Fix the booking you are comparing
A lower headline price can describe a different stay. Write one brief and send it to both schools: student age, course goal, campus, arrival and departure dates, first and last teaching dates, room occupancy and any accessibility requirements. Ask for a dated quotation and its validity deadline.
- Use exact dates, not just ‘one month’.
- Specify whether the room price is per person and how many people share it.
- Request the number and duration of individual and group lessons separately.
- Mark optional activities and independent study outside the compulsory teaching total.
Copy this comparison sheet
| Line | What both offers must specify |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Course, compulsory lessons, lesson minutes, teaching days |
| Accommodation | Campus or hotel, occupancy, check-in/out, total nights |
| Meals | Meals per day, weekends, arrival and departure days |
| One-off charges | Registration, materials, transfer and document-handling charges |
| Variable charges | Electricity, laundry, transport and their billing basis |
| Deposit | Amount paid, deductions and return procedure |
| Payment | Currency, recipient, deadlines and transfer charges |
Add three columns of your own: School A, School B and unresolved. Keep the school's original currency. If you convert for planning, record your exchange-rate assumption and date; a converted estimate is not the school's invoice.
Read inclusions literally
QQEnglish's public study-abroad plan separates lessons, accommodation, meals and additional options. It also lists registration and local charges separately. This is a useful example of why ‘course price’ cannot be read as ‘complete trip price’. The same page contains inconsistent accommodation figures across different blocks; obtain a current written quote instead of selecting the lowest number.
Record ‘included’, ‘excluded’, ‘estimated’ or ‘not confirmed’ for every line. ‘All inclusive’ without a service list is not enough. Check whether a transfer covers the correct airport, arrival time and direction. A room deposit can increase the cash you need even when some or all of it is later returned.
Resolve differences before ranking
Hypothetical example: Offer A includes weekday meals and Offer B does not mention meals. Do not call A cheaper or B more flexible yet. Request B's meal arrangements and check weekend food costs for both. Likewise, an extra accommodation night can explain a package difference without changing tuition.
- Compare confirmed compulsory charges for the same stay.
- Show refundable deposits separately from expected non-refundable spending.
- Keep unconfirmed charges visible; do not enter zero.
- List excluded travel, insurance and personal spending outside the school subtotal.
- Compare educational fit alongside cost: suitable level, lesson format and realistic workload.
Request a final version you can keep
Ask: ‘Please confirm all compulsory charges for these dates, list exclusions, show deposits separately and state which amounts may change.’ Save the quotation, the policy version and the booking confirmation together. If a detail changes, request a revised quotation rather than relying on a chat promise. This checklist compares offers; it does not establish availability or guarantee the cheapest school.
Frequently asked questions
Can I compare weekly prices alone?
Only when duration, teaching days and inclusions match. Registration and other fixed charges can make a short stay cost more per week.
Should I add a refundable deposit to the budget?
Include it in cash required, but show it separately from final spending. Confirm deductions, return timing and currency.
What if a school does not answer a line?
Mark it unconfirmed and request clarification. An omitted charge is not proof that the service is free.
Sources and further reading
QQEnglish: study-abroad plans. Source checked: 2026-10-23.
Cost to study English in the Philippines: build an itemised budget