Booking form:

When you are ready to book, we ask that you complete our short booking form with some basic information. Once we have received this, one of our project experts will be in touch to find out a bit more about you and answer any further questions that you might have.

As part of your booking, we request the first payment of £180 towards your programme fee. In the unlikely event that we are unable to offer you a place on an Oyster programme, we would return this £180 to you.

Initial booking arrangements:

Once you’ve completed your booking form, one of our project experts will be in touch with you. During the initial contact, whether by phone or email (according to your preference), you will have the chance to ask more questions, tell us more about you and discuss your booking. At this point, in the unlikely event that we are unable to offer you a place on an Oyster programme, we would return the £180 to you. If you would like to get the booking process underway but not commit to a deposit at this stage then we are more than happy to start planning your adventure. Please complete the booking form and we will be in touch with the next steps.

For our paid work programmes, there is a longer interview process to go through, lasting about 15 minutes. Most interviews are held over the phone but people are very welcome to visit us for a face-to-face interview.

Confirming your booking:

Following the initial contact, we will set you up with an account on our online members’ area ‘My Oyster’ and send you details of this via email. To confirm your booking you will need to create a password and complete a medical form.

Payment:

The payment schedule works as follows:

• £180 on booking your programme
• £450 due 6 months before arrival*
• Final balance due 90 days before arrival**

*Please note, if you book within 6 months of your desired arrival date, we will request £450 to be made at the point of confirming your booking.
** There are occasions where the final payment date may be set closer to arrival. This will be made clear on your payment schedule.

Pre-departure briefing:

Once you confirm your booking you will have full access to My Oyster, giving you lots of detailed and useful information and advice to help you plan your programme (eg: visas, vaccinations, kit list). You can contact us at any time if you have queries or concerns. For certain programmes, including our paid work programmes in Canada, we also run a UK-based briefing course for one day.

I felt you really got to know me throughout the process. Thanks for all your help and advice. I was glad that I’d met you at the interview. It gave me loads of confidence in the Oyster team and this amazing project.

Jenny