Terms and Conditions
Last updated: 17 June 2026.
These Terms and Conditions govern your use of the services provided by Shearwater, a sole trader business operated by Josh Francis, trading as Shearwater (referred to as "we", "us", or "Shearwater"). By purchasing a service from Shearwater, you agree to these Terms and Conditions in full.
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. They comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, and all other applicable UK legislation.
Shearwater is not a law firm or financial adviser. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions constitutes legal or financial advice.
1. About Us
Business name: Shearwater Operator: Josh Francis Business type: Sole trader Registered address: Devon, England Email: hello@shearwatercareers.com Website: shearwatercareers.com
2. Our Services
2.1 What We Provide
Shearwater provides technical career positioning services for environmental professionals, including:
Graduate Technical Positioning Audit
Graduate CV Rebuild
Graduate Profile Rebuild
Graduate Positioning Package
Professional Profile Audit
Professional Positioning Package
Free resources including the Technical Invisibility Self-Assessment
2.2 Nature of Service
Shearwater provides professional positioning and presentation advice based on sector knowledge and experience. We are not a recruitment agency. We do not guarantee employment outcomes, interview invitations, or job offers as a result of using our services.
Our services are advisory and editorial in nature. The application of any advice or rewritten content is the sole responsibility of the client.
2.3 Service Limitations
Shearwater operates as a sole trader. Services are delivered personally by Josh Francis. We reserve the right to limit the number of active orders at any time to maintain quality of delivery.
3. Placing an Order
3.1 How to Purchase
Services are purchased via payment links on our website at shearwatercareers.com. Payment is processed by Stripe. A purchase is confirmed when payment has been successfully processed and you receive a Stripe payment confirmation.
3.2 Intake Form
Following payment, you will be directed to complete an intake form. Work will not commence until the intake form has been received. The turnaround period begins from the date and time the completed intake form is submitted, not from the date of payment.
3.3 Accuracy of Information
You are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all information provided in the intake form. Shearwater is not liable for errors in delivery caused by inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information provided by the client.
4. Pricing and Payment
4.1 Prices
All prices are displayed in GBP and are inclusive of any applicable taxes. Prices are correct at the time of display on our website. We reserve the right to change prices at any time. Price changes will not affect orders already confirmed.
4.2 Payment
Full payment is required at the time of purchase. We do not offer payment plans, credit, or deferred payment. Payment is processed securely by Stripe. Shearwater does not store or have access to your payment card details.
4.3 Add-ons
Two add-ons are available on selected products:
Priority Turnaround (£49): available on all products. Reduces delivery to 24 to 48 hours from receipt of the completed intake form.
Application Pack (£99): available on Graduate CV Rebuild and Graduate Profile Rebuild only. Covers a cover letter, CV tailoring notes, and application strategy for one specific role.
Add-ons are captured at intake form stage following payment. They are not available as separate purchases.
A client who purchases the Professional Profile Audit may apply the full £299 paid towards the Professional Positioning Package where the upgrade is purchased within 30 days of the audit report date. The remaining balance payable is £250.
A client who purchases the Graduate Technical Positioning Audit may apply the full amount paid towards the Graduate CV Rebuild where the upgrade is purchased within 14 days of the audit delivery date. The remaining balance payable will be the difference between the audit price and the Graduate CV Rebuild price in force at the time of upgrade.
5. Delivery
5.1 Turnaround Times
Standard delivery: 5 to 7 working days from receipt of the completed intake form. This applies to all products.
Priority Turnaround: 24 to 48 hours from receipt of the completed intake form. Available on all products as an optional add-on at £49.
Graduate Technical Positioning Audit: 24 hours from receipt of the completed intake form.
5.2 Working Days
Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays and any periods where Shearwater has notified clients of planned absence.
5.3 Delivery Method
All deliverables are provided digitally via a shared Google Doc link sent to the email address provided at the time of purchase. We are not responsible for delivery failures caused by incorrect email addresses provided by the client.
5.4 Delays
Shearwater will make every reasonable effort to meet stated turnaround times. In the event of unforeseen circumstances causing a delay, we will notify you as soon as reasonably practicable. Where a significant delay occurs that is attributable to us, you may be entitled to a partial refund at our discretion.
6. Revisions and Scope
6.1 Audit Services
The Graduate Technical Positioning Audit and Professional Profile Audit are delivered as single written reports. These products are not subject to revision rounds.
6.2 Application Pack
The Application Pack is available as an add-on to the Graduate CV Rebuild and Graduate Profile Rebuild only.
6.3 Scope
Our services are limited to the deliverables described at the point of purchase. Any work falling outside the stated scope will be quoted separately. We reserve the right to decline out-of-scope requests.
7. Cancellation and Refunds
7.1 Your Right to Cancel
Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, you have the right to cancel a service contract within 14 days of purchase without giving a reason.
However, where you have submitted the intake form and work has commenced, you acknowledge that you have expressly requested that performance of the service begins before the end of the cancellation period. In this case, you may be charged for the proportion of the service already delivered.
Digital products (including the UK Graduate Launch Kit) delivered by immediate download are exempt from the right to cancel once the download has commenced, in accordance with Regulation 28(1)(b) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
7.2 How to Cancel
To exercise your right to cancel, contact us at hello@shearwatercareers.com before the intake form has been submitted and work has commenced. Cancellation requests must be made in writing.
7.3 Refunds
Where a valid cancellation is made before work has commenced, a full refund will be issued within 14 days via the original payment method.
Where work has commenced, a partial refund may be issued at our discretion reflecting the proportion of work not yet completed. We do not offer refunds on the basis of dissatisfaction with audit findings, disagreement with our professional assessment, or failure to secure employment following use of our services.
7.4 Non-Delivery
If we fail to deliver your order within the stated turnaround period without notification, and the delay is attributable to us, you are entitled to a full refund. Contact hello@shearwatercareers.com to request a refund on this basis.
8. Intellectual Property
8.1 Our Content
All content produced by Shearwater is created for your personal professional use. You may use this content for your own job search and career development purposes.
8.2 Restrictions
You may not reproduce, distribute, resell, or publish Shearwater deliverables for commercial purposes without our prior written consent.
8.3 Your Content
You retain ownership of all content you provide to us. By submitting your materials, you grant Shearwater a limited licence to use them solely for the purpose of delivering the purchased service.
9. Confidentiality
Shearwater treats all client information as confidential. We will not share your personal or professional information with third parties except as required to deliver the service or as required by law.
We may use anonymised, non-identifiable insights from our work to inform our service development and marketing content. No personally identifiable information will be used in any public-facing content without your explicit consent.
10. Limitation of Liability
10.1 What We Are Not Liable For
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Shearwater is not liable for:
Any failure to secure employment, an interview, or any other outcome following use of our services
Loss of earnings, loss of opportunity, or any indirect or consequential loss
Any inaccuracy in our assessment where it results from inaccurate or incomplete information provided by the client
Technical failures of third-party platforms including Stripe, Google, or MailerLite
10.2 Maximum Liability
Where liability cannot be excluded by law, our total liability to you shall not exceed the amount paid by you for that service.
10.3 Consumer Rights
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable UK law, including your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
11. Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, please contact us at hello@shearwatercareers.com. We aim to respond to all complaints within 5 working days.
12. Changes to These Terms
We reserve the right to update these Terms and Conditions at any time. The current version will always be published at shearwatercareers.com/terms. Continued use of our services following any update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
13. Governing Law
These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from these terms or from use of our services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.