Terms and conditions - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority

Terms and Conditions – Teagasc Online Application Form

These terms and conditions (the Terms) govern your access to and use of our online application form (the Service). In these Terms, the Service refers to all aspects of the application website, the application process and service, and any relevant mobile applications offered by Teagasc.

The Privacy and Cookies Policy below sets out the basis on which Teagasc uses, processes and protects any information that you give while using the Service.

The Service is operated by the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, or ‘Teagasc’ (Teagasc, we or us).

Terms of Use

Access to and use of the Service is provided by the Teagasc subject to the following.

Use of this Service constitutes your acceptance of these Terms which take effect when you first use this Service and are applicable to any subsequent or further use of the Service. Teagasc reserves the right to change these Terms at any time by posting changes online. You are responsible for reviewing regularly information posted online to obtain timely notice of such changes. Your continued use of this Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of this agreement as modified by the posted changes.
Whilst Teagasc endeavours to ensure that the Service is normally available 24 hours a day, Teagasc will not be liable if for any reason the Service is unavailable at any time or for any period.
Access to this Service may be suspended temporarily or permanently and without notice.
Whilst Teagasc endeavours to ensure that the information provided through the Service is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and Teagasc does not accept any liability for any content, error or omission. Teagasc does not accept any liability for decisions made based on information provided on the Website.
Teagasc shall not be liable for any damages, (whether direct or indirect and including, without limitation, damages for loss of business or loss of profits) arising in contract, tort or otherwise from the use of or inability to use this Service, or any material contained in it, or from any action or decision taken as a result of using this Service or any such material.
The Service is intended solely for your personal use. You agree not to disclose your authorisation credentials (including user name and password) to any third party.
As a convenience, this Service may contain links to other websites which are maintained and operated by third parties. The linked websites are not under the control of Teagasc, and Teagasc is not responsible for the content available on any other websites linked to its website. Such links do not imply Teagasc’s endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by Teagasc of material on any other website and Teagasc disclaims any warranties (express or implied) about the content and operation of these websites. Teagasc disclaims any liability for links: (i) from another website to the Teagasc website; and (ii) to another website from the Teagasc website.
If any of these Terms should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable, such Term or Terms shall be severed and deleted from the clause concerned and the remaining Terms shall survive, remain in full force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable.
By accessing any part of this Service you shall be deemed to have accepted these Terms in full, and the Terms herein set out comprise the entire Agreement. In the event that you, at any time, do not accept or no longer accept any or all of these Terms, you should immediately cease use of this Website.
Teagasc provides the Service “as is” and “as available” and without any warranty or condition, express or implied. In particular (but without limitation), Teagasc does not warrant that this Service will operate without interruptions, be timely, secure or error-free. Teagasc does not warrant that the Website or its contents are free from viruses or problems and Teagasc is not responsible for any harm caused to your property from your use of this Service.

Terms applicable to Admission Criteria and Entry Requirements
All offers of admission are subject to compliance with these Terms.
Some of the courses which you may apply for through the Service have minimum and/or specific entry requirements. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you fulfil these requirements for any chosen course, and it is your sole responsibility to ensure that the chosen course is suitable for your needs and level of ability. Places on a course will not be offered to applicants who do not meet the entry criteria. You may be withdrawn from a course for which you do not meet the minimum requirements and any repayment of course fees shall be at the sole discretion of the college/centre.
Once you accept any offer of a place on the course you have applied for, you agree to abide by all of the rules and regulations of the relevant college/centre (as may be amended from time to time).
It is your responsibility to ensure that your application is accurate and submitted on time. It is your responsibility to provide full and accurate information in your application and to notify the relevant college/centre of any changes or corrections to the original application.
Teagasc and/or the relevant college/centre may require additional supporting documentation as part of the application process.
Offers of a place on a course will be made in good faith based on the information as supplied by the applicant. Any offer of a place on a course if made without prejudice. It is the right of the relevant college/centre to vary or withdraw an offer if additional information comes to notice (whether relating to events occurring before or after the date of the offer) which could reasonably have influenced the decision if known at the time an offer was made. The college/centre reserves the right to withdraw an offer of a place, or terminate a student’s enrolment, if it discovers that a student has given false information in their application or has provided false or fraudulent documentation in support of their application.
The college/centre reserves the right to withdraw, vary or amend any aspect of an offer of a place if it is found that an error or mistake has been made by the college/centre.
The college/centre reserves the right to amend programme contents and entry requirements.
Teagasc and/or the college/centre reserve the right to cancel access to an advertised course due to lack of demand or due to unavailability of key personnel or resources. If a programme is cancelled prior to you commencing the first term of study, you may either:
19.1.1 withdraw from the college/centre without any liability for fees; or

19.1.2 transfer to another programme, subject to meeting entry requirements, availability of places, and payment of appropriate fees.
Information on programmes and courses, including fees, location and timetabling are an expression of the college’s/centre’s intentions to run programmes and do not constitute an undertaking to start or offer programmes. Course details are subject to change.

