Last updated: 1 July 2026
1. Introduction and Acceptance
1.1. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the website https://pushkin.online and related services (together, the "Platform"), operated by the online Russian language school Pushkin Online School ("the School", "we", "us", "our").
1.2. By creating an account, purchasing a Course, or otherwise using the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.
1.3. These Terms apply to all users of the Platform. The relationship between the School and Teachers is additionally governed by the separate Teacher Terms. If there is a conflict between these Terms and the Teacher Terms regarding a Teacher, the Teacher Terms prevail.
2. Definitions
- "Student" — a person who uses the Platform to learn Russian. Where the Student is under 18, references to the Student include the Student's parent or legal guardian where the context requires.
- "Parent" — the parent or legal guardian who registers and manages the account of a Student under 18.
- "Teacher" — an independent professional who delivers Russian language Lessons to Students through the Platform under the Teacher Terms.
- "User" — any Student, Parent, or Teacher.
- "Lesson" — a single online Russian language class.
- "Individual Course" — a set of one or more Lessons delivered by a Teacher to one Student.
- "Group Course" — a course of Lessons delivered by a Teacher to a group of Students according to a fixed schedule and start date.
- "Course" — an Individual Course or a Group Course.
- "Methodological Support" — the teaching resources, curricula, training, and consultations the School makes available to Teachers, as described in Section 4.
- "Teacher Terms" — the separate agreement between the School and each Teacher.
3. Our Role: Bringing Students and Independent Teachers Together
This section explains how the School works. Please read it carefully.
3.1. A meeting place for Students and Teachers. The School's purpose is to bring together people who want to learn Russian and independent, qualified Teachers of Russian. The School:
(a) selects and admits Teachers to the Platform; (b) matches Students with suitable Teachers and forms groups for Group Courses; (c) organises Course schedules, sets Course prices, and handles payments; (d) provides Methodological Support to Teachers to help them teach effectively.
3.2. Teachers are independent contractors. Teachers are self-employed professionals who deliver Lessons in their own professional capacity under the Teacher Terms. Teachers are not employees, workers, agents, or partners of the School. Nothing in these Terms, the Teacher Terms, or the provision of Methodological Support creates an employment relationship between the School and any Teacher. Teachers are responsible for their own tax and social security obligations.
3.3. Your contract for a Course. When a Student purchases a Course, the Student enters into an agreement with the School for the organisation of that Course. The School arranges for the Lessons to be delivered by an independent Teacher. Each Teacher is personally responsible for the professional content and conduct of the Lessons they deliver.
3.4. Choice of Teacher. The School assigns Teachers to Courses taking into account Students' level, goals, and schedules, and any preferences Students express. The School may replace a Teacher (for example, in case of illness, unavailability, or a reasonable request by the Student) with another Teacher of comparable qualifications.
3.5. No guaranteed outcomes. Language learning depends heavily on the Student's own effort and regular practice. Neither the School nor any Teacher guarantees that a Student will reach a particular level or pass a particular exam.
4. Methodological Support for Teachers
4.1. What we offer. In addition to bringing Students and Teachers together, the School supports Teachers professionally. Methodological Support may include curricula aligned with recognised proficiency frameworks (e.g. CEFR / TORFL), lesson plans and teaching materials, onboarding and professional development sessions, consultations with the School's methodologists, and guidance on teaching different audiences, including children and teenagers.
4.2. Support, not control. Methodological Support is a professional resource offered to help Teachers develop their practice and to maintain consistent quality for Students. It does not constitute direction or control over how a Teacher performs their work. Teachers retain professional autonomy over their teaching methods.
4.3. Details. The scope and conditions of Methodological Support are set out in the Teacher Terms.
5. Eligibility and Accounts
5.1. Minimum age. The Platform is available to Students aged 10 and over. The School does not provide Courses to children under 10.
5.2. Students under 18. Accounts for Students aged 10–17 must be created and managed by a Parent, who: (a) accepts these Terms on the Student's behalf; (b) makes all purchases and payments; (c) is responsible for the Student's use of the Platform and for supervising their online activity; (d) is the School's main contact for all matters concerning the Course.
5.3. Adult Students. Students aged 18 and over (or the age of majority in their country, if higher) may register on their own behalf.
