need a passport which is valid for at least 6 more months, or an identity card for journeys within the European Union. Students who are not EU-citizens should inform themselves about entry requirements at the respective consulate. Further information on the topic can be found at the website of the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (http://www.bmaa.gv.at/).
Way to school Of course we try very hard to find families close to the language school. Nevertheless it may happen that there are not enough host families available within walking distance. In this case, we will take care that host families will be located as close to the school as possible and the way to school is as easy as possible.  |
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