Terms and Conditions

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Woodhams & Maurer GmbH
Ahoj Europa Neu – Zentrum für Ostsprachen
Rochusgasse 6, A-1030 Wien

By making a binding course booking, you are confirming your acceptance of all our general terms and conditions, except as concerns differing terms and conditions expressly approved in writing for a particular booking.

 

1. General Provisions

 

Terms and Conditions of Instruction

Instruction units consist of 45 minutes, with each meeting comprising a minimum of two (2) units. Woodhams & Maurer GmbH always endeavors to arrange a substitute trainer in case a trainer becomes unavailable. If this is not possible due to short notice cancellations, a complimentary short term cancellation will be credited to the customer. The customer is not entitled to a particular trainer for the language instruction.

Weekend and Holiday Surcharges

If you would like to attend your course on the weekend, the following additional charges apply: Until Saturday 2 p.m. (the course must finish by this time), a 25% surcharge applies. After Saturday 2 p.m., as well as on Sundays and holidays, a 50% surcharge applies. Weekend and holiday courses are scheduled based on availability of the trainer. The customer is not entitled to a particular trainer.

Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are valid from the date of issue in accordance with standard legal conditions. They are transferrable and can be redeemed by third parties.

Data Protection

Woodhams & Maurer GmbH handles your booking, payment and course information with strict confidentiality. The completed course registration grants express permission to Woodhams & Maurer GmbH to process, save and evaluate your information within the guidelines of data protection laws.

Force Majeure

If a course is changed or cancelled due to acts of God, transportation failures, official orders, strikes, demonstrations or other imperative reasons which are out of the control of Woodhams & Maurer GmbH, the customer is not entitled to reimbursement.

Privacy Policy

Woodhams & Maurer GmbH actively work with other companies which may be in direct competition with each other. The staff of Woodhams & Maurer GmbH is obligated to maintain strict confidentiality in business and personal areas.

Liability

Woodhams & Maurer GmbH is not liable for loss of or damages to your personal belongings or valuables on their premises.

 

2. Private Lessons

 

Booking

Booking is performed either by e-mail, fax or telephone. It is considered binding upon receiving confirmation of booking. Please note: the online form on our homepage provides you with the option of making an informal inquiry and is not considered a binding booking.

Cancellation

Generally, all cancellations received before 4 p.m. of the preceding workday do not incur cancellation charges. The date and time of the e-mail or call apply for the cancellation. Appointment times cancelled at a later time must be charged in full due to costs incurred. Cancellations must be made by telephone or e-mail to the Woodhams & Maurer GmbH office. Cancellations made directly with the trainer can unfortunately not be considered.
If for any reason your course is interrupted after pre-booking a certain number of instruction units, all remaining units will naturally be credited to you, in the form of a transferrable course voucher, in accordance with standard legal terms and conditions.

 

3. Open Semester Group Courses

 

Registration

Your registration for a group course arranged by Woodhams & Maurer GmbH is considered binding upon receiving a registration confirmation from us as well as a payment slip or invoice. Short term registrations are also possible if the group course has presently reached the minimum number of 5 participants. Course fees are then payable in cash at the first meeting.
Participants are not entitled to reimbursement of course fees for missed appointments provided there is no fault on the part of Woodhams & Maurer Gmbh.

Cancellation / Withdrawal

Cancellations can be made at no charge up to one week (5 workdays) before course starting dates without explanation; prepaid course fees will be fully reimbursed. If the cancellation occurs within 5 workdays before the course starting date, 50% of the course fees will be charged as a cancellation fee. Cancellations made on or after course starting dates will be charged 100% of the course fees. Previously paid amounts cannot be reimbursed, but the course is transferrable to third parties after payment.

Participant Numbers

The minimum number of participants for open semester courses is 5 participants. The maximum number of participants per course is 8. Registrations are considered in chronological order of incoming binding commitments. Course fees are not invoiced by Woodhams & Maurer GmbH until 5 binding registrations are made for the course, making an actual starting date for the course possible.

