BRIEFING: Dutch Summer/Winter School in Drenthe

Below you can find all the information the student needs to know prior to the intensive courses in Drenthe: specific information about the course and the location. This information is additional to the generic information that counts for all our programmes.

Please, check this as soon as possible:

1. Check your reservation

After you made your reservation, we sent an mail with the course confirmation in pdf.

Please, check all the information, to make sure there are no misunderstandings about the course, the level, the dates, and the accommodation (if you booked a room).

If you have agreed with the course management about a change in your reservation, you should have received a new confirmation.

2. Do the level test – not less than 1 month prior to the course

You haven’t done the level test prior to signing up or within 2 weeks after signing up? You haven’t had an oral intake? Doing the level assessment is a strict requirement. If you don’t meet this requirement, you risk being denied to class if the teacher judges your level is not meeting the minimum required entry level. Switching levels at the start of the course is not possible, switching levels is possible up to 1 month prior to the course (depending on availability).
– level 1 – if you’re a total beginner, a test is not needed, if you have prior knowledge: do this multiple choice test.
– level 2 – do this multiple choice test (30 minutes)
– level 3 –  do this fill-the-gap test (12 minutes) & do this multiple choice test (30 minutes)
– level 4, 5, 6 – do this fill-the-gap test (12 minutes) + call us for a 5 minute oral intake on +31648074618 (any day between 10 and 22 o’clock)
Important: an oral intake is an obligation if you signed up for a level that is different from the recommended level of the test result.
Please read our entire level test policy here.

3. Check the access to your e-learning package

You will get access to your e-learning package (1 month prior to the course). Check whether your access works as soon as possible.

    • Go to www.learndutch.org
    • Click login in the upper right corner
    • If you don’t have an account or if you lost your password:
      – Click ‘lost password’
      – Enter your e-mail (the one you used when registering for this course)
      – Reset the password
    • Login and go the ‘student profile’ – you will see a list of courses
    • Check if #dutchgrammar, #dutchgrammar-2, #dutchgrammar-3, ‘Het Lesboek’ are listed – if not: send an e-mail with a printscreen of your student profile
    • If you booked level 5: check if ‘Heb je zin? – 4’ is listed.
    • If you booked level 6: check if ‘Heb je zin? – 4 – vervolg’ is listed.

    Access duration:
    As mentioned on the website: access to #dutchgrammar is included during the course (and 1 month before and after). So you can use the materials to prepare and to review. Do you want to use it longer? You can purchase a year license on learndutch.org. Access duration is not cumulative: there is no extra access if you have existing licenses already.

    We sent you an e-mail with the subject “Your Dutch course: briefing + level test + questionnaire + online access.” In this e-mail you can find a link to a questionnaire / intake form.

    We kindly ask you to complete the form as soon as possible after you got this e-mail.

    Cancellations / early termination:
    We kindly remind you of the NRTO terms and conditions as indicated on the website/course confirmation-pdf. If you can’t do the course, let us know as soon as possible. The earlier you cancel the higher the refund:
    – 10% will be charged cancelling more than 2 months prior to commencement
    – 20% will be charged cancelling between 1 and 2 months prior to commencement
    – 30% will be charged cancelling between 1 month and 2 weeks prior to commencement
    – 50% will be charged cancelling less than 2 weeks prior to commencement
    – 100% will be charged in case of an early termination
    Cancellations should be submitted in writing. Refunds will be processed within 10 working days.

    Changing dates:
    What if you came to the conclusion that you are not yet ready for the level or there is another reason to change dates? Let us know as soon as possible!
    – Switching to a different level on the same course date/location is free if you switch more than 1 month prior to the course. But please note: this is only possible if the other level is given on that date and location, and if the other level is not fully booked.
    – Switching to a different course date in the same season. The same conditions apply as the cancellation terms in the general conditions: a change of the course is the same as cancelling one course and booking a new course, however:
    a. we will waive cancellation costs if you change dates more than 1 month prior to the start of the course
    b. we will waive cancellation costs if your course (and room) is fully booked AND we have people on the waiting list willing to take your spot on the original date
    c. take into account that if you switch to a course/room that has a higher rate at the moment of changing: the additional costs will be charged

    Recommendation: travel insurance
    Usually, there is a sad reason when people need to cancel their course. Illness, the death of a relative, an unforeseen circumstance. Our organisation needs to make commitments/costs to guarantee your course and accommodation. Unfortunately, we can’t insure individual risks that are beyond our control; so we can’t waive cancellation costs. But if you want to avoid cancellation costs, we recommend to search for a travel insurance that covers costs in unforeseen situations. Usually an insurance company in the country where you live is the best choice (as they also may offer to have your travel costs covered). Please check if they cover ‘language holidays’.

