Residential Training Costs

A residential programme is one where the participant lives away from home during training. Prices for these programmes are hard to compare, because the same number can describe very different packages. This guide lists what to check before comparing. It gives no price benchmarks, because we have not verified any.

What a headline price may include

Providers differ on every item below. Ask for each one in writing:

• tuition or coaching fees;
• accommodation, and whether it is shared or private;
• meals, and how many per day;
• local transport and airport transfers;
• kit, equipment and facility hire;
• insurance, including medical and cancellation cover;
• supervision and welfare staff, especially for under-18s;
• excursions, fixtures and tournament entry;
• administration or registration fees;
• support with visa paperwork.

An item not listed should be treated as not included until the provider confirms otherwise.

What is almost never in the price

International flights, passports, visa fees, health charges, spending money and any extra nights before or after the programme are commonly separate. For official visa figures, see below.

Deposits and payment terms

Ask:

• How much is the deposit, and what does it secure?
• When is the balance due?
• What happens if the programme is cancelled by the provider, or if you cancel?
• What happens if a visa is refused or the participant is injured or ill?

We have not reviewed consumer or contract law in any country for this guide, so we cannot state what a refund right is in your location. Get the refund and cancellation terms in the booking document, and read them before paying.

Currency and instalments

• Currency. A price in one currency may be charged in another. Ask which currency is billed, who sets the exchange rate, and whether card or bank fees apply. Never compare totals in different currencies by eye.
• Instalments vs totals. A plan of twelve monthly payments is not a monthly price. Add up the plan, add any plan fee, and compare the total.
• Per week, per term, per year. A figure may be per week, per session or per year. Convert to a common unit only when the content covered is the same.

A weekly camp is not an annual degree

A camp price may cover days of training. A degree price may be per year, per credit or for the whole programme, and it usually does not include living costs. These are different goods. If you are weighing a short programme against a degree, see Short Courses vs Degrees and Scholarships and Sports Funding.

Visa and travel checks from official pages

These figures are from GOV.UK for the UK only and can change; confirm on the official page before you pay anything.

• Standard Visitor. GOV.UK lists a fee of £135 for up to 6 months. A Standard Visitor can usually stay up to 6 months, can study courses up to 6 months, and cannot work for a UK company.
• Student visa. For ages 16 and over, GOV.UK lists an application fee of £558 plus a healthcare surcharge, and says you must show enough money to support yourself and pay for the course. It says you cannot work in some jobs, including as a professional sportsperson or coach.
• Child Student visa. For ages 4 to 17, it requires an unconditional offer from a licensed Child Student sponsor, suitable accommodation, enough money, and parental consent. GOV.UK says it is for study at independent schools, not further or higher education.

Whether a particular residential programme qualifies for any of these is a question for the visa authority and the sponsor, not the seller.

Costs connected to trials

FIFA's article 19ter says the club and invited player agree the conditions of a trial, for example payment for accommodation, travel, meals and daily expenses, on the FIFA Trial Form before it starts. It prohibits anyone subject to FIFA's statutes from requesting, offering or receiving any payment connected to a trial, apart from those agreed conditions. If a programme asks for money in connection with a trial, ask it to explain, in writing, how that fits the rule.

A short checklist

1. List every item the price includes and excludes.
2. Convert to one currency and one time period.
3. Get deposit, balance, cancellation and illness terms in writing.
4. Add flights, visa, insurance and incidentals.
5. Check official visa pages, not only the provider's advice.
6. Ask who is the legal operator. See Checking a Football Academy's Club Relationship.

A price shows what you pay, not what you will get. No programme can promise a trial, a contract, a scholarship or a career, and a higher price does not change that.