Introduction
Pro Fluency Academy (“PFA”, “we”, “us”, “our”) provides online English language coaching, downloadable resources, mini lessons, academies, group and 1:1 lessons, memberships, and voice-note coaching to adult learners worldwide, through our website at profluencyacademy.com.
We respect your privacy and are committed to handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, how we protect it, and the choices and rights you have. It applies to our website, our digital products, our live lesson and coaching services, and any other way we interact with you as a customer, student, or website visitor.
We have prepared this policy to meet the standards of the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), even though, as a small business, PFA may currently fall under the small business exemption (generally, annual turnover of $3 million or less). We have chosen to follow the APPs voluntarily as best practice, because we work with students based outside Australia. Where our students are in the European Union or United Kingdom, we also aim to meet the relevant requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR.
Who we are
Nicole Jayne Laird, trading as Pro Fluency Academy
ABN: 99 603 966 736
Business location: Brisbane, Australia
Contact email: hello@profluencyacademy.comWe do not publish a business phone number. All enquiries, including privacy questions and requests, should be sent to the email address above.
Personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. This may include:
- Contact details: your name, email address, and (if you provide it) social media handle, when you enquire, sign up, book a session, or subscribe to our mailing list.
- Account details: a username and password, if you create a login for our membership area or student portal.
- Payment information: processed securely by our third-party payment processor (such as Stripe or PayPal) when you purchase a resource, lesson, membership, or coaching package. We do not see or store your full card number.
- Lesson-related content: notes, feedback, voice notes, recordings (if any), and written submissions you provide as part of a lesson, coaching exchange, or Academy activity, used to tailor your learning and track your progress.
- Communications: emails, messages, or enquiries you send us, and our replies.
- Website usage data: pages visited, device/browser type, approximate location (from IP address), and how you interact with our site, collected via cookies and similar technologies — see Section 7 (Cookies).
- Booking and scheduling details: if you use a booking tool (such as Calendly) or video calling tool (such as Zoom or Google Meet) to arrange or attend a lesson.
We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our business functions and activities. We do not knowingly collect sensitive information (such as health or background information) unless you choose to share it with us as part of a lesson discussion, and even then we only use it for the purpose of that conversation.
How we collect your information
We collect personal information directly from you, in these ways:
- When you fill in a form on our website (enquiry, sign-up, booking, or checkout).
- When you purchase a resource, lesson, membership, or coaching package.
- When you email us or message us on Instagram.
- When you attend a live lesson, send a voice note, or submit homework/practice material.
- Automatically, through cookies and analytics tools when you browse our website (see Section 7).
We do not collect personal information about you from third parties, except where that third party is one of our service providers (e.g. our payment processor confirming a transaction was successful).
Why we use your information
We use your personal information to:
- Provide and deliver our services — lessons, coaching, digital resources, memberships, and bookings.
- Process payments and manage your purchases, subscriptions, and refunds.
- Communicate with you about your bookings, purchases, or enquiries.
- Personalise your learning — tailoring lesson content and feedback to your goals and progress.
- Send you marketing communications, such as our tips newsletter, where you have subscribed or otherwise consented (see Section 6).
- Improve our website, products, and services, including through analytics.
- Meet our legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
- Protect the security and integrity of our business and website.
Marketing communications
If you subscribe to our mailing list or otherwise provide express consent, we may send you marketing emails containing English tips, course updates, and offers, in line with Australia’s Spam Act 2003. Every marketing email will:
- clearly identify Pro Fluency Academy as the sender, with accurate contact details;
- include a free, functioning unsubscribe link that we will action within 5 business days; and
- only be sent where you have given express consent (e.g. ticking a sign-up box) or we can reasonably infer consent from an existing relationship with you (e.g. you are an active student).
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email, or by emailing hello@profluencyacademy.com. Unsubscribing from marketing emails will not affect transactional communications (such as booking confirmations or receipts) related to a service you’ve purchased.
Cookies and similar technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies, which may include:
- Essential cookies — needed for the website and any cart/checkout or login functionality to work.
- Analytics cookies (e.g. Google Analytics) — to understand how visitors use our website, in aggregate.
- Advertising/marketing pixels (e.g. Meta/Instagram Pixel) — to measure and improve our marketing, and to show you relevant ads on social media.
If you are visiting from the European Union or United Kingdom, we will ask for your consent to non-essential cookies before they are set, and you can change your preferences at any time via the cookie banner/settings on our website. You can also control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality (such as logging in or completing a purchase).
Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with trusted third parties who help us run our business, including:
- Payment processors (e.g. Stripe, PayPal) — to process your payment securely.
- Website hosting and e-commerce platform providers (e.g. WordPress/Wix and any associated plugins).
- Email marketing platforms (e.g. Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or similar) — to send newsletters you’ve subscribed to.
- Video calling and scheduling tools (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet, Calendly) — to deliver and schedule live lessons.
- Analytics and advertising providers (e.g. Google Analytics, Meta) — in aggregate or pseudonymised form where possible.
- Professional advisers (e.g. accountant, bookkeeper) where necessary to run our business.
- Law enforcement or regulators, where required by law.
Each of these providers only receives the personal information necessary for them to perform their function, and we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle it securely.
Overseas disclosure and international students
Because we teach students located around the world, your personal information may be stored or processed on servers located outside Australia (for example, by our hosting provider, payment processor, or email/video tools, which may store data in the United States, Europe, or elsewhere).
If you are located in the European Union or United Kingdom, GDPR / UK GDPR principles apply to our handling of your personal information, and you have the rights described in Section 12 below. Where we transfer your information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it continues to be protected to a standard consistent with the APPs and, where applicable, GDPR.
Data security
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security practices are described in detail in our separate Security Policy, and include encrypted connections, secure and reputable third-party service providers, and limited access to personal information (as a sole trader, Nicole is the only person with direct access to most systems, aside from the trusted service providers listed in Section 8).