PRIVACY POLICY
Linguist Training Ltd t/a linguisttraining.com
1. Who we are
Linguist Training Ltd t/a linguisttraining.com, registered in England and Wales, company number 10474895. We are the Data Controller for the personal information in this policy and are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), ref ZB500172. Contact: [email protected] or 0114 470 1078.
Office: 9 President Buildings, Savile Street, Sheffield S4 7UQ, United Kingdom.
Legal registered address: 85 Doncaster Road, Wath Upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 7DN, United Kingdom.
Our team operates on a Work-From-Home or Office hybrid basis; see section 9.
2. Where we process your information
We operate two platforms and this policy covers both:
- linguisttraining.com (our website) - used for course information, purchases and marketing purposes, including our email newsletter. Hosted and operated for us by Squarespace, whose privacy policy is at www.squarespace.com/privacy.
- linguisttraining.thinkific.com (the Thinkific platform) - used to deliver your online training, including your student account, course materials, submissions and progress records. Hosted and operated for us by Thinkific, whose privacy policy is at www.thinkific.com/privacy-policy.
3. What is collected, and by whom
Most of this information is collected and stored by our service providers on our behalf, not held by us directly:
- Technical data about your visits (IP address, approximate location, browser, pages viewed) is collected by Squarespace on our website and by Thinkific on the elearning platform. Our staff do not access most of this data.
- Account and contact information you give us when registering, enrolling or contacting us (name, email address, telephone number, address, and any educational or employment details you provide) is stored on Squarespace or Thinkific; our staff access it as needed to support you.
- Study records on the Thinkific platform (course progress, submissions, feedback, and recordings of LanguagePartner sessions and Mock Exams as described in our Terms & Conditions) are stored by Thinkific and accessed by our staff as needed to deliver your course.
- Payment details: card details are collected and processed on the Thinkific platform by various payment processors across the world; you choose how to pay and are shown clear information about each option before you decide. Our staff never see your card details, and they are not stored on our website or the Thinkific platform. We can see that a payment has been made, but not the card information used to make it.
If you give us personal information about another person, you must have their consent to do so.
4. How we use it, and our lawful bases
- To deliver your course and support, manage your account and process payments (performance of a contract).
- To provide guidance on exam entry: you register for exams (for example with CIOL Qualifications) yourself, directly with the awarding body, and pay their fees directly; we do not register you or handle that data. If a future qualification requires us to submit a registration on your behalf, we will process only the information needed and tell you at the time (performance of a contract and legal obligation).
- To send marketing emails, only where you have opted in (consent; see section 5).
- To respond to enquiries, keep our platforms secure, prevent fraud and improve our services (legitimate interests).
- To keep records required by law, for example financial and regulatory records (legal obligation).
5. Marketing
You can opt in to marketing emails via the newsletter form on our website or the optional marketing field when you register on Thinkific. If you opt in on Thinkific, your email address is saved to our marketing list on Squarespace, the platform we use to send marketing emails. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing.
6. Who we share it with
- Our staff and LanguagePartners, only as needed to deliver your course, under our contracts with them.
- Service providers who process data on our behalf: Squarespace (website and marketing emails), Thinkific (elearning platform), payment processors, and Zoom or a similar facility (video sessions).
- Regulators and awarding bodies where the law or our exam centre obligations require it.
- Where required by law, in connection with legal proceedings, or to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
We do not otherwise disclose your personal information to third parties.
Where we publish student feedback on our website or social media, we use only the quotation and, at most, a first name, without identifying information; most accompanying images are not the students' real photos, for confidentiality reasons, and the feedback itself is genuine. If we wish to publish identifying information, such as your full name or your image, we will ask for your permission first.
7. International transfers
Some of our service providers store data outside the UK, including in North America. Where this happens we rely on UK adequacy regulations or appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum.
8. Retention
We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes above, and for as long as the law requires us to keep certain records (for example financial and exam centre records). Records relevant to ongoing or prospective legal proceedings may be retained until the matter concludes.
9. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including secure, access-controlled systems. Because our team operates on a Work-From-Home or Office hybrid basis, staff may access our systems remotely; all access is through individual password-protected accounts, and staff are required to keep their devices and internet connections secure when working remotely. Transmission of information over the internet is never completely secure; keep any password for our platforms confidential. We will not ask you for your password except when you log in.
10. Cookies
Both platforms use cookies (small files stored by your browser) for essential functions, and analytics or preference cookies where you accept them. Manage non-essential cookies via the cookie banner or settings on each platform, or block or delete cookies in your browser settings; blocking all cookies may stop parts of the platforms working.
11. Your rights
You have the right to: access a copy of your personal information (free of charge); have it corrected; have it erased in certain circumstances; restrict or object to processing; data portability; and withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent. To exercise any right, contact [email protected]; we may ask you to verify your identity in a reasonable and proportionate way. You also have the right to complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy by publishing a new version on both platforms; please check occasionally.