Terms and Conditions

1.1. For the business relationship between German Institute, Owner: Angelos Margaritis, Tübinger Straße 27, 70178 Stuttgart (hereinafter referred to as the “Seller”) and the customer, only the following General Terms and Conditions, valid at the time of the order, shall apply.
1.2. You can reach our customer service for questions, complaints, and grievances during opening hours at the phone number +49 711 219 509 20 as well as by email at info@germaninstitute.de.
1.3. A consumer within the meaning of these TC is any natural person who concludes a legal transaction for a purpose that can be attributed neither to their commercial nor their independent professional activity (§ 13 BGB).
1.4. Deviating terms of the customer are not recognized unless the Seller expressly agrees to their validity in writing.

2.1. The presentation of courses in the online shop does not constitute a legally binding offer, but rather an invitation to place an order. Service descriptions in catalogs and on the Seller’s websites do not have the character of an assurance or guarantee.

2.2. All offers are subject to availability. Errors and omissions excepted.

2.3. Participants are admitted to the final test with 80% attendance and receive a certificate with grades upon successful completion. In addition, they receive a certificate of attendance with 80% attendance.

2.4. Participants who are absent from the exam without excuse will not receive a certificate. Excused participants who can present a medical certificate will have the opportunity to take a make-up exam. A participation fee of 50 Euros will be charged for this. Participation in the regular exam within the intensive course is free of charge.

2.5. The certificate can be picked up at the reception within 3 months of its creation, by prior appointment. A fee of 20 Euros will be charged for pick-up after 3 months of its creation.

3.1. Registration for a new course is possible at any time using one of our registration forms. We advise early booking, as courses are usually booked up quickly.

3.2. A prerequisite for participation in courses is a minimum age of 18 years and proficiency in the Latin script. 
Your registration only becomes binding after full payment of the course fee.

3.3. The announcement of events is subject to change. After registration for an event and with the sending of the registration confirmation, the contract is effectively concluded. Upon registration, you will receive a non-transferable registration confirmation. If you have not received this before the start of the course, please inquire.

4.1. The customer can non-bindingly select a course and add it to a so-called shopping cart via the button. Should the selected level not match the result of the placement test, the Seller may make a course change.

4.2 Subsequently, the customer can proceed to complete the order process within the shopping cart via the [Proceed to Checkout] button.

4.3. Via the [Buy] button, the customer submits a binding offer to purchase the goods in the shopping cart. Before submitting the order, the customer can change and view the data at any time. Required information is marked with an asterisk (*).

4.4. The Seller then sends the customer an automatic confirmation of receipt by email, in which the customer’s booking is listed again and which the customer can print using the “Print” function (order confirmation).

4.5. The automatic confirmation of receipt merely documents that the customer’s booking has been received by the Seller and does not constitute acceptance of the offer. The purchase contract is only concluded when the Seller has confirmed with a second email, an express order confirmation, or the sending of the invoice.

Prices (5)

All prices stated on the Seller’s website do not include VAT, as the German Institute language school is exempt from VAT according to § 4 No. 21.

6.1. The customer can choose from the available payment methods during and before the completion of the order process.

6.2. If third-party providers are commissioned with payment processing, e.g., PayPal, their General Terms and Conditions apply.

6.3. Fees are due for payment before the start of the course. The realization of an event is not dependent on the time of fee collection. If the fee is assumed by a third party (third-party payer, e.g., employer), a cost assumption declaration signed by the payer must be issued. If events extend over several semesters, the registration is valid for the entire specified duration.

Customer Account (7)

7.1 The Seller provides customers with a customer account. Within the customer account, customers are provided with information about their orders and customer data stored with the Seller. The information stored in the customer account is not public.

7.2. To place an order, customers must create a customer account. Guest orders are not possible.

7.3. Customers are obliged to provide truthful information in the customer account and to adapt the information to changes in actual circumstances, as far as necessary (e.g., the changed email address in case of a change or the changed postal address before an order). Customers are responsible for any disadvantages arising from incorrect information.

7.4. The customer account may only be used in accordance with applicable legal provisions, in particular the regulations for the protection of third-party rights, and in accordance with the Seller’s T, using the access masks and other technical access options provided by the Seller. Any other type of use, especially through external software such as bots or crawlers, is prohibited.

