Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a query, email info@wbsstudytours.co.za
We endeavour to respond to you within 48 hours
a. Travel information
Cancellation fees will apply.
You will need to officially apply for a deferral through the WBS International Relations Department.
Deferrals are taken into account with valid evidence such as a doctor’s certificate. However, work commitments are not grounds for a deferral.
The cancellation will likely delay your graduation, as trips take place only twice a year.
Swops for study tours will be allowed until 10 March 2021. Send an official request via email and await approval.
This does not apply to exchange and merit programmes
Students are to be punctual for all visits, including pre-trip briefings and debriefings.
Failure to attend a visit or briefing without a valid reason will render your attendance as incomplete.
This has severe consequences relating to you passing the study tour and graduating.
If there is insufficient interest to make a particular trip viable, it MAY be cancelled.
A minimum of 15 people (excluding academics) are needed to make a trip viable.
If a trip is not viable, we will try to accommodate those affected by the cancellation on other trips. Thus, it is imperative to apply for your trip of choice as soon as bookings open on the website.
Unfortunately not. WBS secures these tours as packages from travel agents, so alternative flight and hotel bookings cannot be accommodated.
No – the dates are fixed.
No. The trip is limited to WBS MBA or MM students. No exceptions will be made.
Yes. Free time is an important part of the experience, therefore we will ensure that there is some free time on all of the trips.
If you intend on selecting the sharing option, do try decide on who, before you book your tour. A list of students looking for a sharing partner will be made available once bookings have closed. WBS will have to assign you a sharing partner if you do not state who your sharing partner is on the booking form.
Yes, for all tours excluding Dubai.
No. All international tours require that you have a valid passport.
Your passport must be valid for 6 months after your time of travel.
The travel agent will inform you how many blank pages you need in your passport for your tour of choice, but it is usually 4 – 6 pages.
If you do not have a passport, enough blank pages in your passport, or your passport has expired, it is your responsibility to arrange the necessary documentation with Home Affairs.
Do this as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
You will be emailed your itinerary as soon as it is finalised.
Your travel agent will contact you to assist you with information required for arranging your visa.
You will be supplied a name tag with a QR code that is linked to a web page with all of the relevant contact and emergency numbers for your tour.
Yes, you may arrange a break-away trip, as long as this does not impact the rest of the group. Break-aways are generally only permitted before or after the group trip and may not impact your academic tour.
You will be responsible for any additional costs related to any break-away trip, and you need to finalise your alternative travel arrangements by Wednesday 15 May 2019.
A break-away trip can be arranged via the travel agent, when they contact you regarding your group trip.
As there are only 2 Global Study Tour Windows (March and November)
And 3 graduations in a year. (March, July and December.)
If you defer your global study tour, it is unlikely that you will graduate with your original Cohort.
Your Global Study Tour assignment will be delayed by 6 months,
and you could end up in the situation where you still have a unit to complete to meet graduation requirements.
b. Payment information
There are numerous options with selected pricing structures.
We have endeavoured to accommodate students with a payment structure with acceptable deadlines.
Your booking will be forfeited.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have your affairs in order ahead of booking day.
To be fair on all students, no exceptions will be made.
Please take note that other than what is stipulated on the website, cost breakdowns cannot be provided.
Tours are offered as packages by our partner institutions or travel agents.
Visas (if required).,The travel agent will provide you with details.Single room surcharge
Travel insurance (WBS has a low-cost option. However, many people prefer to arrange their own insurance.)
Inoculations
Shopping and other spending money
The elective registration fee is also excluded. (This is a fee for academic registration for this course. It is significantly lower than other elective registration fees.)
As with any travel booking, there is an element of risk involved until everything has been paid and all tickets have been issued. We watch these risk-factors closely. One way to reduce this risk is to ensure that payment deadlines are adhered to.
Please refer to the timeline that provides deadlines for the trip: https://wbsstudytours.co.za/time-lines/
No. If you successfully complete your international programme, the cost of the elective will be refunded to your fee account.
Note that estimates are not invoices and do not qualify as a booking for a study tour.
You can generate a pro forma invoice by booking a tour on the pro forma generator page.
