EF Education First: A Global Leader in International Education

EF Education First (EF) is an international education company specializing in language training, educational travel, academic degree programs, and cultural exchange. Founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult in Lund, Sweden, EF has grown into a global network with offices and schools in over 100 countries. The company's hubs are located in Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England; and Zurich, Switzerland.

The Genesis of EF: A Personal Revelation

Our story begins with a single teenager who discovered first-hand the power of experiential learning. It opened his eyes and changed his life. In 1960, Swedish student Bertil Hult struggled with dyslexia for years. Unsure of his future, he moved to London for work. After only a few short months, he was fluent in English-a feat he never thought possible. That discovery inspired Bertil to launch EF Education First in 1965-a company built on experiential learning, cultural immersion and authentic connections. This experience is at the core of our educational philosophy.

A Heritage of Innovation and Expansion

In 1965 Bertil Hult brought a group of Swedish students to Brighton, England. The idea was simple - students would learn English while traveling on holiday. Over 60 years later, millions of people have created opportunities for themselves through EF.

1965: Bertil Hult invents the concept of English language travel
1970s: Government deregulation of air travel makes mass tourism possible. EF opens in many new markets with programs such as cultural exchange for high school students
1980s: EF launches educational tours in the US and provides education services to the Olympic Games for the first time at the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics
1990s: The internet becomes publicly available and EF starts what is today the world's largest online language school
2000s: EF opens higher education programs and international boarding schools
2010s: EF and the University of Cambridge collaborate to research language learning, and EF and the UN work together to create a joint global summer school program
2020s: EF forges into the future by rapidly scaling up innovations in hybrid learning while also making a historic carbon neutrality commitment
2023: EF is proud to be the Official Language Training Services Supplier for Rugby World Cup France 2023.

Global Reach and Diverse Programs

EF's educational travel and cultural exchange programs provide international and domestic travel experiences, hands-on learning and lasting cultural connections for both students and adults. Students learn new languages for school, work and personal growth, online and in EF classrooms around the world. Study abroad programs allow them to practice and improve where the language and culture come to life. Fully accredited EF schools offer International Baccalaureate diplomas and university preparatory classes -all of which emphasize experiential learning. In addition, we are associated with Hult International Business School where students can earn both a bachelors degree and an MBA.

Academic Study

Earn a degree, certificate, or credential. We offer degree programs at secondary, university, and post-graduate levels. Students who attend our schools go on to study at the world’s best universities. We are also associated with Hult International Business School, renowned for its top-ranked graduate and undergraduate programs.

Educational Travel

Turn the world into your classroom. EF leads expertly guided tours to the world’s greatest sights and landscapes. Itineraries are tailored to the needs of teachers and students at all levels. We also develop adventures and travel experiences for people of all ages and interests.

Language Learning

Communicate with the world in 10+ languages. An EF language course can help you talk to the world, in English and other widely spoken languages. We have fully accredited schools in 50 of the world’s most exciting cities, as well as EF English Live - the world’s largest online English school.

Cultural Exchange

Experience life as a local. Our exchange programs give young adults the chance to experience America as a local. Host families provide safe and secure homes in US communities for our high school students choosing to study for a year abroad.

Expansion into China

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.

Hult International Business School and the Hult Prize

In 2002, the Hult family purchased the Arthur D. EF and Hult International Business School started the Hult Prize in 2010, which challenges young people to solve the planet's pressing issues through social entrepreneurship.

EF Impact

At EF, everything we do ripples outwards, transforming people, communities, and ultimately, the planet. Our impact defines who we are as a company and how we contribute to a better world.

Cambridge Headquarters

Skanska was selected as the design-build general contractor for EF Education First's new North American headquarters, which includes 261,727-SF of general office, educational and restaurant space and 64,700-SF devoted to a three-level above-grade parking garage for 125 vehicles. 30,000-SF of public space on the ground and second floors, includes a 14,000-SF, 440-seat restaurant with outdoor seating. The project also incorporated a winter garden and landscaped and hardscape spaces sited both onsite and in nearby parkland. Visitors and parkland users have access to 31,000-SF of outdoor space. The design and construction teams used BIM/VDC to collaborate on a number of innovations to improve quality, efficiency and schedule for both the core and shell and the fitout. Raised floor open plenum space allowed expandable plug-and-play electrical and data wiring. Plumbing was prefabricated on racks. Crews also prefabricated the stair traversing the 150' high atrium, allowing eight floors to be installed within a two-day window. The curtain wall was unitized, enabling speed of envelope completion and establishing quality assurance. The project, a key development parcel in the city of Cambridge, is energy-efficient and marked by signature architectural elements. Substantial public benefits were gained by integrating the project site with passive and active recreation amenities at North Point Park.

