Our care commitment to students aged under 18

Bell offers a wide range of courses to students aged 16+ at our adult centres in the UK:

  • Bell Bedgebury Language Centre
  • Bell International Institute London
  • Bell International College Cambridge

On courses at these centres all students will be treated as adults, including those that are under 18 years old. Students under 18 will regularly mix with students aged 18 or over in the classroom, in residential accommodation and during social activities and excursions. All students will receive first-class tuition in the classroom and outstanding support from Bell staff throughout their experience and, wherever possible, an additional level of care is provided to students under the age of 18.

Enrolling an under 18 years old student

  • As under 18 year olds are not yet considered adults by UK law, Bell must receive a completed and signed Under 18 Consent Form for all under 18 year olds enrolling on a Bell course at one of our adult centres in Bedgebury, London or Cambridge.
  • The Under 18 Consent Form will be sent to you at time of registration or can be printed off here.
  • The form must be completed, signed and dated by a parent / guardian and returned to Bell.
  • We cannot confirm your booking until we have received the completed and signed form.

Transfer service for students under 18 years old

  • Bell arranges arrival and departure transfers on request. For the fees please click here.
  • We strongly recommend that all under 18s book the Under 18 Bell transfer service.
  • Arrival transfer service: On arrival in the UK, A Bell representative will meet the student at the Arrivals Gate of the airport, or at the Arrivals Hall of the Eurostar station. The Bell representative will take the student to their accommodation.
  • Departure transfer service: A Bell representative will collect the student from their accommodation and take them to the Airport or Eurostar station. The Bell representative will help the student check-in and take them to the entrance of the Departure Gate.
  • Bell representatives work for contracted taxi firms. They undergo thorough checks and will carry ID with them at all times.
  • If students under 18 do not wish to use this service, Bell cannot be held responsible for their safety.

Accommodation provision for students under 18 years old

Bell has carefully selected a range of suitable accommodation options for students under 18 years old.

  Homestay Accommodation Residential Accommodation
Bell Bedgebury Language Centre
Bell International College Cambridge (July & August only)
Bell International Institute London N/A N/A

Homestay Accommodation

  • All Bell homestay families have undergone thorough checks and have been personally inspected by a member of the Bell Student Services team.
  • Bell's Accommodation Officers will always endeavour to place students under 18 years old with families where any other students hosted by the family will also be under 18.

Residential Accommodation

  • All Bell residential accommodation for students under 18 years old has dedicated house supervisors, available to provide support.
  • All under 18 year old students in the residential accommodation at Bell Bedgebury are required to return to the residence on the last Bell arranged bus from nearby Tunbridge Wells. The house supervisors make sure that all under 18 year olds have returned to their residence by this time.
  • Bell's residences accommodate both under 18 year olds and students aged 18 and over.
  • If a student under 18 years old is NOT staying in Bell arranged accommodation, the contact details of where they are staying must be provided in the Under 18 Consent Form.

Social activities and excursions

Students are offered a wide range of free social programme events including up to one full day or one half day or evening event every 2 weeks as part of their course fees. Additional events and activities will be available at a supplement payable locally.

Please ensure the student has enough funds to cover any additional activities that they may wish to join.

All Bell activities and excursions are supervised by Bell staff, but there is no additional level of care provided to under 18 year olds. Bell is not responsible for the actions or safety of students while they are on a Bell activity or excursion.

Some excursions offered in Bell's social programme are organised by a local travel company. There is no supervision provided on these excursions and Bell is not responsible for the actions or safety of students while on these excursions.

If you do not wish for your student to participate in the activities and excursions arranged by Bell or by the local travel company, please indicate this on the Under 18 Consent Form.

Medical care

All Bell Centres have First Aid qualified staff available on site:

Centre Availability of first aid qualified staff on site
Bell Bedgebury Language Centre 24 hours per day, 7 days a week
Bell International College Cambridge Monday- Friday 09:00-17:00, excluding public holidays
Bell International Institute London Monday- Friday 09:00-17:00, excluding public holidays

  • Bell can help students arrange visits to a dentist or doctor if required.
  • Bell can only seek medical treatment for a student under 18 if we have received a signed Under 18 Consent Form.

Spending money

  • We recommend that students bring a cash card or a credit card to the UK.
  • Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in shops and restaurants in the UK and you can obtain cash with these cards in most banks or at ATMs. Many outlets will require your PIN number and a signature is not sufficient.
  • We strongly advise that you do not carry large amount of cash.

Flights

  • Some airlines do not allow under 18s to travel without an adult. As airline policies regarding young travellers change frequently you must check the current guidelines before booking any flights.
  • Please book flights in good time to ensure that under 18 year olds will not travel at unacceptable times.

Other links

Bell Child Protection Policy

British Council guide: Safety First

The above information applies only to students aged under 18 on Bell Adult courses. It does not apply to students on Bell Young Learner courses.