 

4. Online Courses

 

Attending an online course requires a computer with a standard broadband Internet connection. We recommend using a webcam and headset for an optimal course experience. Course participants are responsible for providing their own functional internet connection and a computer meeting the technical requirements of the online course. Participants are not entitled to a reimbursement of the course fees from missed courses due to technical problems, provided there is no fault on the part of Woodhams & Maurer GmbH.
Woodhams & Maurer GmbH provides the classroom for the online course at the designated time and sends e-mails before each course with the access information to the e-mail addresses provided by the participants. The participants must agree that the e-mail addresses provided will be used for the planning and conducting of the online courses booked with Woodhams & Maurer GmbH. All customer-related information will only be used for internal purposes and will in no way be given to third parties.

Cancellation Policy

Online courses can be cancelled, as with private lessons, free of charge until 4 p.m. CET of the preceding work day, either by telephone or by e-mail. Date and time of cancellation will be taken from the e-mail or incoming telephone call. Appointments cancelled at a later time must be fully charged due to costs incurred.
Cancellations must always be made with the Woodhams & Maurer GmbH office. Cancellations made with the course trainer can unfortunately not be taken into consideration.

 

5. Company courses

 

Booking and Cancellation

See private and/or online courses.

Course Location

The course location is agreed upon with the customer as a part of the booking process. Company courses (except online courses) can take place either on the Woodhams & Maurer GmbH premises or in-house at the respective company.

Travelling Expenses

If the company is selected as the course location, travelling expenses apply. The travelling expenses are based on the distance of the course location from the central office of Woodhams & Maurer GmbH (Rochusgasse 6, 1030 Vienna), and are agreed upon with the customer on a case-by-case basis. Travelling expenses generally do not apply for courses taking place within districts 1-12 of Vienna.

Confirmation of Completion and Evaluations

Woodhams & Maurer GmbH provides, as necessary, course completion certificates and written progress evaluations for the individual participants. The participant must attend at least 75% of the prearranged course meetings in order to receive a course completion certificate.

 

6. ÖSD Exams

 

Registration

Registration is done in person at the Woodhams & Maurer GmbH office at Rochusgasse 6, A-1030 Vienna, and requires official photo identification. Registrations can only be accepted within the designated registration deadlines except in special cases where availability allows. Every registration is considered binding upon receiving full payment of the exam fee prior to taking the exam.

Postponing and Cancelling Exams

A one-time postponement of the exam date can be made free of charge up to two weeks before the exam date, no questions asked. In the event of a later postponement or if 2 (or more) postponements are requested, a processing fee in the amount of € 60 will be charged.
Cancellation of exam registrations is possible up to 2 weeks prior to the exam date free of charge, all previously paid exam fees will be fully reimbursed. Any later cancellations will incur 50% of the exam fee and be charged as a cancellation fee. Cancellations made within three working days prior to the exam date, or if a no-show occurs, 100% of the exam fee will be charged.
In all other cases, exam fees will only be reimbursed provided Woodhams & Maurer GmbH are found to be at fault.

Exam dates

In order to participate, the candidates must arrive punctually at the designated exam location and present official photo identification.

Exam results

Woodhams & Maurer GmbH agrees to provide the results of the corresponding exams to the candidates within 4 weeks of the exam date. The candidates can pick up their (partial) diplomas thereafter using a photo identification in the main office of Woodhams & Maurer GmbH at Rochusgasse 6, A-1030 Vienna.

 

7. Place of Jurisdiction

 

All open legal disputes not mutually resolved out of court will be settled solely in the jurisdiction of Vienna as well as solely in subjection to Austrian law.

 

We would be glad to answer any questions regarding our terms and conditions. Please contact us at office@ahojheisstservus.at or by telephone at +43 (1) 920 45 30.

Socialize

I had the perfect trainer as she was always well prepared, making a huge effort to take into account my personal preferences and getting me to speak.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole Ahoj-team!
I enjoyed the warm welcomes and the beautiful flowers at the patio when entering the school, and particularly the professional language training in such a family atmosphere.
During all these months there has never been one single boring lesson and I truly feel in good hands at Ahoj.