    Preparation / required knowledge

    This is about the general preparation and required knowledge for the levels. (Apart from that – there is some homework to do to prepare for the first lesson)

    • for level 1, you do not need specific knowledge; we really start from zero – but please pay attention, the learning speed is high (!) If you can’t wait to learn Dutch but also if you are a slow learner, then we’ll recommend to do at 10-20 (or more) lessons of our online course ‘1000 most common words in Dutch‘; and the first 15 lessons of online course #dutchgrammar-1 (part of the e-learning package).
    • for level 2 – you need to have entry level A1. Did you score lower than A1 in our level determination test? Don’t panic. You can reach A1 with #dutchgrammar-1 from the e-learning pacakage. If you have lack of time, do lessons 1-30 + 46-50. Do the test again afterwards to see if your level has improved.. It is highly recommended to learn the words from course ‘1000 most common words in Dutch‘.
    • for level 3 –  this is for people with A2 level. How to be sure you have this level and the required knowledge? Did you score lower than A2 in our level determination test? Don’t panic. Check the course content of #dutchgrammar-1 + #dutchgrammar-2; and review the subjects you think are difficult. Do the test again afterwards to see if your level has improved.
    • for level 4 – you need to have at least a strong A2 level. That means that you should not only know the content of #dutchgrammar-1 and #dutchgrammar-2 well. You should be able to apply this, when writing and when speaking.
    • for level 5 – you need to have B1 level.
    • for level 6 – you need to have B1 level and you need to have completed level 5.
    • level R – you need to have level B1. This level is basically for ‘returning’ students, people who studied before the first levels and want to continue. But open to other people who have level B1. The best way to prepare for this level is doing #dutchgrammar-3 and reviewing #dutchgrammar-1 and 2. And for the rest, the preparation should be speaking as much Dutch in real life as possible, watch Dutch TV, listen to Dutch radio, read Dutch newspapers etc.

    You came to the conclusion you applied for a level too high? Contact us as soon as possible via e-mail. As long as there are spots in the lower group, you can be rescheduled to the lower group!

    We send mails automatically from the website. Therefore, your e-mail provider might label it as spam, promotion. If that happens: please make sure you whitelist the e-mail address study@bartdepau.com.

    Contact us if you haven’t received any mails since you subscribed.

    Please use study@bartdepau.com for all questions related to your course administration and a fast answer (and not bart@learndutch.org).

    Information that you can check later (before the course!)

    What is the Dutch Summer/Winter School?

    We think it is important to have the right expectations. Therefore, we summarise what you applied for (what it is and what it is not):

    • The Dutch Summer/Winter School is an intensive Dutch course. We try to cover in 9 days of class, what you normally would learn in a year (if you would have 1 time per week class).
    • The profile of the students: all ages, from everywhere in the world. Priority of our students: learn the language! (So, definitely not like some language schools in Spain or Malta, where partying and going to the beach are as important as learning the language!)
    • It is a group course with a standard programme. Even though people might have approximately the same level, there are individual differences between students. The idea of a group course is that the attention of the teacher is divided and that there is a common approach to fit the common need. A group course is not a programme tailored to individual needs.
    • Most of the students in Drenthe have booked a course with accommodation. So, we all live together in one place, our own Language Campus. That usually creates a very nice group atmosphere, that grows naturally… with no obligations (so don’t worry if you prefer to be more on your own).
    • Doing the homework is essential (don’t do this course if you don’t plan to do homework!). 
    • You don’t like Bart de Pau’s video lessons and style of teaching? Well, too bad… This is Bart de Pau’s school… and these video lessons are the main part of the homework and the topics in class relate to the video lessons.
    • You will be busy 6-8 hours per day learning Dutch: 3,5 hour/day in class and 3-4 hours/day homework. We have some extra social activities (optional). The rest of the time you can enjoy your stay at the holiday park with fellow students (and preferably try to speak Dutch with each other!)
    • Did your parents send you? As mentioned on our website – this is not a camp for children under full guidance. This is a course for adults (with a real motivation to learn Dutch). We sometimes allow people under 18, but please note you’re welcome if you behave like an adult!