A pro forma invoice will be emailed to you.
The pro forma page will be closed on Friday 15 March 2019.
The latest PAYMENT date accepted for purchase order payments is Monday 15 April 2019. The payment date must be clearly stipulated on your PO. Ensure you arrange your documentation in good time, to avoid disappointment.
Any additional documentation required should be requested via the support window in the bottom, right-hand side of your screen. Ensure that you request this in good time.
Ask your sponsors to transfer the funds to you fee account.
Pay for your tour using your fee account.
The latest PAYMENT date accepted for purchase orders is Monday 15 April 2019. Ensure that you arrange your purchase order in good time, to ensure that payment will be processed by this date.
If the tour you booked is more expensive than the tour that you are moved to, you will be refunded the difference in the price via your fee account.
If the tour you booked is less expensive than the tour that you are moved to, you will be supplied with an invoice for the difference in the price and given 1 month to settle the outstanding amount.
WBS go to every effort to avoid tours being cancelled.
c. Academic information
Yes. Our goal is to involve you as much as possible in tailoring the trip to meet your interests and preferences.
Once destinations and groups have been finalised, your academic lead will engage with you to discuss preferences, contacts, ideas, etc.
China:
Formula 1 Race Track, Olympic Stadium, Coca Cola bottling plant, VW luxury vehicle factory, Kone Cranes, Microsoft, McKinsey, Google, ZTE, McCann Erickson (ad agency), Shanghai Electric, Bright Foods, Sanofi, Peking University, Landpac, Standard Bank/ICBC, Anglo American, Wunderman China (ad agency), SA Embassy, Sasol China, Glaxo Smith Kline, Caterpillar/Barloworld, China Europe International Business School, Jiangsu Jingjiang Forklift Truck Company, Beijing Axis, Unisono Field Marketing, Kantar Retail, Lenovo.
South America:
Natura Pharmaceuticals, Petrobras, BHP Billiton, Mercedes Truck factory, SA Chamber of Commerce, Ford Lugar, National Bank for Socio-Economic Development, Volkswagen, Candido Mendes University, Anglo Ferrous, Universidad Del Desarrollo – School of Business, Catholic University – Innovation Centre, Adimark GfK, Havas Worldwide, Chile SA Chamber of Commerce, Anglo American (Copper division), Standard Bank Foundation (not part of our Standard Bank), Casa Lopez (leather), Arcor, Globant (digital incubator).
USA:
Uber, Google, Facebook, eBay, Stanford University, Columbia University, Arup, Launchpad Digital Health Accelerator, Workday, Oracle, Safmarine/Port of New Jersey, Vitality, Institute for the Future, Singularity University, NASA Ames Research Centre.
Great – this is part of the process. We want to make the trips as relevant to you as possible, so let us know in due course if you can help set up any visits or if you have a particular organisation you’d love to visit.
We can’t promise that this will be arranged, but we will certainly try our best.
The earlier you advise us, the more likely it is that we can try to arrange a visit of your choice.
You will be notified of details of briefings over email.
Ensure that you check your mailbox regularly to stay informed.
All pre-trip briefings, debriefings and assignments are compulsory.
Travel tips and readings are provided in the course outline.
Notify support that you will be unable to attend the briefing.
Your academic lead will keep your documentation for you until you meet up with the rest of the group.
You may need to collect tickets directly from the travel agent if you cannot attend a briefing. The travel agent will advise you on this.
No. The international programme counts as your foreign elective and forms a part of the MBA programme, so ensure that you secure a position on one of the tours.
This does not apply to MM students joining the global study tours.
Your last year of study.
MM students can choose any of the Global Study Tour options.
- The reason why you are applying for that specific tour.
- Your highest level of education.
- Your career and any career achievements to this point.
- Extra-curricular activities or achievements.
On successful completion of your International Programme, you will be awarded an elective credit. All students are required to complete this and all of the tours include this credit.
The Pearson Business College, London and University of La Verne, California Programmes include an additional Elective, as these Merit Courses are longer and incorporate lectures and programmes that count towards an elective. Students who are awarded this additional elective will be refunded for one of their WBS electives. The amount will be credited to their Fee Account on successful completion of their tour.