Parental permission for students under 18 years

As I am sure you will understand, we take very seriously our responsibilities with regards under-age students.

As our students come from all over the world and cultural customs and national laws relating to this issue differ, we have had to take a decision on how to define “under-age”. As the safety and wellbeing of our students has to be the predominant factor in this decision we have decided to define it as someone under 18 years old. This also happens to be a requirement of EAQUALS (European Association of Quality Language Services) of which we are a member.

I fully understand that in many countries the limit is placed at 16 years and I hope that you, as a parent, will understand our reasons for this decision.

As a result I ask you and your child to sign the permission statement below to enable your child to participate in the programme organised by us. In order that we can locate your child at any time, we require that they have with them a working mobile phone. Please list the number below. We also need 3 recent passport-type photos.

If you would like to clarify any aspect of this declaration or of our programme please do not hesitate to contact either the agent making the booking with us or any of the reservation staff in the school.

Many thanks for your understanding and assistance in this matter.

Yours sincerely

Ida Willadsen
Directora, Malaca Instituto

Conditions relating to under 18 year-old students

The following rules and conditions are designed for the well-being and protection of our younger students.

1. Going out at night

It should be understood that in the south of Spain a “Mediterranean timetable” operates. This means that people of all ages tend to go out much later at night than is the norm in some other countries. As a result it is quite usual for youngsters in the 16-18 year age group to come home after midnight several times a week, especially when they are on vacation.

We ask that our students do not abuse this lifestyle and we also ask our reception staff in Club Hispánico and our host families to let us know if any of our younger students are behaving in a manner which they feel would be inappropriate to a Spanish youngster of the same age. We also ask that our students staying in host families let them know where they are going and when they expect to be home.

We would normally expect students of this age to be indoors no later than 01.00 during the week and no later than 02.00 at the weekend. It should be noted that we cannot of course physically enforce these rules and they are intended only as guidelines. However, continual abuse of them may result in disciplinary action being taken,which in serious cases can result in a student being asked to leave the school with no right to any refund.

2. Alcoholic drinks and tobacco

The minimum age in Spainfor consuming alcohol or buying tobacco is 18 years. Consumption of these products by students under 18 is therefore prohibited in the school and on events organised by the school.

When students are out on their own, they are, of course, free to do as they like within Spanish law. However we do draw their attention to the potential dangers of drinking in hot countries.

We also draw the student’s attention to the fact that the Spanish police take a tough line with regards the possession and consumption of illegal drugs.

3. Attendance and academic rules

In order to allow a class to progress at the same rate and to maintain the cohesion, harmony and dynamic of the class group, we ask that all our students follow certain rules. Especially when our method of teaching is taken into account, we feel that the following are particularly important:

Failure to fulfil these requirements may result in a student being placed in a lower class, not receiving a certificate of attendance and, in extreme cases, the school reserves the right to ask the student to leave without right to a refund of fees.

4. Insurance

We strongly recommend that our students should consider taking out travel insurance which should cover them for cancellation, personal belongings and medical care.

We can offer a comprehensive insurance package including medical costs, repatriation, luggage, cancellation of course once started, etc. If you are interested in offering such a package to your clients via Malaca Instituto please ask us for the full details.