    Address: Vakantiepark ‘t Timmerholt – Gagelmaat 4, 9431 KT Westerbork
    To check-in before 17:00, you go to reception.

    Check-in:
    – arrival day between 15:00 – 17:00, or next day after 9:00: go to reception
    – arrival day between 17:00 – 22:00, go to house 150
    – arrival day after 22:00, contact us to have your key in a locker with code
    Check-out: departure day before 10:00 (or day before before 17:00)

    You can find the check-in and check-out date on your confirmation pdf.
    The check-in date has a welcome event in the evening.

    A course can have 2 formats (depending on your course dates):
    – 2 weeks, check-in on Monday, check-out Friday 11 days later
    – weekend+week+weekend, check-in on Friday, check-out Monday 10 days later (or Sunday evening)

    When you check-in, you leave a 50 euros deposit.
    Please note: in 2025 the deposit will be changed with a “pre-authorized debit” form for 50 euros. 

    Something broken or not clean after you check-in? Please, immediately report reception using this form.

    During our course, we have student assistent Ingrid available.

    Ingrid is with us:
    – to organise the social activities
    – to answer questions that are not related to the accommodation (first contact is reception) or lessons (first contact is your teacher)
    – to help in case of emergencies or frictions between people

    Ingrid will contact you before the course. She will create a special WhatsApp-group, and she will write the planning of the activities on the 150 whiteboard. You can contact her on +31630999311.

    Please note, Ingrid has two days off every course period.

    Update!

    We’re changing from transfers organised by the holiday park to the Hub Taxi.

    The Hub taxi is a subsidised service. The Hub taxi is cheap (3 euros from Railway Station Beilen to the holiday park).

    You order the Hub Taxi directly. Recommended: not later than 2 hour in advance!

    In short:

    • order a taxi by phone on this number: 
      • 0800 – 40 20 102 (free from a Dutch phone number)
      • +31-883394850 (from a foreign phone number)
    • call at least 1 hour in advance, recommended: 2 hours in advance
    • indicate your arrival time at railway station “Beilen” (= one of the hubs), indicate that you travel by train and indicate that you travel with luggage
    • order: from Railway Station Beilen to Westerbork, Gagelmaat 4 (Holiday park Het Timmerholt)
    • you recognise the Hub taxi by this logo:
    • price = 1,09 euros + 0,19 cents per km (approximately 10km), pay in cash
    • ask the driver to drop you off at reception (Gagelmaat 4)
    • good to know:
      • taxi may be shared with another passenger (likely you will meet a fellow student for the same ride)
      • there is a 15 min margin (so if you’re train arrives 15:35, the taxi will be there before 15:50)
    • you can use the Hub Taxi between after 6:00 o’clock in the morning until 1:00 o’clock in the night (please note that check-in at reception is between 15:00 and 20:30)
    • more information (in Dutch): click here

    Important: we notice that quite some students start ordering the Hub Taxi only once they arrive in Beilen. This does not work and you will need to wait at least 1:15 hour. Also, some students don’t call the Hub Taxi at all, and hope to get in one of the available Hub taxi’s at the railway station. This does not work either: the Hub Taxi can only take you if you ordered in advance. If you arrive at 16:00 and call the Hub Taxi, you will get the Hub taxi around 17:15. Even if someone else ordered the taxi at 16:30 and it has enough available spots: you won’t be able to join. This might seem strange, but this is their system. So: please call 2 hours in advance!

    From the holiday park to the railway station:

    • the 15 min margin means that you need to be ready 15 min before the ordered time: so if you order the taxi at 10:00, they can pick you up between 9:45 and 10:15
    • good to know: if you call 2 hours in advance, and you indicate that train that you need to catch, they guarantee your connection!

