FAQs for Students

Our programme is for Palestinian students based in Gaza, the West Bank, or displaced elsewhere because of the war. Students are primarily aged 13–30, though every application is considered individually.

No. Every lesson is completely free, always. There is no cost to you at any stage, for as long as you keep learning with us.

You can learn English, French, or German with a volunteer educator matched to your goals and schedule.

Any level. Whether you are a complete beginner or already advanced, we assess your level during the application process and match you accurately before lessons begin.

No, you can apply on your own — a parent or guardian’s permission is not required. Our safeguarding policy still applies to every student, whatever your age.

Each term lasts a minimum of three months. You are welcome to keep learning with us beyond your first term, for as long as it is helpful to you.

No. Sessions are set at 60 or 90 minutes a week to keep the programme sustainable for our volunteer educators, so we are not able to offer additional weekly lesson time.

Small groups usually have three or four other students learning alongside you, at a similar level.

Yes. If you would like to learn alongside a sibling or other family member, mention this in your application or contact us, and we will try to place you together where possible.

Mini-groups keep the same overall topic for everyone but let your teacher adjust the level of support and challenge for each student, using activities like debates, role-plays, and collaborative tasks to keep everyone engaged. It is a format that works well: it builds peer support and conversation practice while keeping lessons personalised to your level.

No. Each student or mini-group is matched with one volunteer educator at a time, so your teacher can build a consistent picture of your progress and needs.

There are no fixed lesson times. Teachers and students are matched by availability, and sessions usually happen in the morning, in the afternoon, or at weekends — we generally avoid evenings or nights, which can be difficult for students in Gaza.

Live lessons are typically held over Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams, and WhatsApp is used for day-to-day communication, since it is the most widely used messaging tool in Palestine.

We consider a rematch when there is a genuine, ongoing difficulty — for example, a serious scheduling conflict, an unresponsive teacher, or a mismatch in teaching style that has not improved despite raising it with us. We cannot guarantee a rematch based on personal preferences unrelated to your learning.

Let us know, and you will continue lessons with the rest of your group. We will try to add another student to the group where possible, especially if this happens near the start of the term.

First, try reaching out again directly. If you still do not hear back, or this keeps happening, contact us and we will follow up with your teacher and arrange another match if needed.

Your teacher will continue your learning asynchronously — sending structured lesson activities or planned questions through your usual messaging platform — so a technical problem does not disrupt your progress.

We ask you to attend your sessions consistently, let your teacher (or us) know as early as possible if you need to reschedule, and complete the assessments and portfolio work used to track your progress. Being an active, engaged partner in your own lessons helps your teacher help you.

Three months is the minimum term length, and if you need to stop after that, that is completely fine. You are welcome to apply again in a future term when applications reopen.