School Groups Terms & Conditions
1. Signing up for a Group Expedition
The first step for group leaders is to select a project and identify the dates when your group would be able to go. The Earthwatch Group Expeditions Coordinator will work with leaders to select a project which matches your group's interests, desired destination, desired schedule, and budget.
Expedition dates can be created to match the group's needs, and therefore do not necessarily have to fit within the expedition schedules published online .
After the group leader has selected a project and dates have been confirmed, a Group Agreement Form and Volunteer Registration Forms will be sent to the group leader. The agreement form should be faxed back to Earthwatch at:
01865 318869
Attention "Tom Berry"
Then, informational materials specific to that project and expedition will be sent to the leader for use at any student/parent meetings.
All volunteers/group participants must complete a registration form and return it with their initial deposit; no one will be officially enrolled until his or her deposit is received.
The registrations and deposits should be collected by the group leader and submitted to Earthwatch:
Earthwatch Institute
Mayfield House
256 Banbury Rd
Oxford, OX2 7DE
2. General Payment Information
Earthwatch accepts debit (no additional fee) or credit cards (2% additional charge), cheques, or bank transfers. Cheques should be made payable to Earthwatch Institute. Volunteers can make payments individually through any payment method above, but group leaders should collect the payments and submit them to Earthwatch in one envelope, to the address above.
Please clearly mark payments with:
- School/organization name
- Group leader's full name
- Expedition name (e.g. "Dolphins and Whales of Abaco Island")
Cheques should also contain:
- Name of the participant
- Name, address, and phone number of the person signing the cheque
If the group is fundraising for the expedition, contributors' cheques can either be made out directly to Earthwatch or collected by the group leader. (Alternatively, they can be made out to and submitted to the participating school, which must then issue a check to Earthwatch for the full amount due.)
3. Payment Deadlines
Deposits
Early Enrolment for 2010 (This locks in 2009 prices) – 15 July 2009 is Due Date for Initial Deposits
Normal Enrolment for 2010 – 15 October 2009 is Due Date for Initial Deposits
Final Payment Deadline - Schedule by Departure Date
15 October 2009- 28 February 2010: 120 days before start of date
1 March - 31 May 2010: December 15 2009
1 June - 20 September 2010: February 15 2010
4. The Volunteer Contribution
The volunteer's contribution covers the cost of meals, accommodation, on-site travel (NOT airfare or other travel costs to/from the rendezvous point), emergency medical/evacuation insurance, 24 hour emergency service, the guidance of experienced field scientists and Earthwatch staff, and all of the various costs of field research (field permits, etc.).
Additional costs may exist for some expeditions (i.e. SCUBA/snorkel equipment), so volunteers and/or Group Leaders should check with the Expedition Consultant if they have any questions, and consult our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
The volunteer's contribution does not include airfare. However, Earthwatch does provide fare assistance by recommending travel agencies with discounted student and humanitarian travel rates.
5. Teachers Can Go for Free
Earthwatch can cover the cost of Teacher contributions by splitting the cost out among the price for the participating students. Earthwatch School Group Expeditions allow a maximum of six students per Teacher.
6. Cancellation, Exchange, and Refund Policies
Cancellations and exchanges up to 120 days before the team start date
Cancellation – The initial deposit of £200 per participant will be retained by Earthwatch.
Exchange – There is no fee to replace one participant with another. All forms are due 60 days before the team start date.
Cancellations and exchanges up to 60 days before the team start date
Cancellation – the initial deposit of £200 and 65% of the Contribution per individual are non-refundable.
Exchange – If one volunteer cancels and is replaced, a processing fee of £200 will be retained by Earthwatch. Volunteer forms are due no later than 60 days before team start date.
Cancellations and exchanges less than 60 days before the team start date
Cancellation – All payments are non-refundable regardless of the circumstances.
Exchange – Replacements will be considered on a case by case basis and are subject to a £200 fee. Forms are due immediately. No replacements will be considered within 45 days of the team start date.
How to Cancel
Volunteers (or parents/guardians if volunteer is under 18 years of age) must cancel their participation on the project in writing by letter or email. Cancellations will not be accepted via phone.
Replacements and Refunds
If a volunteer cancels and provides a suitable replacement whose registration form and payment arrives in the same envelope as the cancellation notice, the cancelling volunteer will receive a refund in keeping with the exchange policy above provided Earthwatch finds the replacement volunteer suitable.
Note: Any funds retained due to late cancellation will support expedition field research and will be considered a charitable gift to Earthwatch Institute.
If Earthwatch Cancels an Expedition
In the unlikely event that Earthwatch must cancel an expedition, volunteers' expedition contribution will be refunded in full. Earthwatch does not reimburse airfare or other personal travel expenses associated with a cancelled expedition.
7. Departure and Arrival Requirements
Earthwatch expeditions have pre-arranged rendezvous and departure locations and times. Rendezvous and departure locations are normally at or near the airport or hotel closest to the research site. This rendezvous information will be communicated to the group leader when initial deposits are made.
Group flights must be arranged to arrive and depart in accordance with the designated location and time. Any deviations may result in additional fees or decreased field time.
8. Volunteer Safety and Risk Management Policies
Earthwatch has an international risk management provider that thoroughly reviews all project locations and volunteer activities for the safety and security of volunteers.
Should any problems occur in the field, all projects have an emergency response plan for the whole range of potential incidents and have established communication protocols with area health care facilities and with the Earthwatch office. Earthwatch has a staff member on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assist volunteers and field staff and to be available to relay emergency messages from home. The emergency contact number at Earthwatch headquarters in the US is +1.978.461.0081.
9. Removing a Volunteer from an Expedition
Earthwatch Institute reserves the right to refuse reservations on its projects. Such a refusal would typically, but not exclusively, be due either to an applicant's failure to meet the health and/or safety requirements of a particular project or in the interests of team compatibility.
Earthwatch Institute will support the right of the Principal Investigator (lead scientist on a project) and/or his or her appointed project manager(s) to remove volunteers from a project (or an aspect of a project) should their behaviour compromise the safety, research objectives or general performance of the team.
Misrepresentation of one's qualifications in any way, including but not limited to age, health, intentions on the expedition, etc. will also be grounds for rejection of reservations or dismissal from project. In the case of deliberate misrepresentation volunteers will not be eligible for a refund.
PLEASE NOTE: These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time, and each Earthwatch Institute office implements its own policies according to the laws of its country of residence, whether the US, the UK, Australia, or Japan.
REMEMBER: Earthwatch Institute projects are scientific research expeditions, not tours. Earthwatch Institute makes every effort to describe field conditions accurately in its publications, online, and verbally, but field work in remote locations is a delicate business and prone to last-minute changes. We accept this variability as part of what makes an Earthwatch Institute project a unique experience and encourage volunteers to embrace the role of the unexpected in scientific discovery.