Language Center Policies

To withdraw from a class, please send a written request at least three (3) business days prior to the first day of class. 

You may submit a written request in person at the Language Center office or by email to languagecenter@lallianceny.org for New York and to montclair@lallianceny.org for New Jersey. 

When you wish to withdraw from a class you have two options: 

• A refund (less an $85 cancellation fee) issued to the original form of payment. If the request is made within 24 hours of registration, a full tuition refund will be given. 5-week classes that meet 2 hours or fewer per week will be subject to a $45 cancellation fee. 1-day camps will be subject to a cancellation fee of 30% of the camp tuition with refund issued to original form of payment provided the request to withdraw is submitted by the Friday before the week of camp; else only tuition credit will be issued. 

• A credit (valid for 1 year) issued to your L’Alliance account that can be used for another class, private lessons, or books. The cancellation fee is waived for this option. After the first three hours or one week of class (whichever occurs first), only L’Alliance credit will be issued following a request for withdrawal. The cost for the number of classes that have occurred will be deducted from the total and a pro-rated tuition credit will be issued to the student’s L’Alliance account, valid for one year. 

No refunds or credits are offered for books, specialty exams, or workshops. Refunds are not offered for private lessons, but you may reschedule your class. 

Summer classes will be subject to the same refund policies as classes during the year with the following exceptions: 

• Summer Fun in French Camps for Ages 1-17: No refunds will be issued after June 15. Before June 15, a withdrawal fee ($175 for full day camps, $85 for half-day camps) will be deducted from the refund amount. After June 15, you may withdraw any time before the start of the session for a full credit. No withdrawals are accepted after the start of a program. There are no allowances for absences, early withdrawals, or late starts. There is no prorating of fees. 

Please allow up to two weeks for refunds or credits to be issued. 

Students ages 7 and up may request to attend their in-person class via Zoom if they are unable to come to L’Alliance New York or our Montclair campus. We ask that students make this request at least 24 hours in advance so that teachers may prepare accordingly. 

All transfers from one group class to another group class within the same season and location must be done within the first week of class and must be approved by the L’Alliance New York Language Center. 

You may submit a written request in person at the Language Center office or by email to languagecenter@lallianceny.org for New York and to montclair@lallianceny.org for New Jersey. 

Transfers must be appropriate to one’s level of French as determined by L’Alliance New York. Any difference in cost resulting from a class transfer must be paid at the time of transfer. When transferring from one class to another—in which the required material differs from the previously registered course—books that are in good condition are exchangeable upon the Language Center’s discretion. No transfers are accepted to another group class after the first week of classes. Students may transfer to Private Lessons at any time during the session (minimum 5 hours of private lessons). Students may be subject to additional fees for private lessons depending on the date of transfer. 

L’Alliance New York reserves the right to cancel classes and workshops, adjust curricula, and change teachers if necessary, without advanced notice. Courses are typically cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, unavailability of a teacher, or inability to schedule appropriate instructional space. If your course is cancelled, you will be notified by telephone or email and given the option to transfer to another class, to receive a L’Alliance tuition credit, or to receive a full refund. 

Students enrolled in group classes may purchase up to four hours of one-on-one makeup classes with a L’Alliance teacher per session. These classes are offered at a reduced rate as compared to our regular private class rate: $60 for 1 student / $100 for 2 students / $120 for 3 students. Scheduled and finalized makeup classes cannot be rescheduled or refunded. 

In the event that L’Alliance cancels a class due to weather or teacher absence, a make-up will be scheduled by the teacher with the class. No alternative make-up dates will be offered for students who are unable to attend the scheduled makeup class. 

Students may not make up a class by attending a class at the same level on a different day. Auditing classes is prohibited. 

No make-up classes are offered for the à petits pas program. 

L’Alliance New York reserves the right to request that a student repeat a course if it is deemed necessary before they are allowed to progress to a class at the next proficiency level. If a student wishes to repeat a level, as a special consideration, s/he will receive 50% off on the class. This rule applies to General French classes only (A1.1 through C1.6) and the repeated class must be taken in the session that immediately follows. This discount cannot be combined with any other discount. 