    Contact customer service in case of a problem: +31-883394851.

    More information about the room type, you can find here.

    When you check-in, reception will tell you the room number. You will find the room numbers in every house.

    Please do not occupy a different room than reception instructed! (someone may arrive later!)

    In the evening of the arrival (check-in) day:
    – we’ll have a word of welcome
    – we’ll explain the most important things of the course
    – we’ll introduce the teachers
    – you’ll get to know the people in your group / house

    June/July/August:

    During Summer, we organise a welcome barbecue at the day of arrival at 19:30. The idea of this barbecue is that we do everything together and share the costs (10 euros/person). It’s a nice way to break the ice at the start of the course. That will help the learning process in class. Location: the garden of house 150.

    In case of really heavy rains, we’ll convert to plan B and you will be informed.

    Outside Summer:

    Outside Summer, we organise a welcome drink at the day of arrival at 20:30 in house 150.

    In your course confirmation you can find your provisional timetable (whether you have timetable A or B).

    There is also a link in the course confirmation to the timetable.

    Please note: the timetable is provisional. That means that it can change if the planning changes. If this happens, we’ll let you know by e-mail.

    You have half a day of class. Count on a least 3-4 hours of homework for the other half of the day!

    Important: every timetable has 1 difficult switch from the afternoon class to the morning class the next day. Please take this into account when you make your planning! The homework is known in advance, so this will provide you the option to work ahead before this difficult switch.

    A lesson is more efficient when the students are prepared for it. That will make the hours in class more efficient and more interactive. 

    Homework

    So we’ll give you a bit of homework to do already before the first lesson!

    – Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 – You can find  your homework here. (make sure you are logged in!)
    – Levels R – there is no specific preparation for the lessons needed. Please check the required knowledge.

    What is present in the holiday houses and what not?
    Below, a list of things that typically people ask about. All things that are common sense or a clear from the pictures are not listed here, in order to keep the list short.

    What is not present in the holiday houses:
    – towels (if you forgot: you can rent one at reception)
    – a laptop or tablet (for the homework) + recommended: earphones
    – shampoo*
    – laundry detergent*
    – food*
    – iron
    – hair dryer

    Things that are present in the holiday houses:
    – sheets/pillow/cover for the bed
    – kitchen stuff (pans, pots, cutlery, glasses, plates etc)
    – washing machine, dish washer
    – toilet paper / hand soap / dishwasher tablets*

    * these things are not standard in a holiday house; we provide this as an extra service: we have a box for every house with this stuff that you can collect in classroom house 150; at the end of the stay you/your housemates return the box with what’s left

    You can buy the book (45 euros) at reception upon arrival or order it in advance here.

    Level 1, 2: ‘Het Lesboek – deel 1’
    Level 3, 4: ‘Het Lesboek – deel 2’
    Level 5, 6: ‘Het Lesboek – deel 3’

    Having the book is a requirement to do the course.

    Free of use (to go the supermarket)

    If you just need a bike to go to the supermarket: we have a few bikes that can be used free of charge to do groceries. They can be picked up at (and should be returned to) house 150. Upon arrival you will get instructions on how to get the keys. Use of these bikes is at your own risk. The organisation cannot be held responsible possible malfunctions.

    Rental

    It is possible to rent a bike at reception of the holiday park. There is a special deal if you rent a bike for the entire stay.

    The (provisional) costs:
    – 15 euros for 1 day, 28 euros for 2 days
    – special deal: 70 euros for the 10/11-day stay or 8 euros/day.

    Please, contact the holiday park directly if you have questions about this or if you want to reserve a bike prior to arrival.

    TIP: share a bike with someone (for example a house mate) who has the opposite timetable. If you have timetable A and you share a bike with someone who has timetable B, both of you can use the bike 100% of the time during the free morning / afternoon!

