Standard Terms & Conditions: Private Coaching

At Grad Coach, we believe in clear, transparent communication. This agreement sets out the standard terms and conditions of our Private Coaching service, so that we’re always on the same page. By using this service, you agree to the terms below. The terms for our other services are listed on our terms and conditions page.

1. Ethical use of services

1. You may only use our services in line with your university’s academic code of conduct, rules and regulations. We reserve the right to refuse any request that may be deemed academic misconduct.
2. We don’t know the specific rules of every program at every university. It is therefore your responsibility to make sure that any service you use is permitted by your university and does not breach any of its codes of conduct, rules or regulations.

2. Identity verification

1. If our payment processors or banking partners flag a payment as high risk or suspicious, we may ask you for documents to verify your identity and confirm the purchase.
2. If someone else pays on your behalf (a third-party payment), we may ask them for supporting documents to verify their identity and the transaction.
3. We will credit your account as soon as these checks are complete, and we will do our best to complete them promptly.

3. Confidentiality

1. We will treat any material you provide to us as strictly confidential, subject to Clauses 3c and 3d.
2. We will treat your relationship with us as strictly confidential, and we will not disclose your use of our services to anyone, subject to Clauses 3c and 3d.
3. If you dispute a charge with your bank, card provider or PayPal, they will ask us for details of the services we provided to you. We are legally required to provide this information, and you understand and agree to this. We will also take the legal action necessary to recover all funds owed to us, along with the associated collection costs. This may involve court applications, which may make your details visible in a public register.
4. We may use insights from our work with students for research and educational purposes, such as research articles, blog posts and videos, and to improve our services. Any insights we use are fully anonymized, so neither you nor your project can be identified.

4. Nature of the service

1. We will support you by giving guidance and advice, reviewing your written work and answering relevant questions. Importantly, we will not produce any written work or carry out any analysis on your behalf.
2. It is your responsibility to follow our guidance and do the necessary work. We cannot take responsibility for your actions.
3. All support is provided through online meetings, document sharing and email. We do not offer in-person support, or support through any other channel (for example, WhatsApp or Telegram).
4. We cannot guarantee availability without a prior booking, so you need to plan ahead and book your sessions in advance.
5. We cannot guarantee that you will receive any particular mark or range of marks.

5. Coach allocation

1. We will assign a specific coach to your project, based on factors including methodological expertise, availability and time zone.
2. If you’re not satisfied with your coach, you can request a transfer to another coach, subject to the terms in Appendix A.

6. Package purchases

1. All coaching packages are time-based and consist of a set number of hours. You may use your balance on any combination of live meetings, email support and content reviews.
2. All packages must be paid in full upfront. We do not offer financing.
3. Each coaching package is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase, and each top-up for 12 months from its own date of purchase. After that, any remaining balance expires and is forfeited.
4. You can extend the validity of any package or top-up by a further 12 months by requesting this in writing before it expires. An extension fee of 20% of the original price of that package or top-up applies.
5. You can request a refund of the unused balance of any package or top-up, provided you make the request within 6 months of the date you bought it.
6. Refunds are subject to a processing fee of 20% of the value of the balance being refunded, which is deducted from the refund.
7. Refunds are paid to the card, PayPal account or bank account used for the original payment, and typically take 5 to 10 business days to reach your account.
8. Time already used is not refundable. For example, if you bought 5 hours and used 4, only the remaining hour qualifies for a refund.

7. Billable time

1. We bill for all time spent working with you. This includes, but is not limited to, live sessions, content reviews, preparing notes or resources, email correspondence and pre-submission reviews.
2. Content reviews are typically billed at 1,500 words per hour, but we may bill more time, depending on the quality of the submitted content.
3. No-shows are billed at 50% of the appointment’s value. For example, missing a 1-hour live session is billed as 30 minutes.
4. Cancellations or changes made less than 1 business day before an appointment are billed at 50% of the appointment’s value.
5. If a session takes significantly less time than booked, we reserve the right to bill for 50% of the unused time. For example, if you book a 2-hour session and use only 1 hour, we may bill for 1.5 hours.

8. Right to terminate

1. You may end our working relationship at any time, and you are not committed to working with us for any fixed period. Equally, we reserve the right to end the relationship at any time.
2. If you choose to end the relationship, you forfeit any balance that is not refunded. Before you end it, you may request a refund of any balance that is still within its 6-month refund window, under Clauses 6e to 6h.
3. If we choose to end the relationship, we will refund any unused balance that has not expired.

9. Leniency

1. If we show leniency or indulgence, or do not enforce any term of this agreement, this does not waive that term or any other term. Nor does it affect the validity of this agreement or our right to enforce any term at any later time.

10. Revisions

1. We reserve the right to update our standard terms and conditions from time to time. The current version will be posted at gradcoach.com/terms-conditions.

11. Governing law, severability and indemnity

1. This agreement is governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this agreement, including any question about its existence, validity or termination, will be referred to and finally resolved by the courts of Hong Kong.
2. If any provision of this agreement is found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable under the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, that provision will, to the extent required, be treated as not forming part of this agreement. The validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions will not be affected or impaired in any way.
3. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Grad Coach against any and all claims, liabilities, damages and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable legal fees and costs) arising out of or related to the services provided under this agreement. If there is any dispute, litigation or legal proceeding relating to this agreement, you will be responsible for all legal fees and costs that Grad Coach incurs in enforcing any of its terms.

Appendix A: The “Love Your Coach” guarantee

This appendix sets out the terms and conditions of the “Love Your Coach” guarantee.

A1. Overview

1. The “Love Your Coach” guarantee lets you formally request a transfer to a different coach, subject to the terms below.

A2. Scope

1. The guarantee applies to our Private Coaching service only, not to any other service we provide.

A3. Process

1. If you’re not satisfied with your coach, you may request a transfer to another coach.
2. Transfers are permanent. Once you have transferred, you cannot transfer back to your original coach.
3. As part of your request, you’ll need to complete a transfer request form so that we can fully understand why you’re dissatisfied.
4. We manually review every coach transfer request, which can take up to 5 business days.
5. If we approve your request, we will carry out a formal handover so that your new coach is fully prepared. This can take up to 5 business days, depending on availability.
6. Depending on the project’s complexity, the handover may carry a charge: time spent on the handover may be billed from your balance, an administrative fee may apply, or both. We will tell you about any charge in advance.
7. Approval of a transfer request depends on the availability and suitability of another coach. If we cannot assign a replacement coach, we will refund your unused, unexpired balance in full.