The following registration processing fees are charged for each enrollment completed online, by telephone, by mail, or in person at L’Alliance New York in Manhattan or Montclair: $10 per class, $10 per week-long camps, $10 per private lessons package, $2 per workshop, and $2 per 1-day camp. 

 

Payments are required in full upon registration. 

Online registrations: Payment must be completed by credit card (Visa, Master Card, and American Express) at the time of registration. 

In-person registrations: Payment for purchases over $60.00 must be completed by credit card (Visa, Master Card, and American Express), check, or money order (payable to L’Alliance New York). A fee of $35.00 will be applied towards bounced checks. Purchases under $60.00 may be paid by cash or any of the other aforementioned methods. 

Employer Tuition Reimbursement Procedures: A student must pay for a course at the time of registration. L’Alliance New York will not bill an employer directly. If an employer will reimburse a student for tuition of a L’Alliance class, L’Alliance will provide the necessary documentation upon request. 

L’Alliance New York does not prorate tuition. 

Students may receive a combination of discounts up to 25%, however, the combination may not exceed a total of 25% off of a single class. Certain discounts are not combinable. Discounts are only offered on group classes and workshops. 

Early Bird Discount: Currently enrolled and returning students may receive an Early Bird discount on their course when they register during the Early Bird period, typically the first two weeks after registration for a season has opened. The Early Bird dates are listed on the website under session dates. This discount may only be combined with referral, family, or multiple course registration discounts. This discount is only offered on classes and workshops for adults. This discount is not available for private lessons and children’s classes/workshops. 

New Student Discount: Students who have never taken a class at L’Alliance can save 5% on their classes. This discount is only offered on classes and workshops for adults. This discount is not available for private lessons and children’s classes/workshops. Call 646-388-6612 to request the discount. 

Corporate Discounts: Employees of corporations who participate in L’Alliance New York’s Corporate Membership program receive a discount ranging from 10% to 20% depending on their employer’s level of participation. The discount is valid for employees and their immediate family. A valid form of company ID must be presented to L’Alliance staff upon registration. This discount may only be combined with referral, family, or multiple course registration discounts. 

Referral Discounts: Refer a friend (new student) to L’Alliance New York in Manhattan or Montclair and get $25 off your most recent class. An existing L’Alliance Student (minimum one full session) may complete an Online Referral Form to refer a friend (anyone who has never taken a L’Alliance class). For each friend who registers, you (the referrer) receive a $25 refund on your most recent class. Your friend will receive a $25 discount on their new class too. Discount is available on all classes for adults and children. Discount is not valid on workshops or private lessons. Family members may not refer each other. 

Family / Sibling Discounts: Each participant on a shared account may receive a 5% discount on each class when they enroll for classes during the same session/season. All registrations must be completed together at the same time. 

Multiple Course Registration Discounts: A participant may receive a 5% discount on each class when they register for two or more classes during the same session/season. A participant may receive $5 off each workshop when registering for two or more workshops. All registrations must be completed at the same time. 

Online classes are conducted in real-time via Zoom. We recommend connecting to your class using either a computer (desktop or laptop) or tablet that has a camera and a microphone. In order to maximize class participation and learning, we strongly encourage students to enable both their video and their audio. 

For children enrolled in any Benjamins class age 5-6, we suggest that a parent or guardian remain nearby to help if need be. 

à petit pas for ages 1 to 3 (APP1, APP2, APP2/3, APP3): One parent or caregiver per child must attend class with his/her child(ren). Each parent or caregiver is responsible for the well-being of his/her child and is strongly encouraged to participate in the class. This person should not be using any cell phone or electronic device during the class. 

à petit pas for ages 3-5 (APP3/5) is a drop-off class. Toddlers need to be potty-trained and accustomed to attend class on their own to attend APP3/4 or APP4. 

If a child becomes disruptive, L’Alliance New York asks that the parent or caregiver take him/her out of the class until he/she calms down in order to preserve a constructive learning environment. 

