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EF Education First
EF Education First (abbreviated as EF) is an international education company that specialises in language training, educational travels, academic degree programmes, and cultural exchanges. The company was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult in the Swedish university town of Lund. The company is privately held by the Hult family.
As of 2017, EF had approximately 52,000 employees in 116 countries.
Bertil Hult dropped out of college to launch EF's initial product, English immersion trips to the UK for Swedish students. He had struggled to learn English in school, but while interning for a shipbroker in London, he found he picked English up more easily. He came to believe that "learning by doing" could be as effective as traditional classroom methods.
In the 1970s, EF opened language schools and expanded sales across Western Europe and Asia. In 1972, EF opened its first school in Japan, at the same time that English language keyboards were introduced there. In 1979, the company introduced its first cultural exchange programme, EF High School Exchange Year.
In the 1980s, EF began organising educational travel and immersion programmes for North Americans with no language learning component, including EF Explore America, EF Educational Tours, and EF Go Ahead Tours. The company also launched an au pair programme in 1988, EF Au Pair, today Cultural Care Au Pair, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of State.
In 1988, EF served for the first time as the official language training services provider for the Seoul Olympic Games, giving free language training services to judges, athletes, volunteers, and host country residents. The company went on to serve in the same capacity for Beijing 2008, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022.
In 1993, EF opened its first office in China. The company's network of English language schools in China grew quickly. It differentiated itself from competitors by marketing its international footprint and hiring native English-speaking teachers from abroad. It selected its expansion locations by looking for cities with a university, a McDonald's, and more than 1 million residents.
In 1996, the company launched EF Englishtown, now EF English Live, which was among the first online English schools. In 1997, EF sponsored two teams in the Whitbread Round the World Race – a men's team (EF Language) that won the competition, and the race's first fully female-helmed team (EF Education).
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EF Education First
EF Education First (abbreviated as EF) is an international education company that specialises in language training, educational travels, academic degree programmes, and cultural exchanges. The company was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult in the Swedish university town of Lund. The company is privately held by the Hult family.
As of 2017, EF had approximately 52,000 employees in 116 countries.
Bertil Hult dropped out of college to launch EF's initial product, English immersion trips to the UK for Swedish students. He had struggled to learn English in school, but while interning for a shipbroker in London, he found he picked English up more easily. He came to believe that "learning by doing" could be as effective as traditional classroom methods.
In the 1970s, EF opened language schools and expanded sales across Western Europe and Asia. In 1972, EF opened its first school in Japan, at the same time that English language keyboards were introduced there. In 1979, the company introduced its first cultural exchange programme, EF High School Exchange Year.
In the 1980s, EF began organising educational travel and immersion programmes for North Americans with no language learning component, including EF Explore America, EF Educational Tours, and EF Go Ahead Tours. The company also launched an au pair programme in 1988, EF Au Pair, today Cultural Care Au Pair, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of State.
In 1988, EF served for the first time as the official language training services provider for the Seoul Olympic Games, giving free language training services to judges, athletes, volunteers, and host country residents. The company went on to serve in the same capacity for Beijing 2008, Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022.
In 1993, EF opened its first office in China. The company's network of English language schools in China grew quickly. It differentiated itself from competitors by marketing its international footprint and hiring native English-speaking teachers from abroad. It selected its expansion locations by looking for cities with a university, a McDonald's, and more than 1 million residents.
In 1996, the company launched EF Englishtown, now EF English Live, which was among the first online English schools. In 1997, EF sponsored two teams in the Whitbread Round the World Race – a men's team (EF Language) that won the competition, and the race's first fully female-helmed team (EF Education).