Client Policies and FAQs

Last updated December 1, 2021

Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at Riverbank English Polska sp. z o.o. (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our“). We are committed to providing you with the highest level of service and support with regard to language development and education. If you have any questions or concerns about our pedagogy or our practices, please email us at contact @ riverbankenglish.com.

The purpose of this client policy and FAQ sheet is to explain in the clearest way possible, the parameters and procedures, how we conduct our relationships, and what basic expectations we have in relation to time, scheduling, contact, and invoices as well as answering a few frequently asked questions. If there are any terms in this client policy that are not clear, or questions that remain, please contact us and we will happily answer.

Please read these client policies and FAQs carefully.

WHAT ARE THE CONTRACT TERMS?

In Short: We do not require a contract for our services.

We offer our services on a month-to-month basis or an “as needed” basis. This provides for the most flexibility as far as scheduling. If you are needing a break for holidays, personal reasons, or due to changes in your work/school schedule, you can easily arrange sessions around any schedule.

WHAT ARE THE PAYMENT TERMS?

In Short: We will email an invoice to you on the 1st day of the month, if it is a working day (Monday-Saturday) or the following working day for PAYMENT IN ADVANCE of the sessions in that month. Our FIRM TERMS are that all invoices must be paid no later than the 10th of the month. We ask that all clients provide us with a contact name, address and phone number.

We comply with the Poland Government requirements that all online education service providers shall be paid in advance of the month of service. Additionally, due to the nature of our business, namely education, no VAT will be charged, collected, or remitted. Invoices shall reflect Poland Faktura regulations. All payments shall be made by bank transfer directly into our Polish Bank Account and in the official currency of Poland. Any questions related to invoicing can be directed to contact @ riverbankenglish.com and may be written in Polish or English. Our government registration numbers are – REGON: 520488134 and NIP: 6762606572

Any delay related to payment of the invoices sent, may result in cancellation of sessions, additional administrative fees and/or interest calculated at the maximum possible rate, or, if consistent delays occur, termination of the client relationship.

Data we need from you for invoicing and scheduling:

Contact Name, Billing Name (NIP if appropriate), Complete Billing Address in Poland, Email Address, Contact Phone Number

If you are a family or a business, we will have one primary contact person for your account.

WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL OR POSTPONE A SESSION?

In Short: We will change your session time and date if we are contacted by email at least THREE HOURS IN ADVANCE of the session.

If you contact us by email, at least three (3) hours prior to your session, we will change your session time and/or date. Of course, we understand that there may be a sudden illness or injury, therefore under these special circumstances it is possible to suddenly need adjustments in the schedule at the last minute.

Please be respectful of our time and recognize that we have many clients, all of whom are very important to us. We will do our best to arrange things so that you are satisfied, but we hope there can be understanding, patience, and compromises.

If you do cancel a session, you may use that prepaid time to schedule an additional session in the same calendar month as the original session (although we may need to choose an alternate coach for this rescheduled session). We keep close accounting of time and payments, so there is no loss of either, if appropriate advance notice is given.

WHEN ARE COACHES AVAILABLE FOR A SESSION?

In Short: We have strict hours of 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm (15 – 21.00) on Monday through Friday.

We have multiple “time slots” available because we have several coaches working at the same time. Please be aware that our coaches are in Poland, Europe, and North America. The final session of the day will end at 9:00 pm (21.00).

For our Polish language coach, there is a smaller available session schedule. Please contact us at polish @ riverbankenglish.com to discuss options for sessions.

We respectfully request that every client is on time for their sessions. The sessions begin and end at precise times. There is generally no extra time in our schedule for delays or late starts.

If, under unusual circumstances, there is a need to delay the start of a session, we will contact you using email and/or any additional contact methods in order to communicate this delay. We ask that all clients do the same. It may not be possible to offer additional minutes at that time, however, we will arrange for all prepaid time to be utilized.

MY CHILD WANTS TO JOIN A CLUB; CAN YOU TELL ME MORE?

