1. Who can sign up for our programs?

The program is available to all students who have reached the age of 18 at the beginning of the course; or underaged students accompanied by an authorized adult.

  1. Registration form

Complete the registration form and send it to spanish@intensa.com or your leader, along with the $150 (non-refundable) deposit for any of our programs.

  1. Payment Plan

Groups and individual students without excursion and / or hotel :

  • maximum 15 days before arrival must make a deposit of $150 to book the space.
  • The remaining amount must be paid the first day of class.

Groups and individual students with excursions and/or hotel:

Low season (May 1st to June 30th and from September 1st to November 30th):

  • 60 days before the date of arrival, you must make an advancement of 60% of the payment.
  • 30 days before the start date, you must pay the remaining 40% of the amount.

High season (December 1st to April 30th and July 1st to August 31st):

  • 90 days before the date of arrival, you must make an advancement of 60% advance payment.
  • 30 days before the start date, you must pay the remaining 40% of the amount.
  1. Payment methods deposit, program and any additional activity can be paid in different ways:
  2. Directly in the offices of Intensa by cash or credit card
  3. By credit card (request a payment link)
  4. Through a deposit or international bank transfer to the following bank account (recommended for groups):

Bank name: Banco de Costa Rica Address: San José, Costa Rica. Avenidas Central y Segunda; Calles 4 y 6

Account name: Instituto Interamericano de Idiomas S.A. Account Number: IBAN: CR73015201001007194553 SWIFT: BCRICRSJ

It is essential to send the proof of transfer or deposit to spanish@intensa.com, indicating the student’s name or group name.

It is important to take into account the cost of the international transfer, Intensa must receive the full amount without deductions.

  1. Cancellation

All cancellations must be made in writing to spanish@intensa.com.

Groups and individual students without excursion and / or hotel:

  • The $ 150 deposit is not refundable.

Groups and individual students with excursions and / or hotel: Low Season (May 1st to June 30th and from September 1st to November 30th):

  • 45 days before the arrival date, 90% of payment will be refunded.
  • 44 days before the arrival date, 40% of payment will be refunded.
  • 29 days before the arrival date, no refund will be made.

High season (December 1st to April 30th and July 1st to August 31st):

  • 90 days before the date of arrival, 90% of the payment will be refunded.
  • 89 days before arrival date, 40% will be refunded.
  • 59 days before date of arrival, no refund will be made,only in cases of force majeure, such as illness or death of a family member. Each case will be reviewed individually

All refunds will be done by bank transfer. The costs arising from this will be deducted from the amount to be returned.

  1. Included in the price of the academic program
  • Academic program of your choice
  • Text books
  • WiFi access at Intensa
  • Placement and progress tests
  • Intensa’s academic certificate
  • Student services
  1. Not included in the price of the academic program (additional services)
  • Accommodation
  • Air tickets
  • Transportation in the country
  • Visa fees and formalities
  • Medical and travel insurance
  • Costs of official language examinations
  • Optional activities and excursions
  • Transportation to and from the airport the day of arrival and departure
  • Courier costs
  1. Accommodation

In case of booking accommodation, this is booked from the Sunday prior to the start of the course until Saturday morning, after the end of the course. If the student wants to arrive before the Sunday or wants to stay longer, it will be done, if available and will be charged for the extra nights depending on the type of accommodation.

  1. Volunteering

Destinations for these programs are subject to availability.

  1. Holidays

In case of a holiday in the country, Intensa will remain closed, unless otherwise stated in the information sent prior to departure. Classes cancelled due to national holidays will not be recovered later. The reserved accommodation will be available for students during the holidays.

Holidays: January 1st, Easter Week (subject to exceptions), April 11th, May 1st, July 25th, August 2nd and 15th, September 15th, 1 day in November (staff day at Intensa), December 1st, and on December 25th, as well as the end of the year holidays established by Intensa (subject to exceptions). Holidays are subject to change by goverment ruling, thus Will be celebrated on the new date, this Will be informed in advanced to the students.