    Summer – July/August

    Arrival on Monday (week+weekend+week timetable):

    • Welcome barbecue on arrival Monday
    • Friday afternoon drink
    • International cooking evening on Saturday (potluck)
    • Thursday evening: certificates + group picture + barbecue/leftovers + party

    Arrival on Friday (weekend+week+weekend timetable):

    • Welcome barbecue on the arrival Friday
    • Wednesday afternoon drink
    • Saturday evening: barbecue/leftovers + party
    • Sunday: certificates + group picture

    Rest of the year

    Arrival on Friday (weekend+week+weekend timetable):

    • Welcome event on the day of arrival (day before the first lesson)
    • Wednesday afternoon drink
    • Saturday evening: barbecue/leftovers + party
    • Sunday certificates + group picture

    Adding the social component:

    Tips:

    1. Eat together with your housemates. It’s part of Dutch student culture. Define the evenings that you will dine together. You cook in turns and share the costs. TIP: use the ‘wie betaalt wat app’ (an app for sharing costs).
    2. Have a dinner with your group. The two restaurants in Westerbork that are most popular: Diggels, Abdij de Westerburcht. Another option in Elp (4km): pancake restaurant ‘De Strohoed’.
    3. Watch a Dutch movie together in the classroom. You can use Chromecast to stream video to the tv in the classroom.
    4. Do spelletjes (games) in the evening. You can take 1 of the games (like scrabble) from house 150 or 154. Please bring it back afterwards.
    5. Go for a walk together with fellow students and speak Dutch. It’s good to exercise a bit and get some fresh air.
    6. Would you like to have a trip together with other people at the Sumemr/Winter School? Things to visit in the near surroundings (by bike, you can rent one at reception): Westerbork Memorial Center (10km), Orvelte (4km). By car: combine a visit to Emmen Zoo (30km) with watching a movie at Emmen Cinema (25 minute drive).

    A few remarks:

    • we recommend to focus on your studies at the beginning of the programme; it’s good to break the ice, but a wild evening or a day trip in the first days might make the rest of this intensive course difficult
    • level 3 and higher: you get the best out of your course if agree with your house mates to speak ‘only in Dutch’
      level 1-2; it’s good to have some ‘only in Dutch’ moments and practise speaking Dutch with each other; it’s also good for your brains to relax sometimes (especially on the beginner levels)

    Being social:

    You have chosen a group course and shared living; we expect social behaviour! Please take into account:
    – that it may harm the learning process of other students if you don’t do the homework
    – social behaviour is also: not laughing at the mistake of someone else; letting other students answer questions of the teacher (and not shouting the correct answer all the time), and just in general being friendly and polite to the fellow students and the teacher
    – learning a language unites people of different ages, religions, political views, nationalities; respect the other people / and please avoid the heat in debates on serious geopolitical issues
    – social behaviour is also: being silent during the night, not taking food of other students (without asking), doing your dishes, cleaning your toilet/shower after use. Don’t leave the dirty work to your room mates; please note that if the majority of house mates file a serious complaint for being dirty or unsocial behaviour; we will investigate that. Thinking about each other is simply an obligation when living together.

    Receiving mail/packages

    If want to receive packages. Please let it send to:

    ‘Het Timmerholt’
    t.a.v. [YOUR NAME / student BLC]
    Gagelmaat 4
    9431 KT Westerbork
    The Netherlands

    We kindly remind you that the resort is difficult to reach by public transport. There is no bus stop nearby (approximately 25 minutes walk).

    We recommend:
    – to take the Hub Taxi from Beilen if you come by train (learn more here)
    – to take a bike on the train and cycle from Beilen
    – to come by car (free parking)

    Please note: our entire programme is based on the “living + studying together” experience. Outside class, students do homework together, practise Dutch with each other and attend social activities. If you didn’t book accommodation, you will miss out on that part of the experience.

    This programme is super intensive and requires full focus. If you have other things to do at home, you simply might not have enough time for the homework. Additionally, travelling can be tiring with such an intensive programme. Especially if you need to travel for more than 1 hour.

    People who don’t book accommodaiton have a high likelihood not to complete the course (only 70% finishes the course). If you booked a course without accommodation and you realise this was a mistake, contact us as soon as possible! The earlier you contact us, the better chance that we can change your reservation or offer something better than the standard cancellation terms.

    SELF CATERING

    In the shared living units, 5-8 participants share 1 kitchen that can be used to prepare meals. The kitchen has a gas kitchen stove with 4 units, fridge, microwave/oven, kettle, pans, cutlery, coffee machine for filters.