In Short: All club members must also be clients. This means that at a minimum, every club member should have one 20-minute session per week with one of our coaches. Clubs are invoiced on a monthly basis and are moderated by at least one native English speaker.

We require private sessions with all of our club members so that we can support the members with their individual language needs as well as get to know them outside of a group setting.

For Minecraft, we use the official paid version of Java. The club connects on Skype (video or audio) and plays on our private server every Friday evening. We have monthly events or challenges for our members. The server is open from 10:00 am – 10:00 PM every day so that all whitelisted members can be on during those times. Contact us to add your child’s name to the whitelist on our server.

For Book Clubs, we will select appropriate books for the age, stage, and language level of each club. All members should purchase their own versions of the books if they wish to have a hard copy.

Standard Club rules are simple.

For the most part, there is just one rule. Respect.

Respect that these are “all level” English Language Clubs (please do your best to speak/write in English but know that there will be members who are beginners all the way up to advanced).

Respect the members by using proper language at a normal volume (no low language such as swearing or cursing and no yelling or screaming).

Respect the members by telling the truth (if you broke something, didn’t read the chapter, or made a mistake, be honest).

Respect the club members by helping them with language questions or game questions (be a positive club member).

Respect the time that is dedicated to the club (all members are there to have fun and some will spend extra time in creative ways to add enjoyment).

Respect the moderators by following their directions (they are there to make the best club possible for everyone).

Respect yourself by limiting your screen time (spending too much time online can create physiological or psychosocial problems).

Respect your parents and family (remember that they are the most important people in your life).

Respect the creators of the game, book, movie, or business (do not steal content).

For Book Club members:

Respect the members by attending all the sessions (these are small groups, so it is important that you attend the sessions).

Respect the parameters of reading only what is expected but NO READING MORE (reading together gives everyone the best club experience).

WHAT LANGUAGE MATERIALS SHOULD I PURCHASE?

In Short: We do not require any language learning materials to be purchased for our standard and conversation sessions.

It is important for our clients to have experience in a natural English setting. We utilize various freely available materials, articles, current event topics, and conversation prompts to enhance the sessions. Your interests as well as your language level will determine the “lesson of the day.” Most often, conversations will develop from topics or articles. We strive for about 50-50 between client and coach, however, listening skills are a necessary part of learning the cadence, pronunciation, and prosody of a language, therefore there may be sessions where the coach is doing the majority of the speaking.

For exam focused sessions, there will be material to purchase. This material is offered in various online purchase portals and at most bookshops in Poland. Your exam coach will direct you to the correct version to purchase.

If you have material from school, work, or a project that you would like us to review in a session, please send us the material at the beginning of the session. You do not necessarily need to send it in advance, but it would be appreciated.

DO YOU OFFER SESSIONS IN PERSON?

In Short: Not at this time, no. We don’t offer sessions in person.

For several reasons, in person sessions are not optimal. Our pedagogical approach is to offer frequent, short, and focused sessions in order to support regular use of the language. Because most sessions are only 20 minutes in length, it makes travel to a client (or a client travelling to us) inefficient. Additionally, because we are online (using various apps to connect), sessions with us can happen wherever you are, whenever you have time. There is no need to rush to a lesson. If you have data (or wifi) you can connect with us. We are also available to have audio only calls (speaking without video).

I WANT TO QUIT, or TAKE A BREAK, WHAT DO I DO?

In Short: Be direct and send us an email. We are not offended if you simply state in the email, “I am not going to continue sessions. I am taking a break.”

If you decide that we are not the right team for you, or if your child does not want to continue, we completely understand. We do not hold you to a contract or agreement. We simply ask for you to email us directly.

If you decide to leave in the middle of the month and have prepaid sessions that have not been used, you may request a refund for the unused sessions. Please email your request and allow for a minimum of two (2) weeks for your refund to be processed.

If you decide to leave at the end of the month (or before you have paid for the following month). Please, as a courtesy, simply email us that you are taking a break.

All of our clients are welcome to return to us at any time, as long as the relationship has not been broken by repeated late payments or a breech of trust, ethics, or morals.

If you have concerns about our team, please tell us.

