HGE takes your privacy extremely seriously; we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains the what, how, and why of the information we collect from you, including when you visit our website. It also explains the specific ways we use and disclose any information.

Who are we?

We are company number 11034315 registered in the UK as Hyde Global Education Ltd. We are an UK-Sino educational service provider and a guardianship organisation.

The registered office address is First floor, 10 Devonshire Row, London EC2M 4RH.

How do we collect information from you?

We obtain information about you when you use our website, when you contact us and when you apply to work with us or use our services.

What type of information is collected from you?

The personal information we collect might include your name, address, contact details, email address, IP address, information regarding which HGE webpages you have accessed and when.

We will collect sensitive details about our employees, homestays, students and parents. This might include proof of ID, dates of birth, addresses etc.

How is your information used by HGE?

HGE may use your information to:

Carry out our obligations arising from any contracts/ agreements entered into by you and us.

Help us improve our services and target our audience more effectively.

Send you details of forthcoming events and training which we feel would be of interest to you.

Why does HGE collect your information?

To enable us to undertake our job.

For safer recruitment purposes.

Who will your information be shared with?

HGE will never share your information with any third party, without your prior consent. The exception to this is where there is a safeguarding concern which results in the need to share information with external agencies, the police or the DSL in schools.

HGE will share information on a ‘need to know’ basis with our staff, homestays, students, parents/ agents and schools.

HGE never sells lists or email addresses.

How will HGE’s privacy information be provided?

orally

in writing

electronically

UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR)

UK GDPR will replace current data privacy law, giving more rights to you as an individual and more obligations to organisations holding your personal data. We have created this privacy notice, along with information about the increased rights you have in relation to the information we hold on you and the legal basis on which we are using it.

How we use your information

This privacy notice tells you what to expect when HGE collects personal information. It applies to information we collect about:

visitors to our website;

complainants and other individuals in relation to a data protection or freedom of information complaint or enquiry;

people who use our services e.g. who subscribe to our newsletter;

people who we notify under the Data Protection Act;

job applicants and our current employees.

Links to other websites

This Privacy Notice does not cover any links within the HGE website linking to other websites/organisations. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites  you visit.

Security and performance

HGE does not use any third-party service to help maintain the security and performance of our website, only the service that Godaddy offers with regards to hosting. IP  addresses of visitors are taken when people are on our website.

People who contact us via social media

HGE communicate with  parents and students via WeChat and Emails.

WeChat’s privacy notice can be found here: https://www.wechat.com/en/privacy_policy.html 

People who make a complaint to us

When we receive a complaint from a person, we make up a file containing the details of the complaint. This normally contains the identity of the complainant and any other individuals involved  in the complaint. We will only use the personal information we collect to process the complaint.

From time to time, we may compile and publish statistics showing information such as the number of complaints we receive, but not in a form which identifies anyone. We usually have to disclose the complainant’s identity to whoever the complaint is about. This is inevitable where, for example, the accuracy of a person’s record is in dispute. If a complainant does not want information identifying him or her to be disclosed, we will try to respect that. However, it may not be possible to handle a complaint on an anonymous basis. We will keep personal information contained in complaint files for 3 years, from closure. It will be retained in a secure environment and access to it will be restricted according to the ‘need to know’ principle. Similarly, where enquiries are submitted to us, we will only use the information supplied to us to deal with the enquiry and any subsequent issues.

People who use the services of HGE

We never use a third-party to deal with any information requests. All requests are handled in-house.  Any provided contact details are only used to provide the requested information, or other closely related purposes. For example, we might use such information about people who requested information about HGE in order to send them information about our services. However, when people receive this information, they have an option to unsubscribe.

Job applicants, current and former HGE employees

HGE is the data controller for the information you provide during the process unless otherwise stated. HGE occasionally uses a third-party Recruitment website to assist in collating applicants, such as Indeed. Such third-party recruitment websites would assist in our recruitment service.

What will we do with the information you provide to us?

All of the information you provide during the recruitment process will only be used for the purpose of progressing your application, or to fulfil legal or regulatory requirements if necessary. We will not  share any of the information you provide during the recruitment process with any third parties for marketing purposes. The information you provide will be held securely by us whether the information is in electronic or physical format. We will use the contact details you provide to us to contact you to progress your application. We will use the other information you provide to assess your suitability for the role you have applied for.