  1. Promotions and discounts

If the student benefits from a discount at the time of registration, this offer is conditional on the date, duration and type of course selected. If the student makes a change in the course, the discount value will be affected and recalculated by Intensa. In the event that the student has received a discount from Intensa and decides to finish or shorten the duration of the course before the established date and has to receive reimbursement from Intensa, it is understood that the value corresponding to the offer will be deducted from it. The promotions cover only the registered customers during the period of validity of the respective promotion. All Intensa promotions are subject to restrictions and cancellation without notice.

  1. Transfer service

The student can opt for a transfer service by Intensa upon arrival at the airport to take them to the accommodation. The price of this optional service covers administrative, communication, collection and transportation costs. The shuttle service is offered every day of the week. Intensa is not responsible for delays due to traffic, accidents, changes of itinerary, climatic conditions or others. Intensa is not obliged to give the name of the person who will receive the student upon arrival.

  1. Medical and travel insurance

All students of Intensa are required to travel with a travel and health insurance. The student must purchase his or her own health insurance and hand over a copy of the policy to Intensa. Intensa’s facilities are covered by a liability insurance.

  1. Changes before the program starts a. Withdrawals after the program starts

Intensa reserves the right to make changes in program type, start date or type of accommodation up to 21 days before the start date of the course.

All withdrawals after the program starts must be notified in writing to spanish@intensa.com. Intensa is not obliged to make refunds to students whose program has been terminated for violating codes of discipline, attendance policies or local or national laws. Each case will be reviewed individually to determine the refund rate if there is any (see refund policy for more details).

 

  1. Program levels

Before the start of the program, the student must take a placement test either in person or by video call to define the level at which he or she is located. The results will be used to place students at the right level of the program. Intensa reserves the right to change its class organization if the number of students is not sufficient.

 

  1. Class schedule, attendance and calendar

Intensive classes are offered at different times from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm from Monday to Friday. The sessions have a minimum duration of two teaching hours, each lesson consists of one hour including recess. The schedule is defined according to the agreement between the student and Intensa. The efficiency of the program is due to a method that maximizes oral practice in class. The student must be aware that good attendance will positively affect his or her own performance and the advancement of his or her group, while absences will undermine the program offered to him or her. In view of the above, you are requested to be absent only when absolutely necessary. Intensa will not give the certificate if the student does not meet the minimum attendance of 85% in the contracted program. The student will receive a partial absence if he / she arrives at classes after the roll call, both at the start time and at the return of the break, two partial absences are equivalent to one absence. If the student has a late arrival, this time will not be recovered at the end of the class. For the One to One program the teacher will wait 30 minutes from the start of the class, if the student does not show up, it will be taken as an absence and the class will not be recovered.

Without exception, the presence of third parties (spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, sons, daughters, relatives in general, pets or others) is not permitted in the classroom.

 

  1. Cancellation of classes (One to One programs)

Cancellation of classes at least 24 hours in advance: they must be cancelled by email. The class can be reprogrammed, not necessarily with the same teacher.

Cancellation of classes less than 24 hours in advance: must be cancelled by email. The class cannot be reprogrammed.

 

  1. Class reprogramming (One to One programs)

Reprogrammed lessons cannot be cancelled a second time. For the reprogrammed lessons, they will be established during the study period at the institution, once that period has passed, the lessons will have expired. It is allowed to reprogram 1 class per week up to a maximum of 2 classes per month.

 

  1. Individual classes online

Individual online classes are available for any One to One program, depending on teacher availability and at the same cost of face-to-face classes.

 

  1. Use of mobile phones or other electronic devices

During the course of both teaching sessions and evaluations, the use of cell phones or any other communication device or system that the teacher has not authorized in advance is not permitted. In case of force majeure that the student needs to use it, he / she must ask the teacher for permission. Therefore, both cell phones and other electronic devices should be put to silent mode or switched off during the course of the lessons and exams, and the student should place it in a place where he or she is not distracted.

 

  1. Photo and video materials

By accepting the general terms and conditions, the student accepts that Intensa will use all photographs, videos and audio material free of charge, with the exception of close-up images, created by Intensa or its staff, during the trip, without asking the participant’s permission. Intensa will be able to use Instagram photos labeled with #Intensa, #IntensaCostaRica, #IntensaSpanish for advertising purposes.

