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About Us

Financial policy

Since launching Oyster in 2006 we have strived to keep our fees as low as possible, while still providing you with a high quality placement and excellent support.

Most of your project price goes overseas to pay the direct costs of your project. The rest covers the costs of running Oyster’s office in the UK, managing the projects and providing advice and support to customers. The breakdown of costs has been independently assessed and can be seen on our website.

Please do note that deposits and payments paid are non-refundable, unless in a rare case we are unable to fulfill our obligation to you i.e. if a project is not able to go ahead. So do be sure that the trip is what you want before you submit your application and make any payments. We will of course be more than happy to answer any questions you may have before you reach this point, so that you can make that decision with certainty.

Your money goes to:

  • Fund the cost to the project of accommodating you, training and supporting you while you are there
  • Meet other expenses for your trip, such as your airport meet-up, transfer, orientation and any standard excursions
  • Providing you with our experienced team, who have all done Oyster’s projects. They will be on hand to advise you, monitor the project and respond to any issues and emergencies
  • Maintaining a close relationship with the project through liaising with the local representative, monitoring feedback, and occasional visits by Oyster’s Destination Managers
  • Ongoing work to review and improve our service and procedures to ensure your trip is well planned, safe and meets all your expectations
  • Administration, insurance and marketing costs
  • Work to research and develop future projects

You can be confident that:

  • The full cost of your trip will be clearly stated via our website, marketing material and interview before you book
  • This information will make clear what is and what is not included
  • We allow you to pay in instalments if you are booking more than 12 weeks before your departure date. We will give you a schedule with the size and timing of instalments before you book
  • When you book with Oyster you can rest assured that your money will be protected and you will not be stranded abroad in the very unlikely event that our company becomes insolvent. If your booking includes a flight arranged by us, your whole trip will be subject to ATOL protection. Our ATOL number is 9598 and you can check our status on the ATOL website. If we have not booked your flight then your trip will be just as safe, since it will be insured through International Passenger Protection Ltd
  • Our decision to offer you a place is based entirely on what is right for you, rather than any sort of commission arrangement

Read more about how your money is protected by International Passenger Protection (IPP) on our IPP page.

If you are looking for ideas on how to raise money for your gap year, check out our simple fundraising ideas article.

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