Frequently Asked Questions

About the Course

What is VerbaViva?
VerbaViva offers live, small-group online Polish classes for heritage-background children — kids who hear or speak Polish at home but want to build real confidence and literacy in the language, taught by native-speaking tutors.

Who is this course for?
Our classes are designed specifically for heritage learners — children who already have some exposure to Polish at home (through family, grandparents, or culture) but need structured support to build vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing. This is different from a “Polish from scratch” course for complete beginners with no home exposure.

Why live classes instead of an app?
Apps are useful for vocabulary drills, but real fluency comes from conversation with a real person who can respond, correct, and adapt on the spot. Our live, small-group format gives each child real speaking time with a native-speaking tutor and peers, every week.

Who are the tutors?
Classes are currently taught by Danuta, a native Polish speaker with a TEFL certificate and primary school teaching experience. Your child will have the same tutor for the full trimester.

How long is a trimester?
Each trimester runs for 10 weeks, with one 50-minute live class per week.

What platform are classes held on?
Classes are delivered live via Google Meet, accessed through our Masteriyo LMS course platform, where you’ll also find lesson materials and progress tracking.

How are children grouped?
Students are grouped by age and level. Our diagnostic quiz gives an initial level recommendation, and tutors confirm or adjust placement after observing each child in the first week of live classes.

How many students are in a class?
Group sizes are kept small to ensure personalised attention. If a scheduled group doesn’t reach the minimum number of students, we may merge cohorts, offer an alternative time slot, or issue a full refund.

Do you offer a free trial lesson?
We don’t currently offer a free trial. If you have questions about whether the course is the right fit for your child before enrolling, email us at help@verbaviva.org and we’re happy to talk it through.

Enrolment & Payment

How do I secure a place?
A place is only confirmed once full payment for the trimester has been received.

Can I pay in instalments?
We don’t offer in-house instalment plans, but some payment methods at checkout may offer third-party buy-now-pay-later options (e.g. Klarna). Any such financing agreement is between you and that provider directly.

What currencies can I pay in?
Fees are billed in the currency shown at checkout — AUD, GBP, USD, EUR, or PLN.

How is payment processed?
Payments are handled securely via Stripe, with currency conversion supported through Wise.

Is there a discount for enrolling more than one child?
Possibly — sibling arrangements are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact us at help@verbaviva.org and we’ll see what we can do.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind?
Yes — you can cancel up to 14 days before the trimester starts for a full refund. Cancelling within 14 days of the start date incurs a 15% administrative fee. Once the trimester has started, fees are generally non-refundable, except at our discretion in documented medical emergencies.

What if my child misses a class?
Because our sessions are live and group-based, we’re not able to offer make-up classes or refunds for missed sessions due to personal reasons, holidays, illness, or scheduling conflicts. Lesson slides or written summaries are made available on the platform where possible.

What happens if a tutor is unavailable?
If a tutor can’t run a scheduled class, we’ll arrange a qualified substitute tutor where possible, reschedule the session, or issue a pro-rata credit/refund for that class.

What if classes are disrupted by something outside your control?
In the rare case of events beyond our control — such as a widespread internet or platform outage — we’ll reschedule the affected session where possible, or issue a credit/refund for that session. This doesn’t affect the rest of the trimester.

Scheduling & Time Zones

How do time zones work?
It’s the parent/guardian’s responsibility to confirm class times in their own local time zone. Our schedule already accounts for Daylight Saving Time shifts between Poland and international locations, and any changes are posted on the portal.

Can my child switch to a different group or time?
Possibly — we’re happy to discuss transferring a student to a different group, level, or time zone. This is considered case-by-case with the goal of finding the best fit for your child, and depends on space in the receiving group.

Technology & Safety

What do we need for classes?
A stable internet connection, a working webcam, and a microphone or headset. We’re not able to offer make-up lessons or refunds for issues caused by a student’s own equipment or connection.

Does a parent need to be present during class?
For younger children (ages 6–9), a parent or guardian should be nearby for safety and technical support, but shouldn’t actively join in teaching unless the tutor asks.

Are classes recorded?
No. Live sessions may not be recorded, screen-captured, or shared by parents, students, or tutors, to protect the privacy of every child in the group.

What’s expected in terms of behaviour?
We aim for a warm, encouraging environment. Disruptive or disrespectful behaviour isn’t tolerated, and a student may be removed from a lesson or have their enrolment ended without refund if issues remain unresolved after a warning.

Homework, Progress & Materials

Will my child get homework?
Yes, but it’s kept light — short, manageable tasks between sessions to reinforce what’s covered in class, rather than a heavy workload on top of regular schoolwork.

How will I know my child is progressing?
Tutors track progress through the course, and lesson materials and any relevant updates are accessible through the Masteriyo platform.

Does my child get a certificate at the end?
Yes — students who complete the 10-week trimester receive a certificate of completion.

Can we keep or share the course materials?
All curriculum materials, worksheets, and course content remain our intellectual property. They’re for the enrolled student’s personal educational use only and may not be copied, resold, or redistributed.

Privacy & Data

What personal information do you collect?
Just what’s needed to enrol and run the course: parent/guardian contact and billing details, and the child’s name, age, and approximate level. Course platforms we use (Masteriyo and H5P) also store enrolment, quiz, and progress data.

Do you track or use cookies for advertising?
No. We don’t use analytics or advertising/tracking cookies. The only cookies set are standard functional ones from logging into the course platform.

Who do you share our data with?
Only the trusted providers needed to run the service: Masteriyo/H5P for course delivery, Google Meet for live classes, and Stripe/Wise for payment processing. We never sell or rent personal data.

Where is our data stored, given we’re not in Poland?
We’re based in Poland, and our service providers may process data outside the EU/EEA as part of delivering the service. Where that happens, we rely on recognised safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) to keep your data protected to EU standards.

What are our rights over our data?
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold, or ask us to delete it, by emailing privacy@verbaviva.org. You can also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority, or Poland’s UODO.

Still Have a Question?

Get in touch at help@verbaviva.org and we’ll be happy to help.