What information do we ask for, and why?

We do not collect more information than we need to fulfil our stated purposes and will not retain it  for longer than is necessary. The information we ask for is used to assess your suitability for employment. You don’t have to provide what we ask for, but it might affect your application if you do not.

Application stage

HGE will ask for a covering letter and curriculum vitae/ application form. When recruiting it is important that our practices are non-discriminatory and  fair to all by adhering to the principles underpinning equality of opportunity which are covered in the United Kingdom by the Equality Act 2010 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010- guidance).

In asking for applicants to provide us with a covering letter and curriculum vitae/ application form, we will be requesting personal details including name and contact details. We will also ask you about  your previous work experience, education, referees and for answers to questions relevant to the role you have applied for. Staff involved in the recruitment process will have access to this information. As an alternative to paper applications, HGE may use online recruitment application forms, if so, the above still applies. Shortlisting Staff involved in the recruitment process will create a     shortlist of applicants to call for interview, based on the requirements of the post, in order to select the right candidate for the job.

Assessments

HGE might ask you to participate in tests, and/or to attend an interview – or a combination of these. Information will be generated by you and by us. For example, you might complete a written test, or we might take interview notes. This information is held by HGE.

Conditional offer

If HGE makes a conditional offer of employment we may ask you for information so that we can carry out pre-employment checks. You must successfully complete pre-employment checks to progress to a final offer. We are required to confirm the identity of our staff, their right to work in the United Kingdom and seek assurance as to their trustworthiness, integrity and reliability. You may therefore be required to provide:

Proof of your identity and right to work in the UK. Such copies will be kept for 6 years beyond the end of your period of work with HGE, in line with statutory recommended retention periods.

Proof of your qualifications. Such copies will be kept for 6 years beyond the end of your period of work with HGE.

We will contact your referees, using the details you provide in your application, directly to obtain references.

Start date

If we make a final offer which is accepted, we will also ask you for the following:

Bank details – to process salary payments;

Emergency contact details – so we know who to contact in case you have an emergency at work;

Details required enabling you to join our pension scheme (where applicable);

Where applicable, we will ask you to complete an application for an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check;

HGE’s Code of Conduct requires all staff to declare if they have any potential conflicts of interest.

How long is the information retained for?

If you are successful, the information you provide during the application process will be retained by us as part of your employee file for the duration of your employment plus 6 years following the end of your employment. This includes your criminal records declaration, fitness to work, records of any security checks, references, and equal opportunities information. The 6-year time limit refers to the

timeframe in which legal proceedings must be commenced as laid down under the Limitation Act 1980. Thus, where documents may be relevant to a contractual claim, it is recommended that these  be retained for at least the corresponding 6-year limitation period.

How we make decisions about recruitment?

Final recruitment decisions are made by the recruitment team. All of the information gathered during the application process is taken into account. 

Your rights Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and supplementary legislation (such as UK GDPR)

You have rights as an individual which you can exercise in relation to the information we hold about  you.

Complaints or queries

HGE tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. For this reason, we take any complaints we receive about this very seriously. We encourage people to inform us if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. We would also welcome any suggestions for improving our procedures. If you would like to make a complaint about the way we have processed your personal information, you can contact us at info@hydeglobaleducation.com.

Access to personal information

HGE tries to be as open as it can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. Individuals can find out if we hold any personal information by making a ‘subject access request’ under the Data Protection Act 2018 and subsequent legislation. If we do hold information about you  we will:

give you a description of it;

tell you why we are holding it;

tell you who it could be disclosed to; and

let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.

If you agree, we will try to deal with your request informally, for example by providing you with the specific information you need over the telephone. If we do hold information about you, you can ask  us to correct any mistakes.

Disclosure of personal information

We will not disclose personal data without consent. However, when we investigate a complaint, for example, we will need to share personal information with the organisation concerned and with other relevant bodies.

How to contact us

To make a request to HGE for any personal information we may hold, or for a copy of our privacy notice, please contact us at info@hydeglobaleducation.com

This policy was written in March 2022 by Erica Liu, and will be reviewed in March 2022 by Annie Hu. We may update this private policy from time to time as necessary.