5.4. You agree to provide accurate and up-to-date information, including the Student's correct age.
5.5. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at [email protected] of any unauthorised use. Accounts are personal and may not be transferred or shared.
6. Teachers
6.1. Teachers are admitted to the Platform after a selection process conducted by the School. The terms of Teachers' work through the Platform, including their remuneration and access to Methodological Support, are set out in the Teacher Terms.
6.2. Teachers who teach Students under 18 must comply with all applicable child-protection laws and with the School's safeguarding rules (see Section 12).
7. Student Obligations
Students (and, for Students under 18, their Parents) agree to: (a) attend Lessons on time with a working device, camera, microphone, and stable internet connection; (b) treat Teachers and other Students with respect; (c) complete agreed assignments to the best of their ability; (d) inform the School promptly of any problem with a Course or Teacher.
8. Courses and Lessons
8.1. Format. Lessons take place online via Zoom or Google Meet. Links to Lessons are provided by the School or by the Teacher through the Platform.
8.2. Third-party services. Use of Zoom and Google Meet is subject to the terms and privacy policies of their providers. The School is not responsible for outages or malfunctions of these services, or of a User's own equipment or internet connection.
8.3. Individual Courses. Lessons in an Individual Course are scheduled by agreement between the Student and the Teacher, within the options offered on the Platform.
8.4. Group Courses. Group Courses follow a fixed schedule and start date published on the Platform. The School may change the Teacher, or reasonably adjust the schedule, of a Group Course where necessary, and will inform Students in advance.
8.5. Minimum group size. The School may cancel a Group Course before it starts if the minimum number of participants is not reached. In that case, Section 10.3 applies.
9. Prices and Payment
9.1. Prices are set by the School. All Course prices are set by the School and shown on the Platform at the time of purchase, in US dollars (USD) or Kazakhstani tenge (KZT). Prices include applicable taxes unless stated otherwise.
9.2. Payment in advance. Courses are paid for in advance through the Platform. A place in a Course is confirmed only once payment has been received.
9.3. Payment processors. Payments are processed by third-party payment providers Stripe and TipTopPay subject to their terms. The School does not store full card details.
9.4. Students pay the School only. Students must not make any payments for Lessons directly to Teachers. Teachers are remunerated by the School under the Teacher Terms.
10. Cancellations and Refunds
10.1. Individual Courses
(a) A Student may request a refund for any Lesson in an Individual Course that has not yet taken place, provided the request is made at least 48 hours before the scheduled start of that Lesson.
(b) If the request is made less than 48 hours before the Lesson starts, or the Student does not attend, the Lesson is considered delivered and is not refundable, because the Teacher has reserved that time and cannot reasonably replace the booking at short notice.
(c) Lessons that have already taken place are not refundable.
10.2. Group Courses
(a) Before the course starts. A Student may withdraw from a Group Course and receive a full refund at any time before the first Lesson of the Course.
(b) After the course starts. Once a Group Course has started, the fee for the Course is non-refundable if the Student withdraws. When a Student enrols, the School reserves a place in the group for them for the whole Course, plans the group and the Teacher's time accordingly, and turns away other applicants once the group is full. A place that becomes vacant after the Course has started cannot in practice be filled by a new Student, so the School would bear the resulting loss.
(c) Alternatives. Where possible, the School may, at its discretion, offer a Student who withdraws after the start a transfer to a later group or a credit towards another Course.
10.3. Cancellations by the School or a Teacher
(a) If a Lesson is cancelled by the School or by the Teacher, the Student may choose a rescheduled Lesson or a refund for that Lesson.
(b) If a Group Course is cancelled before it starts, the Student receives a full refund.
(c) If a Teacher becomes unavailable and the School cannot provide a replacement Teacher of comparable qualifications, the Student receives a refund for all Lessons not yet delivered.
10.4. Statutory Consumer Rights
(a) Nothing in this Section 10 limits any rights that a Student has under mandatory consumer protection law in their country of residence, including any statutory right to withdraw from a distance contract.
(b) Where such a right of withdrawal applies, by purchasing a Course that begins within the withdrawal period, the Student expressly requests that the School begin performance during that period, and acknowledges that if they withdraw, they must pay for the part of the Course already provided, and that the right of withdrawal is lost once the Course has been fully provided.
