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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 3 Jan 2025

Thank you for visiting Step Into My Shoes (“we,” “us,” or “our”). We are committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website at www.stepintomyshoes.co.uk (the “Website”), use our services, or otherwise interact with us.

We are a UK-based educational consultancy, specialising in University Admissions & Careers Guidance for students aiming to apply to top universities in the UK, US, and select European, Australian, and Canadian institutions. We also provide entrance test preparation and other support services.

We are committed to handling your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your information and how we will treat it.

  1. Who We Are

Step Into My Shoes is an award-winning higher educational consultancy, focusing on:

Providing holistic higher education guidance and career awareness to help students prepare for top university and course admissions.

Offering entrance test preparation, interview coaching, and personal statement support.

Partnering with higher education institutions and corporations to enrich students’ learning opportunities and career prospects.

Our mission is to help students present a strong, desirable candidacy to admissions teams and make informed decisions about their future studies and careers.

  1. Information We Collect 

We may collect and process the following types of personal information about you when you use our website or services:

Contact Information

Name, email address, telephone number, and postal address.

Academic and Background Information

Educational history, current school details, course interests, test scores, and relevant information related to university applications.

Payment Information

If you make payments through our Website, we may collect billing information. However, we do not store full payment card details as payments are processed by third-party payment processors.

Technical Information

IP address, browser type, time zone setting, operating system, and other information collected through cookies and similar technologies.

Usage Information

Information about how you use our Website, such as the pages you visit, time spent on each page, and links you click.

We will only collect and process personal information that is relevant, adequate, and necessary for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.

  1. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

Service Delivery

To provide our consultancy services, such as university and career guidance, entrance test preparation, and interview coaching.

To process your registration or enrolment for courses, workshops, or events.

To communicate with you about your coursework, admissions updates, or other related services.

Customer Support

To respond to your queries, requests, and feedback.

To send important updates or notifications related to our services.

Marketing & Communications

Where you have consented, to send newsletters, promotional materials, and information about events or services that may interest you.

You can opt out of receiving these messages at any time by following the unsubscribe link in the email or contacting us directly.

Business Operations & Compliance

To maintain our business records, process transactions, and comply with legal obligations.

For analytics, research, and service improvement, including the use of aggregated or anonymised data.

Use of AI Tools

Assessment & Feedback: We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in delivering and assessing practice tests, application reviews, or interview preparation materials.

Data Processing: If you participate in AI-enhanced activities, relevant data (e.g., essays, test responses) may be processed by our AI tools to provide personalised feedback. We will ensure that any personal data processed through AI is handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

  1. Legal Bases for Processing

 We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. The most common legal bases for processing your information are:

  • Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., receiving marketing communications).
  • Contract: Where the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract (e.g., enrolment in a course).
  • Legal Obligation: Where the processing is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation.
  • Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, except where such interests are overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms (e.g., improving our services).
  1. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your personal information with the following, where relevant and appropriate:

  • Service Providers: Trusted third-party service providers who assist us in running our Website or delivering our services (e.g., payment processors, IT support, AI tool providers, marketing platforms).
  • Educational Institutions & Partners: When necessary, and with your consent, we may share relevant data with universities, colleges, or partner organisations for admissions or collaboration purposes.
  • Legal and Regulatory Authorities: If required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests (e.g., court orders, government regulations).
  • Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or other business transaction, your personal information may be transferred to a successor entity.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to process it in accordance with the law. They are only permitted to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

  1. International Transfers

Some of the third parties or AI tools we use may be located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA). When we transfer your personal data internationally, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by implementing safeguards, such as:

Ensuring the recipient country has been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the UK Government.

Using specific contracts approved for use in the UK (e.g., International Data Transfer Agreements or Standard Contractual Clauses) which give personal data the same protection it has under UK law.

  1. Data Retention

We will only keep your personal data for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Generally:

  • Enrolment & Contractual Information: Retained for at least 6 years after completion for audit and legal purposes.
  • Marketing Data: Retained until you opt out or request erasure. Once we no longer require your personal data, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
  1. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to Access – You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification – You can ask us to correct incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you.
  • Right to Erasure – You can request that we delete your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it.
  • Right to Restrict Processing – You can ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in certain scenarios.
  • Right to Data Portability – You can request the transfer of your personal data to you or a third party in a machine-readable format.
  • Right to Object – You can object to the processing of your personal data in some circumstances, such as direct marketing.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent – Where we rely on consent to process your personal data, you can withdraw your consent at any time.
  • To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond to valid requests within one month or inform you if we need more time, in line with applicable laws.
  1. Security Measures

We are committed to protecting your personal data. We have implemented appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, accessed, altered, or disclosed in an unauthorised way. These measures include:

  • Secure servers and firewalls.
  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest where appropriate.
  • Access controls to ensure only authorised personnel can access personal data.
  • Regular review of our information collection, storage, and processing practices.
  • Despite these measures, please understand that no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.
  1. Children’s Privacy

Our services are geared towards students, including minors who are preparing for university admissions. We obtain consent from parents or guardians where necessary and comply with applicable child data protection regulations. If you believe we have mistakenly collected personal data from a child without proper consent, please contact us so we can investigate and promptly address the issue.

  1. Third-Party Links

Our Website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, or applications. Clicking on those links may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. Please review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

  1. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or would like to exercise any of your legal rights, please contact us:

Email: info@stepintomyshoes.co.uk

Postal Address: Step Into My Shoes, [Your Business Address], United Kingdom.

We will do our best to address your concerns or complaints. You also have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. For more information, please visit www.ico.org.uk.

  1. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we do, we will post the updated Privacy Policy on this page and update the “Last updated” date at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal information.

By using our Website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any aspect of this Privacy Policy, you should discontinue use of our Website and/or services.