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Terms & Conditions – Qualification Courses

Cancellations
If you cancel your place or discontinue any of the following courses, the amount stated below will be non-refundable at any time:
Swedish Massage Certificate – £100
Body Massage Diploma – £100
Aromatherapy Diploma – £100
Reflexology Diploma – £100
Indian Head Massage Diploma – £100
Sports massage diploma – £100
Thai massage diploma – £100
Aromatherapy advanced techniques – £100
Reflexology advanced techniques – £100
Complementary Therapies diploma – £200
Hopi Ear Candle Diploma – £100
On Site Massage Diploma – £100
Anatomy & Physiology Diploma- £100
Hot Stone Therapy Diploma – £100
First Aid in the Workplace – £85
Sports Injuries Diploma – £100

The remainder of any fees paid for any of the above courses will be refundable up until fourteen days before the start of the course. Refunds can only be made at this time and will not be made at a later date. In the case of cancellations made within fourteen days of the start of the course, or at any time after the start of the course, fees will be non-refundable under any circumstances.
Any payments made prior to the start of the course may transferred to a similar course on one occasion only, at the discretion of the School. Refunds can only be considered at the time of cancellation and any request must be made in writing at this time.
Deferments to another course will only be considered when this is requested in writing and must be made before commencement of the original course. Deferments to another course, requested after commencement of the original course, will be entirely at the discretion of the school and will be considered only when this is requested in writing. In the case of any deferment, the school will only be able to offer a place on a course subject to spare places being available at the start date of that course.
If the school cancels a course for any reason, a choice of a full refund of the course fees, including deposit, or an alternative course will be offered. Refunds can only be made at this time and will not be made at a later date.
The school reserves the right to provide a different tutor to that advertised and to provide tutors as necessary during the course.
The school reserves the right to alter the course dates or hours if necessary although every attempt will be made to accommodate students with as little inconvenience as possible.

Assessment Fees
In addition to the advertised course fees, the following charges apply for assessment and verification:
VTCT assessment fees – price varies depending on the qualification, Verification fee £20
VTCT fees should be paid to the school when you attend the course and are non-refundable under any circumstances. Please do not pay directly to VTCT.
* Any published amounts shown for fees payable are subject to change by VTCT. The amount owing will be the prevalant cost of fees at the time the fees are actually paid and not the advertised price on the website or the amount stated in any correspondence.

Additional Costs
You will be required to buy a tunic.  A massage couch may be required for home practice. It is also highly recommended that you buy the course books. Alternatively you may find suitable books at your local library. If you do not intend to practice after completion of the course and do not wish to buy a tunic please contact the school for other options. Purchase of a massage couch is optional but highly recommended. Please contact the school if you need further help with finding a suitable supplier.

Dress code, health & safety and centre rules
It is expected that any student attending the school will follow the school’s procedures in terms of dress code and health and safety. Further information will be given on the first day of attendance. Students acting inappropriately, in a way which contravenes the centre’s rules, may be cautioned by the course tutor. For serious or persistent misconduct, the school reserves the right to act accordingly and this may result in removal from the course or from any future courses and subsequent loss of any course fees paid. In the event of any dispute in this regard, the matter will be dealt with by the manager and must be made in writing. We will endeavour to deal with the matter within 5 working days and keep you informed of any progress. Appeals may be made in writing to the director, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of any investigation. The director’s decision will be final.

Discounts and promotions
Discounts and promotions may be offered from time to time. Offers are only valid through this website. Refunds will not be given if a previously higher price has been paid. Offers are not retrospective and will only be valid from the present time until the stated expiry date.

Contraindications to treatment
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the school if they have any medical condition or any reason why they should not give or receive treatments at any time whilst they are attending the school. The school cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any treatment performed by any student under any circumstances. The school cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any treatment or demonstration performed by a member of staff under any circumstances where the student has failed to disclose any known medical conditions.

Final Assessments
The school has two external verification visits per year from VTCT. It is a condition of VTCT that students will make themselves available if required for this visit. The school reserves the right to delay any certification until this condition is met. Any written test papers must be taken at the final assessment. There is a charge of £12.50 for a new test paper if failing the written test more than three times. If taken during school assessments they will be treated as mock papers and a different paper will be provided for the final assessment. Final assessments are free of charge unless arranged privately on a one-to-one basis in which case a £30 per hour fee applies. Students booking assessments and not attending, or those who cancel their place with less than seven full working days notice, will have to pay a private assessment fee of £90 for any further assessments arranged. Students must be dressed appropriately otherwise they will be not be allowed to take the assessment. Unfortunately, we have no creche facilities so it is not possible for students or their models to bring babies or children with.

Use of Models
It is the responsibility of each student to provide a model for any final assessments. If you are unable to provide a model we will provide a model at a charge of £15.00, payable when booking the assessment. (This charge is non-refundable and covers admin costs and costs for providing a treatment for the model in the event of cancellations or if the student brings their own model without informing the school). For any other assessments or tuition arranged out of normal course hours the school will charge for providing models as above.

