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Student Terms

Last updated: August 2026 (version 2026-08-01)

1. Definitions

  • "Site" β€” nwenglish.com and all subdomains.
  • "Lesson" β€” teaching, tutoring, or advice delivered via the Service.
  • "Student" β€” any individual registered to receive lessons.
  • "Tutor" β€” any individual registered to offer lessons.
  • "Lesson Agreement" β€” contract between a Student and a Tutor for a specific lesson.
  • "Lesson Fee" β€” price paid by the Student to the Tutor through NWE.
  • "Matching Service" β€” the Service that connects Students with Tutors.
  • "Tokens" β€” internal accounting unit used to pay Lesson Fees. Tokens are purchased in advance at the published rate.

2. Application of These Terms

These Student Terms, together with any notices and policies referenced herein (the "Terms of Use"), apply to all use of the Service by Students. Japan Standard Time (JST) applies to all dates and times stated herein.

3. Notifications

We may communicate with you by email, in-product notices, or other reasonable means. Notices are deemed effective when sent.

4. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to register. If you are under 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has read and accepted these Terms on your behalf. Parents may register a child account and have full access to the child's data, communications, and bookings.

5. Use of the Service

You are solely responsible for evaluating the credibility, accuracy, and usefulness of information on the Service, and the quality of any Tutor's lessons. NWE does not verify Tutor credentials beyond identity checks and makes no warranty regarding Tutor conduct, language ability, or lesson quality.

Lessons are delivered solely by Tutors. NWE is not a party to any Lesson Agreement and assumes no responsibility for acts or omissions of Tutors, including any damage or loss arising from a Lesson.

You agree to communicate respectfully with Tutors and other Students, to follow instructions of the Tutor, and to use video conferencing tools (e.g. the in-platform meeting room or any tool the Tutor specifies) in good faith.

6. Conflicts With Other Users

Disputes with Tutors, other Students, or third parties must be resolved directly between the parties. NWE has no obligation to mediate but may, at its discretion, refund Tokens or remove a user. You indemnify NWE for any cost, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your disputes.

7. Registration

You must register by providing your name, email address, password, country of residence, and other requested information. Information must be accurate and complete.

We may refuse or cancel a registration without prior notice if (a) information is falsified, (b) the applicant has previously been banned for violating these Terms, (c) the applicant creates duplicate accounts, or (d) continued use is otherwise inappropriate. You may close your account at any time from Settings; unused Tokens remain subject to Section 13.

8. Suspension or Cancellation of Registration

NWE may suspend the Service or cancel a Student's registration without prior notice if the Student violates these Terms, commits any act in Section 13, or if continued use is inappropriate. On cancellation, unused Tokens are forfeited and not refunded, except as required by law.

9. Password Management

You are responsible for keeping your password confidential. NWE is not liable for unauthorized use of your password. If you suspect unauthorized use, change your password immediately and contact support@nwenglish.com.

10. Equipment, Connectivity, and Recommended Environment

You are responsible for procuring and maintaining the hardware (computer, headset, microphone, camera), software, and internet connection required to use the Service. NWE is not responsible for lesson failures caused by your equipment or network.

Recommended environment:

  • Browser: latest stable Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari.
  • Operating system: Windows 10/11, macOS 12+, iOS 16+, or Android 12+. Other platforms may work but are not officially supported.
  • Network: at least 5 Mbps up and down. Wi-Fi or wired; avoid cellular data for video lessons.
  • Hardware: headset or earphones with microphone, webcam (minimum 720p).
  • In-platform meeting room: requires JavaScript, WebRTC, and camera/microphone permissions enabled. No download required.

Use outside the recommended environment is at your own risk. NWE will not refund Tokens for failures caused by unsupported browsers, outdated operating systems, or insufficient network bandwidth.

11. Booking a Lesson, Cancellation, and No-Show Rules

A Lesson Agreement is formed when a Tutor confirms your booking request. Tokens equal to the Lesson Fee are deducted at booking confirmation.

Cancellation and rescheduling:

  • Lessons may be rescheduled free of charge up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time.
  • Cancellations within 24 hours of the start time forfeit the Token used, except where the cancellation is due to a documented emergency (medical, family bereavement, natural disaster) β€” refunds at NWE discretion.
  • Tutor-initiated cancellations refund the Token in full, plus a 10% goodwill credit where the Tutor cancels within 24 hours.

Late arrival and no-show:

  • If you join more than 10 minutes late, the Tutor may end the lesson and the Token is forfeited.
  • If you do not join within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, the lesson is automatically marked as no-show and the Token is forfeited.
  • The Tutor is only obligated to wait 15 minutes from the scheduled start time. The Tutor may end the lesson at the originally scheduled end time regardless of your late arrival.
  • Three (3) no-shows within a rolling 90-day period may result in account restrictions, including a temporary booking hold.

See our Cancellation Policy page for full details.

12. Tokens β€” Purchase, Management, Validity

  • Tokens are purchased from NWE in advance at the published rate.
  • 1 Token = 1 unit of Lesson Fee (displayed in JPY or USD at checkout).
  • Tokens are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Unused Tokens expire after that period.
  • Tokens are personal to you and may not be sold, transferred, or shared.
  • You are responsible for safeguarding Tokens. NWE will not re-issue Tokens consumed by unauthorized use, except as required by law.
  • Payments are processed by Stripe. Card numbers never reach our servers.

13. Refund of Tokens

Tokens are refunded in the following circumstances:

  • The Tutor cancels a confirmed lesson.
  • A lesson is interrupted for more than 20% of its scheduled duration due to the Tutor's fault.
  • Other circumstances defined in the Cancellation Policy.

Once purchased, Tokens are non-refundable to your original payment method except where required by the Consumer Contract Act (Japan) or other mandatory law.