7.5. Insofar as customers store, provide, or otherwise post content or information (hereinafter referred to as “Content”) within the customer account, the customers are responsible for this information. The Seller does not adopt the customers’ content as its own. However, the Seller reserves the right to take appropriate measures, depending on the degree of legal infringement risk emanating from the content, especially the risk to third parties. Measures that take into account the criteria of necessity, appropriateness, diligence, objectivity, as well as reasonableness and the interests of all parties involved, especially the fundamental rights of customers, may include the (partial) deletion of content, requests for action and declarations, warnings and admonitions, as well as house bans.

7.6. Customers can cancel the customer account at any time. The Seller can terminate the customer account at any time with reasonable notice, which is generally two weeks. The termination must be reasonable for the customer. The Seller reserves the right to terminate for extraordinary reasons.

7.7. From the time of termination, the customer account and the information stored in it will no longer be available to the customer. It is the customer’s responsibility to back up their data when terminating the customer account.

7.8 The Customer shall indemnify and hold the Seller harmless from and against all claims asserted by third parties against the Seller insofar as such claims arise from

a) false, incomplete, or misleading information provided by the Customer in the customer account, or

b) any use of the customer account by the Customer that is in breach of contract or unlawful,

to the extent permitted by applicable law.

The indemnification shall include, in particular but not exclusively, claims for damages, usage fees, and the necessary costs of an appropriate legal defense incurred by the Seller, including court costs and attorneys’ fees in the amount prescribed by law.

The obligation to indemnify is subject to the condition that the Seller informs the Customer without undue delay of any claims asserted, grants the Customer — insofar as legally permissible — control over the defense of such claims, and does not acknowledge any claims or enter into any settlement agreements without the Customer’s prior consent, unless such action is required to avert an imminent and substantial damage.

You will receive an invoice. The invoice amount becomes due for payment upon invoicing.

9.1 We issue a certificate of attendance after the completion of an event. A prerequisite for this is participation in at least 80% of the lessons. The participant list serves as proof of regular attendance at the events.

9.2 For online participation, active attendance with the camera switched on and use of the microphone upon request shall be a prerequisite for a lesson unit to be credited as “attended.” The use of the camera serves the purpose of identity verification, ensuring active participation, and maintaining the pedagogical quality of the instruction.

9.3 Participants are responsible for ensuring that a stable (internet) connection for online participation is available and that the devices used by the participants for online attendance are technically suitable and properly configured. This includes, in particular, ensuring that camera/video and audio transmission are fully functional.

9.4 Lesson units in which a participant is present permanently or repeatedly without an activated camera, without an approved exception, may be credited in whole or in part as not attended within the meaning of subsection (2).

9.5 Exceptions to the camera requirement may be granted on a case-by-case basis for important reasons, subject to prior agreement. The decision shall initially be at the discretion of the instructor; the final decision shall be made by the school management. 

10.1. As a rule, a prerequisite for the execution of a course is reaching the minimum number of participants before the start of the course. Events that have not reached the required minimum number of participants by the first course date may be canceled. You will then receive a refund of the course fee.

10.2. Likewise, courses that do not reach the respective minimum number of participants may be conducted, taking into account content-related and organizational aspects, if the participants are willing to pay a corresponding surcharge (levy). The institute management makes the decision on this.

For hikes and study trips, the respective regulations of the travel agency business and the service providers apply.

12.1. Software Usage: Programs made accessible within the course may not be altered, duplicated, distributed, or made publicly accessible in any way. Use is only permitted for the purpose of course participation. In case of violation, the participant is liable for any damages incurred.

12.2. Internet Access: Insofar as German Institute provides internet access, its use is only permitted for the purpose of course participation. Internet pages with pornographic, racist, or discriminatory content may not be accessed. In case of violation, the participant is liable for any damages incurred.

12.3. Data Loss, Computer Viruses: Each participant is responsible for backing up their own data. German Institute assumes no liability for data loss. German Institute assumes no liability for damages caused by the application of acquired knowledge, or by the use of created or modified programs, or by computer viruses or other destructive programs.

13.1. German Institute may withdraw from the contract due to insufficient participation, the absence of a lecturer, or for other legitimate reasons. In these cases, payments already made will be refunded: course fees will be transferred back. Further claims against German Institute are excluded.