 

  1. Uses and social customs

Students are asked to attend classes according to the basic personal hygiene rules (daily bathing, deodorant use, oral cleaning, etc.) and to wear clothing in accordance with a professional educational environment that does not distract or affect the susceptibility of their peers, as well as that of teaching and administrative staff. In view of the above, it is not permitted to wear garments that expose the abdomen, buttocks, back, breasts, which do not completely cover the underwear, are very transparent, which show violent or discriminatory images towards any segment of the population, as well as controversial logos. Clothes must be clean and in good condition.

 

  1. Security

For your safety and to safeguard the quality of the services provided, Intensa’s facilities are being monitored by video cameras.

 

  1. Homestay, uses and social customs

The houses of the host families that Intensa selects, may not always conform to the traditional Costa Rican model nor necessarily be composed of father, mother and children. When selecting them, Intensa does not discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, age, marital status or sexual orientation. The accommodation is half board (breakfast and dinner) according to Costa Rican customs. The accommodation information will be sent to the student 3 to 5 days before the start of the program with Intensa. Family homes can be located up to 30 minutes away from school (this time may be affected by traffic delays, accidents, itinerary changes, weather conditions or others). The student must adapt to the host country’s way of life and social customs. The student also commits to abide the laws relating to the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, theft, serious misconduct or minor misconduct. In case the students doesn’t do so, they can be expelled from the program without any compensation.

 

 

  1. Intensa’s responsibility

Intensa will not in any way be held responsible for the breach or defective performance of the contract with its client when this is due to causes that escape the control of the company included but not limited to: force majeure, natural disasters, governmental acts, non-compliance of suppliers and subcontractors, labor disputes, criminal acts, terrorist acts, terrorist threats, sanitary emergencies, negligent acts by a third party, damage or injury caused to persons or property in any form or any cause outside the control of Intensa. These conditions do not affect the rights defined by Costa Rica’s consumer protection laws.

 

  1. Spelling mistakes, typographical and editorial errors

Intensa reserves the right to correct any spelling, typographical or editorial errors and is not responsible for obvious inaccuracies or misinterpretations.

 

  1. Code of conduct

Conduct liable to sanction and breach of the student’s service contract shall be considered: the commission of fraudulent actions or plagiarism in any oral or written work, come to class under the effects of any kind of drug or alcohol, the verbal or factual assault of the teacher, or another student, the presentation of immoral, scandalous or disrespectful conduct within the classroom or the campus of the institute, the disruption of the order and progress of the teaching sessions, divulge or send in verbal and / or written form any kind of disrespectful or insulting material through technological resources about a teacher or fellow student, cause damage to Intensa’s infrastructure and technology installed in the classroom, written or verbal harassment, smoke in the classroom or any other restricted area, among others. Students who violate this code of conduct will be expelled or suspended from the program without the right to a refund.

 

  1. Visa

Each student is responsible for obtaining their visa if needed and that his / her passport is valid.

 

  1. Group trips

Group travel packages include a leader or chaperon. The minimum number of students to form a group is 10. In case the group of students is smaller than 10 people, this would generate an additional cost because they are “small groups”.

 

  1. Validity of prices in brochures

The prices published in both printed and digital advertising material are reviewed and adjusted annually and are valid through January 1st to December 31st.

 

  1. Personal data

The student’s personal data will be processed by Intensa, for the purpose of completing the enrollment and providing the student with the products and services he has ordered. The student has the right at any time to withdraw his or her consent to use his or her personal data for marketing purposes only by contacting Intensa. Intensa will only keep the student’s personal data as long as needed for the purposes for which it has been compiled.

 

  1. Program claims

The complaints and claims that arise during the development of the program, must be brought to the attention of Intensa immediately, in writing to spanish@intensa.com. Intensa has 45 working days to respond to the complaint filed.

 

  1. Acceptance of general conditions

The student, when signing the registration form and/ or participating in a program at Intensa, implies the acceptance and compliance with all the general conditions included, as well as with the special conditions that regulate the program and / or course selected. In the case of minors, the registration form must include the signature of the parents or legal guardian who authorizes the minor to travel and releases Intensa of responsibility for the minors.

Please send the full registration form along with the copy of your passport to the international program coordinator or to spanish@intensa.com.