Keep up the good work!

Petra Feisthauer
Donauchemie AG

I’ve had the pleasure of having „Ahoj Europa Neu“ in the near vicinity since 2004. Firstly, I live in the same building and daily see friendly and satisfied faces and secondly, I gave myself the present of a language course and have been taking Czech lessons since 2004 at Ahoj.

I have done several other language courses in the past – making the comparison with others I can say with a good conscience: Trainers, methods, ambience and atmosphere as well as the price-value ratio makes learning an enjoyable and pleasant experience.

Customers are advised efficiently and comprehensively and the school’s flexibility is second to none.

Andrea Nap

My Czech language course at Ahoj is great!

Our trainer does a good job. Eventhough my vocabulary is lagging behind, the class is exactly what I need. We get offered the best value-for-money!

These one and a half hours are very demanding (and even without a break!).

Elisabeth S.
Private client

We have entrusted „Ahoj Europa Neu“ with the language training of our workers’ councils since 2011. Due to our course participants being scattered across Europe, we opted for online courses in German and English.

It is a great pleasure for me to be able to communicate in the meantime with many of my European colleagues in German which was, previous to starting the project with “Ahoj Europa Neu”, for the most part only possible with the help of an interpreter. My colleagues learning English also report making quick progress. The professional methods of the trainer teams at “Ahoj Europa Neu” have also proven in the meantime to keep everyone focused and enthused after 2 years. The weekly language course is a fixed event on the calendar and a pleasant change in the daily routine.

Karl Sauer
Chairman of the European Workers Council, Wienerberger AG

I experienced the need to understand the Czech language after making several trips to Czech cities, castles, restaurants and breweries. I thought to myself right away that it wouldn’t be a simple undertaking, but thanks to the trainers at Ahoj I was able to make considerable progress. They were able to ease me into the Czech grammar with seven cases and aspect verbs as well as coaching me to develop the needed endurance for using them in the proper place.

I would like to remark on two significant advantages that are rarely mentioned at Ahoj because they are taken for granted here: language instruction only takes place in small groups and is exclusively given by native speakers.

PS: Whoever doesn’t know what aspect verbs are can sign up for a course… ;-)

Florian Kräftner

I took three years of Czech instruction at „Ahoj Europa Neu“. A Slavic language is a real challenge to take on and can’t be learned casually on the side. Thanks to the competent, friendly trainers of this specialized language school and the first-class teaching materials, I was able to overcome every discouragement that came my way. I now read Prague’s daily newspapers in the original language, chat with the people there, and even translate the Czech language.

My conclusion: It isn’t impossible to learn difficult Eastern languages, but without “Ahoj Europa Neu”
I wouldn’t even want to consider doing it.

Dirk Schümer
Europakorrespondent im Feuilleton der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung

For 1,5 years I have been taking Russian classes at Ahoj. During that time my teacher encouraged me to speak – this was especially very helpful in using Russian every day at work:

  • the great focus on logistic topics was directly related to my work
  • My trainer individually prepared flashcards for verbs and comics for adjectives which made memorizing new words much easier for me
  • We worked with model sentences when learning difficult vocabulary so I could recall it faster

 

Having finished this course I am now able to manage various issues at work on my own – mission completed!

Stefanie R.
Transport Manager

We have been working together with Jitka Woodhams and her team since the founding of the language school. In the past nearly 10 years, more than 100 employees as well as workers councils and staff representatives have taken part in languages courses organized in cooperation with the Austrian Trade Union. Our participants constantly gave positive feedback. Thanks to the high satisfaction level, a great number of them were motivated enough to continue their personal language training with “Ahoj Europa Neu”. This good positive feedback which is very important for us, can be traced back, in our opinion to the high quality of language training, but also with certainty to the personal and friendly atmosphere permeating the language center. We would like to thus express our thanks for the many years of positive and successful cooperation.

Mag. Marcus Strohmeier
ÖGB-International Secretary / Leader of the International Department