Privacy Policy for ThistleBridge Tutors
Introduction
ThistleBridge Tutors is committed to protecting the privacy of our students, prospective students, and visitors to our online platform. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you interact with our services, including one-on-one language tutoring, group conversation classes, exam preparation (IELTS, Cambridge), business English coaching, and language immersion workshops. We adhere to the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.
Information We Collect
We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services to you.
Personal Data You Provide Directly:
- Contact Information: Such as your name, email address, phone number, and postal address. This is collected when you register for a course, make an inquiry, or sign up for our newsletter.
- Tutoring Preferences: Information about your language learning goals, current proficiency level, availability, and specific course interests (e.g., IELTS preparation, business English).
- Payment Information: While we process payments through secure third-party payment gateways, we may receive confirmation of your payment. We do not store your full payment card details.
- Communications: Records of your correspondence with us, including emails and messages sent through our online platform.
- Feedback and Surveys: Information you provide when giving feedback or participating in surveys about our services.
Data Collected Automatically:
- Usage Information: Details of how you use our online platform, including the pages you view, the time spent on those pages, and your navigation patterns.
- Technical Data: Your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our site.
- Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies to enhance your experience, analyze site usage, and support our marketing efforts. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide and Manage Our Services: This includes facilitating one-on-one appointments, organizing group classes, processing registrations, and delivering course content.
- To Communicate with You: Sending you confirmations, scheduling updates, course materials, administrative notices, and responding to your inquiries.
- To Personalize Your Experience: Tailoring our services and communications to your specific learning needs and interests.
- For Internal Operations: Managing our business, performing data analysis, research, and improving our services and online platform.
- For Marketing and Promotional Purposes: With your consent, sending you information about new courses, promotions, or other news that may be of interest to you.
- To Ensure Security and Prevent Fraud: Protecting our online platform, systems, and users from unauthorized access or fraudulent activities.
- For Legal Compliance: Fulfilling our legal obligations and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.
Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data (GDPR)
We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, including:
- Contract: The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (e.g., when you register for a course).
- Consent: You have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., for direct marketing). You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
- Legal Obligation: The processing is necessary for us to comply with the law (e.g., for tax and accounting purposes).
- Legitimate Interests: The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g., for fraud prevention, improving our services, or network security).
Disclosure of Your Information
We may share your information with:
- Service Providers: Third-party companies that perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing, website hosting, analytics, and marketing assistance. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and only use it for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
- Tutors: Relevant information will be shared with the assigned ThistleBridge Tutors to facilitate your learning and provide personalized instruction.
- Legal and Regulatory Authorities: If required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
- Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your data may be transferred to the acquiring entity.
We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties for their marketing purposes.
International Data Transfers
As ThistleBridge Tutors operates online, your data may be processed and stored in locations outside of the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA) where data protection laws may differ. When this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission, or by ensuring the recipient is part of an approved international data transfer scheme.
Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include encryption, access controls, and regular security assessments. While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
Your Rights (Data Subject Rights)
Under GDPR and other applicable data protection laws, you have specific rights concerning your personal data:
- Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you is corrected or completed.
- Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances (e.g., if the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected).
- Right to Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions (e.g., if you contest the accuracy of the data).
- Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to transmit that data to another controller.
- Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object to processing for direct marketing purposes.
- Rights in Relation to Automated Decision Making and Profiling: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the "Contact Us" section below. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 without verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16 without parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal data without your consent, please contact us.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post any changes on this page and update the "last updated" date at the top of the policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
ThistleBridge Tutors
1290 Heather Road, Suite 3B
Edinburgh, Scotland, EH12 5DL
United Kingdom
Right to Lodge a Complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues, if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
United Kingdom