Student Requirements
All students have access to an online ‘Student Portal’. The portal may include access to results and college announcements. Email is the primary communication method of the college/centre and all students are requested to access their individual email account on a regular basis to ensure receipt of all notices. Students should also regularly check the student portal for updates and course announcements.
Students are requested to make the college/centre aware of any disability, special need or learning support requirement on application.
You agree not to use this Service to do the following (a) upload, post or otherwise transmit any material that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libellous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; (b) upload, post or otherwise transmit any material that you do not have the right to transmit under, or infringe, any law (including with intellectual property law) or contractual or fiduciary relationship; (c) post irrelevant material or repeatedly post the same or similar material unduly; (d) upload, post or otherwise transmit any unauthorised advertising, promotional materials, ‘junk mail’ or spam or any form of solicitation, except in those areas of the Website designated for such purposes; (e) anything that is in violation of any applicable law, rule or regulation; and/or transmit viruses, malware, or other malicious code.
Fees
Fees for tuition must be paid in full, before the course commences. Repayment of any fees is at the discretion of the college principal or the regional manager.
Refund Policy
Fees will be refunded less an administration charge of €100.00 if students confirm in writing that they wish to cancel their place before the start of the course. Once a student is enrolled on a programme of study, then repayment of fees is at the discretion of the college principal or the regional manager.
Limitation of Liability
Teagasc shall not be liable for any loss of use, interruption of business, or any direct or indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind (including but not limited to lost profits) regardless of the form of action, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), strict product liability, or otherwise, even if Teagasc has been advised of the possibility of such damages, howsoever arising, out of use of the Service
Term and Termination
We do not guarantee that the Service will always be available or uninterrupted. We will not be liable to you if for any reason the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period. We reserve the right to discontinue offering the Website or to modify the Website at any time in our sole discretion and without notice. We may also, in our sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to the Service at any time. Following termination, all such terms that by their nature may survive termination of these Terms shall be deemed to survive such termination.
Jurisdiction and Applicable Law
The Irish courts will have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim arising from, or related to, a visit to our website or use of the Service. The place of performance of these Terms shall be Ireland. These terms of use and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of Ireland.

Privacy and Cookies Policy

This Privacy and Cookies Policy (the Privacy Policy) sets out the basis on which Teagasc uses, processes and protects any information that you give while using the Service.
Please read the following carefully. Use of the Service or entry onto our website indicates that you have reviewed this Privacy Policy and have agreed to be bound by it.
Teagasc may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
If you are aged 17 or under, please get your parent/guardian’s permission before you provide any personal information to us. Users without this consent are not allowed to provide us with personal information.
What we collect
We fully respect your right to privacy in relation to your interactions with the Website and endeavour to guarantee to be transparent in our dealings with you as to what information we will collect and how we will use your information. Also, we only collect and use individual user details where we have legitimate reasons, and where we are legally entitled to do so. The processing of your data referred to in this Privacy Policy is necessary for the purposes of the performance of the above Terms and related Services and is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests of Teagasc in performing the Services. Information in relation to personal data collected by Irish entities is available on www.dataprotection.ie, the website of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.
We may collect the following information:
6.1 your name, postal, email address, PPS Number, Date of Birth and gender;
6.2 documentation to show proof of PPSN, birth cert and a C.V. if relevant to course application;
6.3 academic records, including records of results from any course you may be accepted to pursuant to these Terms;
6.4 employment history;
6.5 IP addresses identifying a specific computer or other network device on the internet are automatically collected as part of the connection of your computer to Teagasc’s web server;
6.6 the top level domain name used (e.g. ‘.ie’, ‘.com’);
6.7 the date and time each computer accesses the website;
6.8 personal photo; and/or
6.9 other information relevant to surveys and/or offers.
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
7.1 we may use the information to improve our products and services;
7.2 we may periodically send promotional emails about new products or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided;
7.3 from time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests;
7.4 to maintain records with respect to student results and other related matters;
7.5 to carry out any legal obligations arising from your interaction with the Website.
7.6 for administrative reasons related to the service to which you have signed up (e.g to provide you with password reminders or to notify you that a particular, service, activity or online content has been suspended for maintenance, or in response to a question that you ask us).
We may disclose your personal information to any Teagasc, other corporate entity or individual which is a member of, or affiliated with, Teagasc.
We may share any information which you provide to us with agricultural colleges and centres with links to Teagasc.
Where we use your personal information in any other way, we will ensure that we notify you first. You will also be given the opportunity to withhold or withdraw your consent for the use of your personal information for purposes other than those listed in this document.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure and we do our utmost to protect user privacy through the appropriate use of security technology. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website. For more information about cookies and managing them, please visit www.cookiecentral.com
By using our Service and website you are agreeing to use the cookies as described.
The technical and traffic information logged in the website log files (including the Teagasc College Application Account Username, the top level domain name, the IP address of the computer from which you access the website, the date and time each computer accesses the website and details of the Teagasc College Application pages accessed) will be used only by Teagasc, and only for statistical and other administrative purposes.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the privacy practices of such third party websites and your use of such websites is at your own risk.
Where We Store Your Personal Data
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, destinations inside or outside the European Economic Area (EEA). It may also be processed by staff operating inside or outside the EEA who work for us or one of our suppliers. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
All information you provide to us is stored on secure servers. Where we have given you (or you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use reasonable security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.
Opt Out
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, or you wish to withhold or withdraw your consent for the use of your personal information for the purposes listed in this Privacy Policy, please contact us. Please note that we may still have grounds for processing your information based upon other legitimate and legal grounds as referred to in section 5 above.
Consent
By accessing services offered by us, you consent to the collection and use of this information by us as outlined in this Privacy Policy. By providing personal information to us, you fully understand and clearly consent to such use and transfers as set out in this Privacy Policy.
Legal Information and How to Contact Us
22.1 The Data Controller for the Website and services provided through the Website is Teagasc.
22.2 You have a right under the Data Protection Acts 1998 and 2003 to access the information we hold about you. If you would like to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold on you, or have any queries or requests regarding our use of personal data please contact education@teagasc.ie.

Questions or Concerns
22.3 Should you have any questions regarding these Terms and/or the Privacy Policy, please contact us via email at education@teagasc.ie.