Privacy Policy

01. Who we are

EES Office is the trading and public-facing name of EUROPEAN OFFICE FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES LTD, an educational services company based in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

We help international students, particularly those from Arab countries, explore suitable English-language courses and selected short-term professional training opportunities in the UK. Depending on the services requested and agreed, we may also help coordinate enrolment enquiries, accommodation options, airport transfers and other practical student arrangements.

For the personal information that we decide how and why to use, EUROPEAN OFFICE FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES LTD acts as the data controller. An institute, accommodation provider or other service provider may be an independent controller when it receives and uses your information for its own services.

02. Information we may collect

Depending on how you interact with us and the stage of your enquiry or arrangements, we may process the following categories of personal information:

• Identity and contact details: your name, email address, telephone number, country of residence and other contact information you provide.
• Study preferences: current English level, educational objectives, courses of interest, preferred UK locations, intended study dates, duration and approximate budget.
• Service and arrangement details: information needed to explore or coordinate institute enrolment, accommodation, arrival services or other requested support.
• Correspondence: messages, email enquiries, contact form submissions, notes from conversations and relevant follow-up communications.
• Transaction and administration details: booking status, service records and payment or invoicing information where these become relevant to an agreed service. Please do not send payment card details through a general enquiry form.
• Technical information: limited information such as IP address, browser and device details, access times, and website security or diagnostic logs when generated through the website and its service providers.

Not all categories apply to every visitor or enquiry. We will request more detailed information only when relevant to a particular service or necessary step.

03. Where information comes from

We primarily receive information directly from you when you submit a website form, email us, telephone us or communicate with our team through another channel that you choose to use.

Where appropriate and lawful, we may also receive information from a parent, guardian, sponsor or representative authorised to act for you, or from an educational institute or service provider involved in your arrangements. Such information may concern your application, enrolment, service enquiries or the progress of a requested arrangement.

Our website's hosting and security systems may create technical records automatically when you browse the site.

04. How and why we use personal information

Under applicable UK data protection law, we need a lawful basis for each activity involving personal information. The basis depends on the purpose and circumstances.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, these include communicating with people who ask about our services, coordinating requested arrangements, maintaining responsible business records, preventing misuse and securing our website. We consider those interests alongside individuals' rights and expectations.

Where a service requires certain details, we will explain what is needed. If you choose not to supply necessary information, we may be unable to assess an enquiry or coordinate that particular service. You are not generally under a legal obligation to submit a general enquiry through our website.

05. Sensitive information and younger students

Please do not include passport numbers, payment card details, medical information, or other highly sensitive material in an initial website enquiry unless we have specifically requested it through an appropriate secure process.

If a later arrangement genuinely requires information considered special-category data under UK law, we will identify an applicable legal basis and additional condition for processing it, and limit access and sharing to what is necessary.

If the prospective student is under 18, we may need to communicate with a parent or legal guardian and take additional steps appropriate to the student's age and circumstances. A parent or guardian should assist a younger student with enquiries where appropriate.

06. Who we may share information with

We may share relevant information only where there is an appropriate purpose and lawful basis. Depending on your request, recipients may include:

• Educational providers: UK English-language institutes or short training providers that you ask us to approach about courses or enrolment.
• Accommodation and travel providers: host-family organisers, student residences, hotels, accommodation providers or airport transfer providers where you request these arrangements.
• Operational suppliers: website hosting, technical support, email, communications and document-management providers acting under relevant responsibilities and agreements.
• Professional advisers: legal, accounting or other appropriately authorised advisers where their assistance is reasonably required.
• Authorities: regulators, courts or public authorities when we are legally required or otherwise lawfully permitted to disclose information.
• Authorised representatives: a parent, guardian, sponsor or representative where suitable authority or another valid legal basis exists.

We aim to share only the information necessary for the particular purpose. External educational, accommodation and transport providers may have their own privacy notices and responsibilities when they handle information independently.

We do not treat a general enquiry as permission to distribute your details indiscriminately to unrelated organisations.

07. International transfers

Our services concern international students, and some digital services or authorised representatives may operate outside the United Kingdom. Depending on the actual systems and arrangements used, personal information may therefore be accessed or processed in other countries.

Where a transfer is subject to the UK rules for restricted international transfers, we will ensure that a permitted transfer mechanism applies. This may involve UK adequacy regulations, appropriate contractual safeguards (such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or applicable Addendum), or a legally available exception where the relevant requirements are met.

You may contact us to request further information about relevant overseas transfers and, where applicable, how to obtain information about the safeguards used.

08. How long we keep information

We keep personal information for no longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to applicable legal, accounting, contractual and dispute-resolution requirements.

When deciding how long to retain a particular record, we consider:

• Whether your enquiry is still active or a requested service is in progress.
• The need to document course enquiries, arrangements and relevant communications.
• Applicable legal or financial record-keeping obligations.
• Any reasonably anticipated complaint, dispute or legal claim.
• The sensitivity of the information and whether continued retention is proportionate.

Once information is no longer needed, we aim to delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate. You can ask us about the retention criteria relevant to your information.

09. Keeping information secure

We aim to use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure. Measures may include access controls, responsible staff practices, security maintenance and arrangements with service providers appropriate to the risks involved.

No website, electronic communication or storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Please avoid sending highly sensitive documents through an ordinary contact form or unsecured email unless a suitable method has been agreed.

10. Your privacy rights

Depending on the processing and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Be informed about how your personal information is used.
• Request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of information in circumstances where the right to erasure applies.
• Request restriction of certain processing activities.
• Request data portability where the legal conditions for this right are met.
• Withdraw consent at any time for processing based on consent, without affecting processing lawfully carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise a right, email [email protected] with enough information for us to understand the request. We may need to verify your identity before releasing or changing information. We will respond within the time limits required by applicable law. Some rights are subject to lawful exceptions.

11. Cookies and website technologies

Like many WordPress websites, our site and its supporting services may use cookies or similar technologies for functions such as technical operation, security and saving certain site preferences.

Other technologies, such as analytics, embedded third-party services or advertising-related tools, may involve additional data collection if those features are enabled. Where consent is required for a non-essential technology, we will seek it through an appropriate choice mechanism before using that technology.

You can also control cookies through your browser settings, although blocking essential technologies may affect how parts of a website work. Cookies are distinct from the information you actively submit through an enquiry form.

Information about particular cookies, their providers, purposes and lifetimes should be supplied through the website's cookie information or preference controls where relevant.

12. Links to other websites and services

Our website may contain links to independent English-language institutes, accommodation providers, official UK information resources or other third-party websites. These organisations may handle personal information under their own privacy policies.

We encourage you to read their privacy information before providing them with personal details. This policy describes EES Office's handling of information; it does not replace third-party privacy notices.

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may revise this policy to reflect changes in our services, website operation, data-handling practices or legal requirements. The updated version will be published on this page with a revised date.

Where a change requires additional notice or consent under applicable law, we will take appropriate steps before relying on the new use of personal information.

14. Privacy enquiries and complaints

If you have any questions about this policy, wish to exercise a privacy right, or believe your information has not been handled appropriately, please contact us directly. We will review your concern and handle complaints in line with applicable data protection requirements.

Complaining to the UK regulator

You can also raise concerns with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator. We recommend contacting us first so we have an opportunity to address your concern, but this does not remove your right to approach the ICO.

ICO website: ico.org.uk. Information about making a complaint is available through the ICO's website.