Excerpts from European norm EN 14804:

Details relating to the lessons

The information to be provided before enrolment concerning the lessons has to include the following items:

  •     The characteristics of the different language stay or course programmes offered; the dates of the stays offered, the duration of these (in weeks or in days) and the number of lessons
  •     per week, the breakdown of them and the duration of them (in minutes), including information about if the classes are not held due to public holidays;
  •     the other teaching possibilities such as a multimedia centre or library, if they exist;
  •     if the groups are generally made up of participants of one single nationality or several nationalities, the maximum number of pupils per class and the age range of the participants;
  •     the minimum level of knowledge of the language required of the participants for each lesson and if the lesson is for beginners;
  •     the procedures for placing pupils in a class and the type of regular attendance certificates and reports issued at the end of the course, if they exist;
  •     the type of activities included in the leisure programme, the level of competency and the special equipment required as well as all possible medical restrictions;
  •     optional leisure activities available and the approximate prices;
  •     an indication of the minimum number of participants required for the stay or the course to take place and the deadline for informing the participant of the cancellation of the stay or the course;
  •     the steps to take if one of the services included in the language stay or course is planned in advance in the contract but is not provided on arrival of the participant.

Information to be provided on arrival

Procedures have to be set up to ensure that all the participants receive the essential information concerning the different aspects of the course. Detailed information about the teaching, the excursions and other activities have, in particular, to be made available to all the participants.

Teaching staff

Qualifications:
Teachers are adults with one of the following qualifications:

  •     they have diplomas allowing them to teach the target language in the scope of the educational system of their country;
  •     they have obtained a certificate that allows them to teach the target language (for example TEFL in the UK or in Malta) by a training course of at least 60 hours;
  •     they have a university qualification in the target language.

Accommodation

Assistance of minors

Minors have to receive information about the journey between their place of accommodation and their place of study. This assistance can, for example, be in the form of information about transport timetables, or of an accompaniment on the first day of the course.

General requirements

Bedrooms:

Except for information clearly indicated in the offer prior to enrolment and/or specific request or agreement of the participant, the bedroom of the participant has to be individual or to be shared with members of the same sex, of different mother tongue, and, for minors, of an age difference of not more than 3 years.
The living area of the bedroom has to be adapted to the number of occupants.
The bedroom has to be fitted with sufficient lighting for reading, and appropriate airing and heating devices, as well as a window that can be opened and a door that can be closed.
The room has to have a storage space, such as a wardrobe or a chest, for the participant to store his or her clothes and things.

Bathroom:

The participant has to have access to a bathroom.

Other requirements:

The participant has to be able to use a chair and a table for writing and sufficient lighting.
The participant has to have access to a laundry service that must be at no extra cost for minors.
The participant has to have access to a telephone.

Accommodation in host family

General points:

The host family receives all the information needed as regards its obligations and its responsibilities during the stay.
When looking after a minor, it acts in loco parentis.
Visits are made every two years to the host family’s place of residence to check the agreed level of services.

Selection criteria:

The selection of the accommodation in host family has to be made on the basis of a visit to the family’s place of residence and a questionnaire: this information is updated at least once a year.

Situation in host family:

The bedroom of the participant has to be located in the house or the flat occupied by the host family. The maximum number of people per bedroom has to be clearly indicated and limited to three people in a bedroom of suitable dimensions.
The contract has to stipulate the meal(s) that have to be provided during the stay.
Except in case of information clearly indicated in the prior offer and/or client's written agreement, the participant has to be hosted in a host family that does not host more than four participants.
Except in case of information clearly indicated in the prior offer, the organiser has to ensure that the participant is the only native speaker of his or her mother tongue in the accommodation.

Residential accommodation (school, campus...)

The organiser has to provide accommodation that complies with the following criteria and foreseeing:

  •     for minors, one group supervisor for 15 minors;
  •     premises and facilities for leisure activities;
  •     a place to store valuables safely;
  •     one bathroom for 15 participants;
  •     adapted facilities for the meals foreseen in the contract.

The organiser has to give the telephone number of a person to be contacted in case of emergency, accessible 24 hours a day.
For minors, supervision must be ensured 24 hours a day.