If you are satisfied with our team, please tell your friends, family, and colleagues.

HOW DO I SCHEDULE SESSIONS?

In Short: Send an email. Our preferred scheduling mode is via email.

Our email address is managed by two of our partners, therefore it is the most consistent way to contact us for scheduling, changes, and questions.

Of course, we have various apps and you can try to message us on Skype, but to be absolutely certain we see, read, and acknowledge your contact, email is best. If you are emailing to cancel a session, please be assured, we have received your email.

A few more points to keep in mind:

Sessions are scheduled either one month in advance, quarterly, seasonally, or by the school year.

Sessions are first-come, first-served, meaning the first email we receive is the one that will be confirmed first. As a general rule, we do not “hold a session slot open.”

Unless it is an emergency or urgent in some way, please allow us at least 24 hours to respond to your email, messages, texts or contact.

Do not expect a reply after 10:00 pm (22.00) Poland time.

Due to time zone considerations, do not expect a reply before 2:00 pm (14.00) Poland time.

DO YOU HAVE FAMILY SESSIONS or GROUP SESSIONS?

In Short: Yes, but also, No. We will arrange sessions with sibling pairs, but no more than two siblings together and with conditions. Groups are arranged through assessment of needs and agreement with all participants and only through consultation.

For siblings it is often the case that they encourage each other and will be able to assist each other. It is also typical for siblings to be at a similar level at the beginning. In this way, having sibling pairs is a positive. However, paired sessions are on a month-to-month basis and will be regularly assessed.

Additionally, it is necessary for each of the siblings to have their private session. This will help their individual development and give them focused attention. For some families this means that there may be a total of three (3) 20-minute sessions divided between the siblings. One 20-minute session for the 1^st child, one 20-minute session for the 2^nd child, and one 20-minute session together.

To start with, this may be easier for families, however we caution parents to depend on this arrangement because children will develop at different rates. At a certain point, there will be a separation of sessions.

Group sessions are typically arranged when there is a project need or a combined development need. Please contact us if you would like group or team sessions.

HOW DO YOU CALCULATE THE COST FOR SESSIONS?

In Short: For sessions, by the minute. For clubs, by the month. For all others, by the hour.

It is important to note that we set our session prices by a 60-minute hour with a per session rate. This means that if you have two 20-minute sessions per week, you are only paying for 40 minutes of time each week. If you have two 30-minute sessions per week, you are paying for 60 minutes of time each week.

Simply divide the 60-minute rate by 3 to calculate the per session rate for a 20-minute session or by 2 for a 30-minute session and then add the appropriate number of sessions to determine the weekly or monthly total cost.

This calculation allows for you to choose the duration and frequency for each week or each month and also for each individual on your invoice.

While this may seem complicated at first, you will see that your time and associated cost is easier to control and clearly stated on the invoice.

HOW AND WHEN CAN I CONTACT YOU?

In Short: Email is best and our preferred method of contact. It is clear communication and can be managed in a timely manner by our team. You may write in Polish or in English.

contact @ riverbankenglish.com is our primary email address.

We do ask that you allow for a reasonable response time for all email. Typically, we can reply within 24 hours during the week.

On the weekend, we will reply to emails until noon on Saturday (12.00) and then again on Sunday evening after 6:00 pm (18.00).

In our experience, there are very few English language emergencies, even if there are scheduling issues or changes that need to be made.

Do not expect a reply after 9:00 pm (21.00).

Do not expect a reply before 9:00 am (9.00).

If your email servers do not accept responses from our URL, please try adding us as safe sender/receivers or to your whitelist. If that is not possible, we do have a secondary address rvbenglish @ gmail.com.

Alternate ways to contact are as follows:

Message us on Skype using the chat function – if you are a client, you are connected to us via Skype (although it may not be seen or responded to immediately).

Send us mail to our address.

Riverbank English Polska Sp. z o.o.

ul. Szlak 77/222

31-153 Kraków

Call or Message us via Telegram, Signal or WhatsApp – we will provide a contact via messaging app to all of our clients.