13.2. A participant’s withdrawal must be made in writing no later than 30 working days before the start of the course. Absence from the course does not count as a cancellation. In case of later withdrawal, no refund of course fees will be made. Withdrawal due to illness must be confirmed by a medical certificate. In these special cases, please contact the institute management. The school management will check whether a cancellation is possible. Discounts are forfeited upon cancellation. Once a registration confirmation for a visa has been issued, a confirmation of visa refusal is required for cancellation. For a cancellation and chargebacks, we charge a fee of 50 Euros.

13.3. The declaration of withdrawal to the lecturer is ineffective.

13.4. In the event of a business closure, courses will take place online or be postponed. A withdrawal is not possible in this case.

14.1. For copyright reasons, we point out that photography, filming, and recording on tape are not permitted during the events.

14.2. Teaching materials may not be used in any way without the permission of German Institute, in particular, they may not be duplicated, distributed, or publicly reproduced.

The liability of German Institute is limited to cases where gross negligence or intent on the part of German Institute or its vicarious agents exists.

Participants are obliged, in the event of a disruption or an accident, to do everything reasonable to contribute to remedying the disruption or to keep any resulting damage as low as possible.

Should individual provisions of the General Terms and Conditions be wholly or partially void, the validity of the remaining parts of the contract shall not be affected thereby. The invalid provision or its invalid part shall be replaced by a regulation that corresponds to the presumed will of the parties or comes closest to it economically.

German Institute is a guest in the buildings it uses. We ask that you observe the house rules, do not smoke in the buildings, and do not park on school premises. Ideological, party-political, or commercial advertising is not permitted in German Institute events.

Unless otherwise stated or agreed, courses do not take place on public holidays and generally during the institute’s holidays. Subject to change. If classes fall on a public holiday, the full tuition fees are due, as is the case if the student is absent.

Students are not covered by health, accident, or liability insurance through the school. We recommend comprehensive insurance that also covers all cancellation fees.

21.1 The personal data provided by the participant to the German Institute shall be processed and used electronically in compliance with the applicable data protection laws, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG), insofar as this is necessary for the establishment, performance, or termination of the contractual relationship, as well as for customer support.

The collection and processing of personal data shall be carried out exclusively for the German Institute’s own business purposes.

Personal data shall be stored only for as long as there is a legal basis for such storage, in particular for as long as this is necessary to fulfill contractual obligations or due to statutory retention requirements (e.g. under commercial or tax law). Where statutory retention obligations apply, certain data may be stored for up to ten (10) years.

After the respective processing purpose has ceased to apply or after the expiration of statutory retention periods, the relevant personal data shall be deleted or anonymized, unless there is a further statutory obligation to retain such data.

Information regarding age and gender shall be collected exclusively for statistical purposes and for the improved planning of course and examination offerings. Such data shall be processed separately from other personal data and shall not be stored in a manner that allows conclusions to be drawn about an identifiable individual.

The personal data provided during registration shall be treated confidentially. Further information on the processing of personal data, the rights of data subjects, and applicable deletion periods can be found in the current Privacy Policy, available on the German Institute’s website under the menu item “Privacy Policy.”

21.2 By providing his or her email address, the Customer expressly consents to the German Institute transmitting examination results, including information on whether the examination was passed or failed, by email.

Email transmissions shall be carried out using appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, in particular by using encryption in accordance with the state of the art, insofar as this is technically feasible and economically reasonable.

This consent may be revoked at any time with effect for the future. The revocation may be made informally, in particular by email to info@germaninstitute.de.

Individual contractual agreements shall take precedence over these General Terms and Conditions. Deviating or supplementary agreements should, for reasons of clarity and evidentiary purposes, be made in writing or in text form.

Individual contractual agreements concluded orally or by telephone shall also be valid. The party invoking such individual agreements shall bear the burden of presentation and proof regarding their conclusion and content.

23.1. The Seller stores the contract text of the order. The T are available online. The customer can print the contract text before submitting the order to the Seller by using the print function of their browser in the last step of the order.
23.2. The Seller also sends the customer an order confirmation with all order data to the email address provided by them. Furthermore, the customer receives a copy of the T with their order.

Place of performance is Stuttgart.
The place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from the contractual relationship is also Stuttgart, provided that the contractual partner is a merchant.

Private lessons (25)

With the publication of these General Terms and Conditions, all previous ones lose their validity.