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Terms of participation for coaches

(effective as of November 6, 2020)

The following terms of participation cover applications to participate as a coach in the business@school project of The Boston Consulting Group GmbH (BCG), Ludwigstraße 21, 80539 Munich.

The current version of these terms of participation is available on the b@s platform. Different versions of these terms of participation will not be stored on the b@s platform. You may download these terms of participation to your computer and print them out.

1. The role of coach

business@school is an initiative of the international consulting firm The Boston Consulting Group GmbH (BCG), Ludwigstraße 21, 80539 Munich. Since 1998, the objective of business@school has been to give senior high school students a closer look at business, including hands-on experience, over the course of one full school year.

Coaches use their expertise to assist participating students, such as in the calculation of performance indicators or the analysis of annual reports, relevant market segments, and competitors. They support student teams with their practical know-how and answer questions on business-related topics.

Coaches may also invite their student teams to visit their companies. Coach meetings with students must be insured by their respective schools as school events. Coaches must therefore inform involved teachers of planned meetings well in advance.

Coaches may not be assigned to student teams that include their own children or students who are otherwise related to them.

2. Application and participation

These terms of participation cover applications to act as a coach and to participate in business@school as a coach.

Only persons age 18 and over on the date of application may participate as coaches.

To apply to participate in business@school, prospective coaches must fill out the application form in the public area of the online platform www.businessatschool.de (hereinafter "b@ platform") fully and correctly and accept these terms of participation.

By clicking on "Submit application," prospective coaches submit a binding application to participate in business@school. Applicants are therefore asked to check their entries and correct any errors before clicking on "Submit application."

Applicants must inform BCG immediately of any changes to the information entered (especially e-mail address) and update the relevant information themselves later under their online profile on the b@s platform.  

BCG will review the applications received and send notification of acceptance or rejection for participation in business@school by e-mail to the e-mail address provided. Participation in business@school as a coach is confirmed only after applicants receive notification of their acceptance.

Submitting an application, accepting the terms of participation, and being accepted for participation as a coach by BCG do not entitle individuals to use the non-public area of the b@s platform, which is used for teamwork and competition by participating students and teachers and for communication, coordination, and support by participating teachers, students, coaches, and BCG. The use of the non-public area of the b@s platform is required for participation in business@school, and possible only after acceptance of the platform's terms of use. These are provided to applicants who have been accepted to participate as coaches.

3. Communication with participating students

For reasons related to privacy, the use of modern means of communication such as WhatsApp for school purposes is viewed critically and prohibited by the ministries of education in most of Germany's federal states. We therefore ask coaches to use the business@school messaging service in the ProjectCommunity or e-mail. In any case, coaches should consult closely with participating teachers in regard to the tools they may use to communicate with participating students.

Coaches should strive to put students at ease and to provide them with a realistic impression of their work and studies, while being aware that their personal contact with students is extremely important and contributes decisively to the success of the project.

4. The role of coach team spokesperson

The coach team spokesperson, who functions as the main point of contact for participating teachers and the business@school project office, should ideally be an experienced coach.

The role of coach team spokesperson is essential in ensuring that relevant aspects of the project function smoothly throughout the school year. Specifically, the tasks of the coach team spokesperson are as follows:

  • Organization of the school's kickoff event together with participating teachers
  • Assignment of coaches to student teams in consultation with participating teachers while ensuring fair and equal treatment of all teams. If possible, new coaches should be assigned to teams together with experienced coaches
  • Advance coordination with coaches to decide which of them would like to offer support on additional topics, such as performance indicator calculation or the explanation of legal forms for companies in phase III
  • Maintenance of an overview of the status of coaching in all teams and assurance of sufficient coach presence at meetings (coordination and management of subbing schedules)

5. Note on the use of videoconferencing services in the context of the project

Videoconferencing services may be used to conduct seminars, workshops, and BCG events held in the context of business@school, as well as for the regional events, the German and International Finals organized by BCG, and discussions with coaches. Data privacy information on the videoconferencing services selected by BCG in individual cases will be provided when registering for the respective event or before the respective regional competition or Finals, as well as before meetings with BCG coaches.

6. Limitation of liability

Any claims for damages—irrespective of the legal grounds—against The Boston Consulting Group GmbH (BCG) due to negligent violation of obligations are permissible only in the event of a violation of a material contractual duty or cardinal obligation. Liability is restricted to typically foreseeable damages. Any other liability is excluded. These restrictions shall not apply in cases of injury to life, body, or health, or insofar as the damage is caused by an intentional or grossly negligent violation of duty.

7. Withdrawal and cancellation

If you are not able to continue acting as a coach during a project year, please inform Wanda Jakob so that a replacement can be found.

Before you have been accepted to participate, your application may be withdrawn at any time. After you have been accepted to participate, you may cancel your participation at any time. Withdrawals of applications and cancellations of participation must be received in writing, such as by e-mail sent to info@~@businessatschool.de.

After acceptance, BCG may cancel a coach's participation in business@school with 14 calendar days advance notice.

The right to cancellation without notice for good cause remains unaffected. Cancellations by BCG will be sent by e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the respective coach.