Strollers are not allowed in the classroom. A designated area is provided for strollers. 

Please do not bring children to class when they are ill. 

Additional children are not allowed in the classroom. 

No outside toys or snacks are allowed in the classroom. 

• A one-year Individual L’Alliance Membership (valued $95) is given to all adult students who register for a class that is 1-week or longer. This complimentary Individual Membership can be upgraded to a Family Membership (benefits for two adults and up to four children ages 18 and under) at a special discounted price. Please email membership@lallianceny.org for information. 

• Students ages 1-17 will receive a one-year Family Membership (valued $150) with benefits for two adults and up to four children ages 18 and under. During the summer, students ages 1-4 who enroll in an à petits pas class will receive a one-year Youth Membership (valued $35). 

• Registrations for workshops are not eligible for this complimentary L’Alliance New York Membership. 

• The complimentary L’Alliance New York Membership is valid for exactly one year from the registration date of your most recent class. Your membership card will be mailed to you two to three weeks after your class registration is confirmed. If you lose your membership card, there is a $10 fee for a replacement card. 

• Students taking five hours or more of private lessons are also eligible for free Individual Membership. 

• Learn more about L’Alliance New York Membership levels and benefits here. 

 

Students are welcome to come to L’Alliance New York’s Manhattan location anytime the building is open. They must present their Membership card (or registration confirmation if they have not yet received their Membership card) each time they enter the building and may be asked to present other forms of ID. 

L’Alliance New York in Manhattan or Montclair may need to close unexpectedly, due to inclement weather or other circumstances. In such situations, you will be informed via email or telephone. Every effort will be made to make up any lost class time during the current session. If the lost class(es) cannot be made up, a credit will be added to your account for the equivalent cost of the lost class time. 

L’Alliance New York is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of its students. Any information collected by L’Alliance New York is kept in a secure database. We never share your information or sell your email. 

L’Alliance New York will only ask you to provide the information necessary to process and service your class registration: name, billing address, telephone number, email address, and credit card information. Please note that for security reasons, credit card information is not stored permanently on our web server. 

When you register for a class at L’Alliance New York, we request that you provide us with an email address and telephone number. We will use this email/number to contact you with important information regarding your class, such as registration confirmation, room & instructor assignment, change in class schedule, cancellations, etc. We will also share this email with your professor so that s/he can send you the notes and homework for each class. 

When you register for a class, you are automatically added to our e-news mailing list. You will start receiving our weekly newsletter with information about upcoming events, classes, and L’Alliance New York programs. We will also send you emails about start of sessions, early-bird discounts, class satisfaction surveys, and upcoming workshops or classes that may interest you, etc. If you do not wish to receive these emails, simply click on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of these emails and you will be taken off the mailing list. Please note that if you unsubscribe, in addition to our newsletter, you will also no longer receive the early bird registration / discount emails.

You can re-subscribe at any time here. Even if you unsubscribe, you will still receive email related to your current class such as change in schedule, teacher absence, etc. 

L’Alliance New York does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, disability, gender, sexuality, and national or ethnic origin in the administration of its admissions, educational, or employment policies and programs. 

L’Alliance New York reserves the right to dismiss any student whose behavior is inappropriate or disruptive to the learning environment and to other students. If L’Alliance New York receives such a complaint from a teacher and/or fellow students about a student, a meeting will be called with that student to notify him or her of the complaint and to request a change if and when warranted. If after that warning, the student continues to be disruptive, the student will be dismissed, and, when appropriate, L’Alliance New York will issue a pro-rated refund for any classes not yet taken. 

Use of cellular phones is not permitted in classrooms. Eating and drinking are not permitted in classrooms. 

Lost Belongings: L’Alliance New York is not responsible for any lost belongings. A Lost & Found box is located at the 3rd floor reception desk at our Manhattan location. For our Montclair location, the Lost & Found box is located at the front desk. 

Pets: Except for certified pets for the disabled, pets are not allowed in classrooms at any time.