10.5. How to Request a Refund
Refund requests must be sent to [email protected] or through the Platform. Approved refunds are made to the original payment method within 60 days, or within any shorter period required by applicable law.
11. Non-Circumvention
11.1. The School invests significant effort in selecting Teachers, matching them with Students, and supporting Teachers methodologically. Accordingly, Students and Teachers agree not to arrange, take, or pay for Russian lessons with each other outside the Platform for 12 months from their first contact through the Platform.
11.2. Users must not exchange personal contact details (such as phone numbers, email addresses, or messenger accounts) for the purpose of circumventing the Platform.
11.3. A breach of this Section may result in suspension or termination of the account. Consequences for Teachers are set out in the Teacher Terms.
12. Safeguarding of Students Under 18
12.1. The School is committed to the safety of children and teenagers who learn through the Platform.
12.2. Lessons with Students under 18 take place only via the Zoom or Google Meet links provided through the Platform. Teachers must not contact Students under 18 through private channels without the Parent's knowledge.
12.3. Parents may be present during Lessons or check in at any time.
12.4. Any concern about the safety or wellbeing of a Student should be reported immediately to [email protected]. The School will investigate and may suspend a Teacher while doing so.
13. Recordings
Lessons may be recorded only with the prior consent of all participants and, for Students under 18, of their Parent. Recordings may be used only for the Student's personal learning and may not be shared publicly.
14. Intellectual Property
14.1. The Platform and all materials provided by the School, including Course materials, curricula, and Methodological Support materials, are owned by or licensed to the School and protected by intellectual property laws.
14.2. Students may use materials received during a Course for their personal, non-commercial learning only, and may not copy, sell, publish, or distribute them.
14.3. The rights of Teachers regarding teaching materials are set out in the Teacher Terms.
15. Acceptable Use
Users must not:
- harass, abuse, discriminate against, or threaten others;
- share sexually explicit, violent, hateful, or otherwise unlawful content;
- impersonate any person or provide false information, including about age;
- use the Platform for any purpose other than learning and teaching Russian;
- interfere with the Platform's security or operation, or use automated tools to access it;
- solicit other Users for unrelated commercial purposes.
16. Privacy
16.1. The School processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.
16.2. Personal data of Students under 18 is collected through, and with the consent of, their Parent where the law requires it.
16.3. Teachers receive only the Student data they need to deliver Lessons and must use it for that purpose only.
17. Liability
17.1. The School will organise Courses with reasonable care and skill.
17.2. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the School is not liable for: (a) indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, or loss of opportunity; (b) failures of Zoom, Google Meet, payment providers, or other third-party services; (c) failures of a User's own equipment or internet connection.
17.3. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the School's total liability to a Student in connection with a Course is limited to the price paid for that Course.
17.4. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or under mandatory consumer protection law.
18. Suspension and Termination
18.1. Students may close their account at any time by contacting [email protected]. Refunds for Courses already purchased are handled under Section 10.
18.2. The School may suspend or terminate an account if a User breaches these Terms, acts fraudulently or abusively, endangers the safety of a Student, or where required by law. If the School terminates an account without the Student being at fault, the Student receives a refund for Lessons not yet delivered.
18.3. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 10, 11, 14, 17, and 20) survive.
19. Changes to These Terms
The School may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify Users of material changes by email or on the Platform at least 14 days before they take effect. Changes do not apply to Courses already paid for, unless the change is required by law. Continued use of the Platform after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
20. Governing Law and Disputes
20.1. These Terms are governed by the laws of [JURISDICTION].
20.2. Before starting legal proceedings, Users agree to contact the School at [email protected] to try to resolve the matter amicably.
20.3. Disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of [JURISDICTION], without prejudice to any mandatory right of consumers to bring proceedings in their country of residence or to rely on its mandatory consumer protection rules.
21. General
21.1. If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in force.
21.2. Failure to enforce any right is not a waiver of that right.
21.3. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any specific terms shown at the time of purchase, form the entire agreement between the Student and the School regarding the Platform.
21.4. If these Terms are translated, the English version prevails.
22. Contact
Website: https://pushkin.online Email: [email protected]