14. Subscriptions and Billing Cycle

Monthly or annual subscriptions grant Tokens per billing cycle. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled.

  • Billing cycle start date: the date your subscription becomes active. The cycle renews on the same day each month (or year, for annual plans).
  • Proration: the first cycle is prorated if you subscribe on a day other than the 1st. Subsequent cycles cover the full period.
  • Auto-renewal: subscriptions renew automatically. The renewal charge is processed 3 days before the start of the next cycle to ensure uninterrupted service.
  • Cancellation: cancel any time from Settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period β€” Tokens granted for that period remain valid for 12 months from grant.
  • Refunds: partial-period refunds are not available except where required by the Consumer Contract Act (Japan) or other mandatory law. Annual plans may be refunded on a pro-rated basis within 14 days of renewal, less a 10% administrative fee.
  • Payment failure: if the renewal charge fails, NWE will retry twice over 5 days. If payment remains unsuccessful, the subscription is suspended and Tokens granted for the unpaid cycle are revoked.
  • Price changes: NWE may change subscription prices with at least 30 days' notice. Existing subscribers keep the current price until the end of the current billing period, then move to the new price.

15. Prohibited Conduct

You may not, in connection with the Service:

  • Provide false or misleading information.
  • Infringe intellectual property, privacy, portrait, or publicity rights of any person.
  • Harass, discriminate against, or defame any user, Tutor, or NWE.
  • Send unsolicited advertising, chain mail, or offensive messages.
  • Engage in fraud, money laundering, or any unlawful activity.
  • Solicit users to join competing services or contact Tutors outside the platform.
  • Record or film lessons without the Tutor's and NWE's written permission.
  • Use another user's account or create multiple accounts.
  • Distribute malware or attempt unauthorized access to our systems.
  • Wear clothing that exposes yourself inappropriately during video lessons.
  • Encourage, assist, or promote any of the above.

16. Communication Tools

Lessons and messaging are delivered via the in-platform meeting room or, if the Tutor specifies, an external tool such as Zoom, Google Meet, or LINE. You must comply with the terms of service of any third-party tool. NWE is not responsible for failures of third-party software.

17. User-Generated Content and Licence

You retain ownership of content you submit (homework, messages, profile information, attachments). You grant NWE a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, modify, translate, and process that content solely to provide the Service.

You warrant that your content does not infringe third-party rights, is lawful, and does not contain malware. You indemnify NWE against claims arising from your content.

18. Confidentiality

You agree to keep confidential any information about other users, Tutors, or the Service that you learn through the Service, both during and after your use. You may not disclose such information to third parties except as required by law.

19. Data Protection (APPI + GDPR)

Our processing of personal data is governed by the Privacy Policy and complies with the Japan Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) and, for users located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By using the Service you consent to that processing, including international transfers to Stripe (US), Google (US), Resend (US), and Sentry (US/EU) as detailed in the Privacy Policy.

You may exercise your rights of access, rectification, erasure, portability, objection, and withdrawal of consent by emailing privacy@nwenglish.com. For EU users, the lawful bases for processing are listed in the Privacy Policy.

20. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". NWE makes no warranty regarding the availability, reliability, accuracy, or quality of the Service or any Lesson.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, NWE shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to the Service. NWE's aggregate liability for any claim shall not exceed the amount of Tokens you purchased from NWE in the three (3) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

NWE is not responsible for acts or omissions of Tutors, other Students, or third parties.

21. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold NWE harmless from any claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

22. Service Changes and Suspension

NWE may modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service, in whole or in part, at any time without prior notice. We will not be liable for any such modification, suspension, or discontinuance. On full discontinuance, we will refund the value of unused Tokens per Section 25.

23. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its source code, design, text, graphics, logos, and software, is owned by NWE and protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. Nothing herein grants you any right to use NWE's trademarks, service marks, or trade dress except as required to use the Service as intended.

24. Revision of These Terms

We may revise these Student Terms at any time. If a revision is material we will notify you by email or in-product notice and, where required by GDPR or APPI, obtain your consent (e.g. via the re-accept flow). Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

25. Termination

You may terminate your account at any time. NWE may terminate or suspend your account for any breach of these Terms. On termination by NWE for cause, unused Tokens are forfeited. On termination by NWE without cause or on discontinuance of the Service, unused Tokens are refunded by a method NWE specifies within 60 days.

26. No Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your account or these Terms to a third party without NWE's written consent.

27. Rejection of Antisocial Forces

You represent that you are not, and have not been in the past five years, a member of any organized crime group (Boryokudan), a related company, corporate extortionist, or equivalent ("Antisocial Forces"), and that you have no relationship involving Antisocial Forces. You will not engage in any such relationship during the term of these Terms.

28. Consumer Contract Act

Any provision of these Terms that conflicts with the Consumer Contract Act (Japan Act No. 61 of 2000) is ineffective to that extent. The remaining provisions remain in full force.

29. GDPR-Specific Indemnity

Where you act as a data controller over content you upload (for example, a parent uploading a child's personal data), you indemnify NWE against fines, claims, and reasonable legal costs arising from your failure to comply with applicable GDPR obligations.

30. Breach Notification

In the event of a personal-data breach likely to result in a risk to your rights or freedoms, NWE will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach and notify affected users without undue delay.

31. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Student Terms are governed by the laws of Japan, without reference to conflict of laws. The Tokyo District Court or Tokyo Summary Court has exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms, unless you reside outside Japan and mandatory consumer-protection law in your country requires otherwise.

32. Language

These Terms are written in English. Translations into Japanese, Chinese, and other languages are provided for convenience only. In the event of a conflict, the English version prevails.

33. Survival

Sections 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 survive termination of your account.

34. Questions

Contact support@nwenglish.com for any question about these Student Terms.