    Shops:
    – there is a very small shop at the ‘Drentse Lagune’ reception; this is the holiday park at the opposite side of the road
    – there are 3 supermarkets in the village of Westerbork (approximately 2.5 km) – Lidl (cheapest, opening times), Jumbo (biggest, opening times) and Wassen (eco, opening times)

    We strongly recommend to agree with your house mates to cook / do groceries in turns and dine together. The kitchen is not really equipped for every student preparing their own meals at the same time. But most importantly: houses where people eat together are usually a lot more ‘gezellig‘.

    The stores are easy to reach per bike. It’s quite a walking distance (half an hour) and we have a few bikes that can be used free of charge to go to the shop. Usually there are always some students coming by car, so if you don’t have a bike, you might agree on sharing the ride to the shop.

    No obligations. Everybody can arrange his meals as he/she wants (together or on your own).

    Food at the park
    – Fish: a van selling fish visits the park every Tuesday somewhere around 16:00-16:30 (near reception area). You’ll here a bell ring when they arrive. The van is there usually for just 10-15 minutes.
    – Pizza: there is a pizza machine at the beginning of the park.
    – Snacks: there is a car selling snacks (French fries and other snacks) visiting the park; in summer on Monday and Friday (approximately 17:00-19:00)

    Directly from the farm
    Milk & Eggs:  Tilbrugstraat 4, Zuidveld, 24 hours a day (self service)
    Meat / cheese / vegetables: Oranjekanaal ZZ 15 Zuidveld, Mo+Fr 13:00-17:00 Sa 10:00-16:00; https://boerenbeef.nl

    AVOIDING FOOD WASTE

    At the end of the course all fridges have to be empty. The cleaning company charges extra if food is left (taken from the warranty). Please, take this into account, when you do the shopping towards the end of your stay! If you can’t take home the food that you bought:

    • Unopened food packages before expiry date, you can deliver to reception (until 15:00 last day of class or after 9:00 on the check-out day). Reception will share this in a facebook group for people with financial issues in the region.
    • Non perishable ingredients like salt, pepper and olive oil: we have a special box in house 162, the idea is that you can leave these items there for future students. On the arrival day the box will be placed next to the entrance door in 162, below the stairs. You can take items from the box. At the last day of class, between 13:00-18:00, the box will be put there again and you can leave your ingredients there, to avoid waste.

    RESTAURANT

    The old restaurant is closed. The new restaurant will open in 2025 (?). As a result there is no restaurant at the holiday park in 2023.

    When you check-in, you will pay a deposit at reception. The deposit is 50 euros.

    The deposit will be returned after your stay. There might be deductions if the house is not left as instructed, and in case of extra cleaning charges or dammages.

    These are the park rules how to leave the accommodation:
    – all rubbish should be brought to the containers (opposite to reception); including the glass (separate container)
    – your sheets -> fold it and put it in the corridor below the stairs
    – the dishes should be done and the dishwasher should be empty; the kitchen should be clean
    – the fridge should be empty!
    – your bedroom door should be unlocked
    – the accommodation should be left ‘bezemschoon’, that means that you don’t need to mop the floor but use a bezem (broom) or stofzuiger (vacuum cleaner)
    – you don’t need to clean bathrooms
    – avoid food waste: (1) unopened packages of perishable food before expiration date: deliver at reception (2) non-perishable ingredients like salt/pepper/olive oil: leave at classroom 162 (box below the stairs next to the entrance)
    – return your key

    All the rest will be done by the cleaning company. If you leave the accommodation like this, no extra cleaning costs will be deducted from the deposit. Please note, that the cleaning company has high charges for emptying a fridge or a dish washer!

    Dammages should be reported to reception as soon as possible. Of course, if something breaks during normal use; this is not deducted. Only dammages as a result of a someone’s fault are deducted (please note that if you have WA insurance, you can usually claim this at your insurance).

    Shared responsibility

    You have a shared responsibility with the other people with whom you share the house.  You live together as adults and we assume that you’re able to agree with each other. We assume that if you break something that you report that. Leaving earlier? What we sometimes see, is that people leave earlier and then they leave the mess for the people who check-out the next morning. That’s not the idea of shared living.

