EF Education
EF Education First is an organisation of language schools that was founded 1965 in Sweden by Bertil Hult. It consists of 14 separate subsidiaries focused on language travel, educational travel, cultural exchange, au pair and academic studies. The company employs more than 26,000 people in offices across 51 countries. Bertil Hult retired to be chairman of the board and Louise Julian is now CEO.
History
EF was founded in 1965 when Bertil Hult took a small group of Swedish students to the United Kingdom to study English during the summer. During the 1970's it opened offices in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Mexico. In 1985 EF welcomed it's 1,000,000th student.
Today, EF offers a wide range of Language Travel, language courses, educational placements in countries and establishments all over the world.
English First
English First is one of the products of EF Education First. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, English First has grown phenomenally in the last two years. Now it has over 400 offices and schools all over the world, with over 90 schools across 50 cities in China. EF also has a global network of 27,000 teachers, professionals, and staff. Its motto for recruiting teachers is: "It's not just about a job, it's about changing lives, including your own." English First is also the official language training services supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Each EF school is well-equipped with computer labs, colorful classrooms, lounges, and teacher preparation areas. EF tries to recruit teachers internationally, with this year's goal at 1,000 teachers. Currently, there are more than 1,000 people teaching Egnlish for EF in China. A division of EF, called Teacher Life Club (TLC), is specifically dedicated to helping teachers transition to life in China smoothly. Teachers all have TEFL qualifications as well as bachelor degrees or the equivalent.
The two main schools are called Classic School, which teaches English to children ages 18 months to 18 years, and Smart School, which teaches English to professionals over 22 years old. The offices and schools all have a similar design--very colorful, bright, and open.