Sprachcaffe is ready to go

2020Dear students,

The pandemic is shaking the world and will change our habits – probably permanently. Also at Sprachcaffe we need to embrace new rules and restrictions and redesign our school procedures.

We are excited to prepare for the upcoming summer season 2020 and whilst providing safe conditions for all students and staff, we also want to offer an enjoyable and exciting experience. Most of us had to cope with a period of quarantine and we are happy to slowly go back to a ‘normal’ life. Luckily, we can provide you with a wide-range choice of wonderful schools, such as our Club Village in Malta, with plenty of spacious and open-air options.

Social distancing and hygiene will be key factors right now. We also strongly suggest to all of our students to have their own medical insurance covering any potential costs of quarantine / or any means to return home. Therefore, we would like everyone to read the following instructions carefully:

It will be necessary to make sure that you are perfectly healthy before travelling. Therefore, we will ask your parents to sign an additional document, confirming:

• that no symptoms are evident at the time of departure and 14 days before
• that there was no contact to infectious persons or persons in quarantine in the last 14 days
• that sanctions will be accepted if the student does not follow the rules
• if available to install a Corona tracking-App

We depend on the policy of the airlines, we may assume however that our teamers and students will be asked to wear masks and keep social distancing at the airport and as much as possible during embarkation and disembarkation. New students shouldn't have any contact to the ones that are departing.
If any symptoms are present, we allow the right to ask you to return home immediately.

Accommodation possibilities might be more limited as we can’t be sure right now to offer host families as such. If available, we would like to recommend you to change your accommodation to single room occupancy in order to avoid unnecessary close contact to other students. In the common kitchens there will be no shared utensils anymore - cups, plates and cutlery should be cleaned immediately and kept in your own room, not it the common kitchen space anymore. Bathrooms will remain shared in most destinations – we will sanitize all common spaces more frequently.

Our bars and restaurants are certified (for example by the Malta Tourism Authority) as compliant with all COVID-19 safety protocols. Extended service times will be offered to allow participants to keep a safe distance. When entering and leaving the restaurant, guests are reminded to disinfect their hands with a disinfectant located at the entrance.

There will be no self-service inside and outside the facility, buffet services will not be offered. Disposable condiments (oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, ketchup, etc.) will be used instead of bottles and containers. All dishes, cutlery and glassware used in every table sitting, including unused items, will be washed and disinfected in a dishwasher at high temperature. The table surfaces will be disinfected after each sitting. Tables will be arranged in a way that guarantees the necessary minimum safe distance between chairs.

Depending on the programme booked, lunch packages may be handed out. These are packed under hygienic conditions. All our serving and food preparation staff have been trained in the use of personal protective equipment and make use of it.

Our intention is to run our programs completely face2face, it depends however on the given contact restrictions (low number of students per class). In the worst case we will be forced to use a hybrid model (online/offline blend), therefore we should advice students to bring their own devices, such as laptops or tablets, along on the trip. Benefits of this teaching method will be an increase in the course’s dynamic as teachers can take advantage of an abundance of virtual possibilities. We may also organize the traffic in the schools, following the “one direction policy”, open the windows every 15 minutes or even organize open-air lessons, and suggest to students and staff to wear masks. Any person showing cold/flu symptoms must be excluded from the classroom until such time as they are symptom free. This applies to staff and students.

We would ensure that classrooms – desks, chairs, door handles, light switches etc. are cleaned daily – or after class. Bathrooms/toilets should be cleaned after every break.

It will be vital to offer a variety of activities in order to stress the fact that we are talking about an in-country language trip, not online classes!

Obviously the leisure program will take place within the given contact restrictions and in compliance with the hygiene requirements of each destination such as daily temperature checks.

In any case, we are well prepared for the uncertainties to come and are going to make sure our students can enjoy their language holiday in a safe and responsible way.

Since the situation is still fluid, we may update the above mentioned rules following the latest measures suggested by the relevant governments.

We hope to see you soon!


Alberto Sarno
CEO Sprachcaffe Languages Plus