Data Protection
The school is responsible for the safekeeping of students’ personal details and any contact information such as email addresses and phone numbers.
This information will not be shared with a third party and will be kept only on the schools’ database for use by the office staff. If you wish you may provide the tutor with your email address or telephone details but the school accepts no liability or responsibility for any communication between yourself and the tutor and will not recognise or condone any decisions or arrangements that may be made in this respect. All communication must be made directly with the office staff at the school and all decisions and arrangements will be made by the school principal and not by the tutor. The tutor will not accept responsibility for safekeeping of students’ cash or possessions, including portfolio work, and any payment must be made directly with the office staff and any work must be handed in to the office staff who will provide you with a receipt. The school will accept no resonsibility for loss or damage if this procedure is not strictly followed.

Attendance & Time Limits
Your full attendance is required for each course in order for certification. If you are absent for any reason then you will be required to cover any missed work by private tuition. This will be chargeable by the hour and we may require you to provide a model if necessary. If you are unable to provide a model the school reserves the right to charge extra per hour for any model provided. All course work and assessments must be completed successfully within one year (18 months for the Complementary Therapies Diploma). Please contact the school if you need more time. Please note that there is a limit to how many times you can extend the study period after which certification will not be possible without booking onto a new course at the prevailing rates.

Complaints Policy
Manchester School of Massage aims to provide a high-quality service which meets your needs. We believe we achieve this most of the time but if we are not getting it right please let us know. To this end we have a complaints procedure to ensure all complaints are handled as efficiently and effectively as possible.
We endeavor to:
1.Provide an efficient, fair and structured mechanism for handling complaints.
2.Provide our students with access to the complaints handling procedure, including those students with disabilities and special needs.
3.Provide an initial response within five working days.
4.Keep students informed as to the progress of their complaint and the expected timeframe for resolution.
5.Review our complaints procedure so that we can improve our standard of customer service.

Complaints Procedure
Complaints of any nature should be submitted by letter/email. Upon receipt of a complaint, an investigation will be commenced and acknowledged within 5 working days. We will endeavour to deal with the complaint as soon as possible and to keep you informed of any progress. The length of the investigation will depend on the nature of the complaint. Complaints will be dealt with initially by the manager. If necessary this will be passed on to the director, whose decision in the matter will be final. VTCT acts as an interested party in any complaint or dispute but should not be contacted directly unless the school’s complaints procedure has been completely exhausted.

Accredited Prior Learning
For all qualifications we will need copies of any previous qualifications and any original course work in order to consider offering exemption from any part of the course. Copies of qualifications and previous course notes will be mandatory in order for us to make this decision.

Internal Verification
The school operates an internal verification process to ensure standards are being upheld. From time to time student portfolios may be sampled by the verifier. The verifier may also attend the practical assessments. This is a requirement of VTCT and is in addition to the normal assessment procedures. The purpose of internal verification is to make sure that the school assessors are assessing fairly and accurately.

Validity of Evidence
The course work includes case studies that are performed away from the centre and unsupervised. In order to ensure the validity of this we may request photographic evidence and will require written feedback in the client’s own handwriting. The school reserves the right to investigate or request further proof of validity if this is deemed to be necessary. If the necessary evidence is not supplied or if there is any doubt of its validity, the school reserves the right to refuse to put you through for any qualification and no refund will be available under these circumstances.

Special Needs
The school endeavours to make its courses available to all applicants but reserves the right to refuse entry to applicants where it is considered that the facilities of the centre or level of training of the staff may prejudice the applicants chance of receiving the training they need. We may not always have the facilities to cope with certain physical disabilities, language differences or literacy problems. It will be at the discretion of the school’s tutors and the company director as to whether we can provide the necessary facilities, depending on the individual circumstances.

Safeguarding Policy
We strive to be proactive in ensuring the safety of young people and vulnerable adults and will act promptly and diligently on any safeguarding concerns.
Please contact the manager in the first instance if you have any issues you wish to discuss whilst attending the course.

VTCT Terms and Conditions
The school offers courses accredited by Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT). The school is bound by VTCT’s terms and conditions in offering VTCT qualifications. Acceptance of the school’s terms and conditions also implies acceptance of VTCT’s terms and conditions. These can be found in the VTCT candidate’s handbook which is available to view or download at www.vtct.org.uk/students/students.htm

Course Fees Schedule
Course fees and assessment fees are as advertised on the school’s website and in the school’s prospectus. Course fees are applicable as of the date of the initial booking, and any balance payment due will be at the advertised price prevailant at the time of the initial booking. If deferring to a later course, any balance payment due will be at the advertised price prevalent at the time the balance payment is made, and not at the advertised price at the time of the initial booking. Course bookings are only valid when accompanied by payment of a deposit or full payment. Balances must be received at least three weeks before the start of the course in order to continue to secure your place on the course. The school reserves the right to give your place to another applicant if payment is not received on time.