    We prefer not to be the police to investigate who did what and who didn’t. We prefer that the people in the house instruct us how the refund should be distributed. For example: 1 out of 5 people left early and left a mess. The other 4 did their share and the extra cleaning costs are 25 euros: if you agree with each other that the refund should be re-discributed to the 4 people, perfect.

    If there is a dispute, we have the following rule of thumb: if we get multiple reports/complaints about the same person, we assume there is some truth in it and the shared living concept probably didn’t work out for that person. We will investigate this and it might effect how the deposit is refunded and it may affect approval of future applications.

    Classroom: we understand that the classroom is a communal space for more than the people who live in the house. So the group and teacher will do their fair share for this area.

    Your check-out:

    Check-out: 9:30 on the departure day (the date that is indicated as “check-out date” on your reservation).

    Although an end cleaning is included, that does not mean you can leave the house like a mess.  Make sure no garbage is left, and all dishes are done properly, and the sheets are folded on the floor in the corridor, and the rooms are unlocked. If you rented a bike – make sure you return it. Students who live together are responsible together. After the house is clean, the 50 euros deposit will be returned, when you hand in the key at the reception. All costs that the resort will charge for dammage, extra cleaning, lost keys will be charged directly to the student if the sum exceeds 50 euros deposit.

    Important: don’t lose your key – if 1 key is lost, all the other locks in the building will need to be replaced for security reasons, which results in a significant bill.

    If you attend at least 80% of the programme (classes + self study), you will get a certificate. Because we are a member of NRTO and holder of the NRTO quality mark, the 80% treshold is very strict.

    It is a ‘certificate of attendance’. It proves that you attended the course. It is not a level assessment, stating that you have reached a certain level.

    We issue the certificates on the last day of the course.

    Please note:
    – if you cannot attend the last day, ask a fellow student to collect your certificate on your behalf. We do not send certificates by regular mail. We can send a pdf by email on request if you can’t collect the paper certificate
    – only certificates given after government exams have legal value (such as: Inburgering, Staatsexamen Nt2) or the CNaVT exam (we are a registered exam institute; exam takes place every year in May)

    During the course, we take pictures that we use for the website, the newsletter and our Facebook page. If you prefer not to be on pictures, we kindly ask you to inform us prior to the course.

    Q&A

    Q: Is it wise to take a computer with me?

    A: Yes! Take a laptop or a tablet. The book comes with online videos and exercises. And in the student residence there is wifi internet. But no need to take your computer into the classroom.

    Q: Is it possible check in a earlier in the room?

    A: No. The cleaning of the room is planned on the day of your arrival (the ‘check-in’ date in your reservation) between 10:00 and 15:00. There are other guests in the period before.

    Q: Is it possible to stay longer in the room?

    A: No, the cleaning company will come immediately after 10:30 in order to make the house ready for the next guests

    Q: I won’t stay the last night, can I get a refund?

    A: No, our room rates are based on the full duration from check-in to check-out only. After all, we wouldn’t be able to rent out the room to someone else for that night. In the Summer the majority of the students check out in the morning after the last lesson. In other parts of the year, most students check-out the last Sunday.

    Q: I won’t stay until the entire course, can I get a refund?

    A: With reference to the general conditions: there are no refunds of the current block in case of an early termination. If you booked more levels (that start after your termination) and you want to cancel these as well: each level is a separate booking and has its cancellation terms: the amount of refund will depend on the date of cancellation.

    Q: Is there wifi internet?

    A: Yes, there is free wifi internet in every shared house.

    Q: If I miss a lesson, can I get another lesson as a compensation?

    A: Unfortunately not. If you can not attend the lesson; we recommend to continue with selfstudy materials, and do all the indicated homework. Skipping a lesson should not be a problem if you managed to do all the self study. The advantage of the flipped classroom and our method is that you can always continue the course if you need to skip lessons.

    Q: Can I bring my own bike?

    A: Yes, you can. Please note: bikes cannot be stored inside the building.

    Q: Can I park my car?

    A: Yes, you can park your car at the park. Please note, that only 1 car can be parked at the parking spot of the house where you are staying. The first guest of the shared house who comes with the car, gets the card to park the car at the house’s parking spot. Other parking spots are available on communal parking areas.