Celebrations and Recognition

Friday was a big day in the history of EF Education First, the for-profit education company that just opened a massive new complex in Cambridge. The Swedish firm, which started with just three workers and now employs more than 37,000 people in dozens of countries, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of events in Boston that included speeches at the Hynes Convention Center by former President Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and governors past and present Deval Patrick and Charlie Baker. Other speakers included Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, Indian actress-singer Priyanka Chopra, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and, via video, former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. The celebration continued with a party Friday night at the Delta hangar at Logan Airport. We’re told the space was outfitted with a replica of a Swedish birch forest to represent Lund, where the company was founded, and another area made to look like Brighton, England, the destination of the first EF tour group of Swedish students. Guests were treated to a Swedish buffet of salmon, herring, and creamed potatoes, as well as English pub fare like beef Wellington and Yorkshire pudding.

Roots in Educational Travel

The educational travel industry had religious beginnings in the sixties at the hands of the elders of the Mormon Church, in Salt Lake City, who for long had sponsored the travel of young people overseas for missionary purposes. Two astute Mormon businessmen produced the Foreign Language League (FLL), later to be renamed the Foreign Study League (FSL) and thousands of high school and college students traveled with “the League” to Europe. ALSG (the American Leadership Study Groups) was created in 1965 by a Yale University graduate student and former Fulbright Scholar, Gil Markle (founder of Passports Educational Group Travel), who brought the thriving young student travel business to Clark University, in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he taught Philosophy until 1972. ACIS (American Council for International Studies) was created in 1978 by a former philosophy student of Markle’s, Mike Eizenberg, who had worked creatively at ALSG for many years. ACIS, still an educational travel industry leader today, was purchased by AIFS in 1987, but not before spawning AET (American Educational Travel). AET is no longer in existence, but certain of its former ALSG-trained staff, created a new company called NETC (National Educational Travel Council). In 2012, NETC joined educational travel industry leader Worldstrides and became known as WorldStrides International Discovery Programs. The once active CSI (Cultural Studies International) and Ciao! (a fourth generation descendant) also traced their history to ALSG. Increasingly active during the midseventies, and offering quality, “budget-priced” overseas tours, were CHA (Cultural Heritage Alliance) owned by a well-known educator from Philadelphia and EF-Educational Tours, owned by a successful Swedish entrepreneur. Another ALSG spin off was a company called Voyageur, also based in Massachusetts, led by two former ALSG staffers Paul Colella and Joey Cancelmo. The company operated successfully until May 12, 2009, when in a recessionary environment bankruptcy was declared. In 1988, ALSG was taken over by AAI (Access America, Inc). In 1992, ALSG’s founder Gil Markle banded together with several former colleagues and created Passports Educational Group Travel. The company, now an established educational travel industry leader, is headquartered in Spencer, Massachusetts*, and sponsors the overseas travel of several thousand American students and teachers each year. Jim Gibson, an early employee of Passports, had worked previously at Markle’s recording studio, and subsequently at ALSG as an Admissions Coordinator. He left Passports in 1994 to start a competitor travel company called Global Vistas. In 1999, Mike Eizenberg (mentioned above as an original ALSG veteran who left the company to help form ACIS, but who left that company in 1997) created a new Boston-based travel company called eTrav (Educational Travel Alliance). eTrav was acquired in August 2004 by their former competitor, EF. In 2000, the first EF offspring company called Explorica, founded by former EF president Olle Olsson, joined the student travel scene in Boston. Educational travel industry pioneer Gil Markle brought together many of the legacy ALSG personalities mentioned above in 2002, for the first time in twenty years in some cases, at a gala gathering commemorating Passports tenth anniversary.

Controversies

In 2019, seven of its English teachers in Xuzhou allegedly tested positive for drugs. In 2020, a former teacher of EF was charged for exploiting a previous pupil in China. The defendant, an American national, threatened to post video footage of the student's sexually explicit conduct online unless she sent him more images and a video of herself engaged in similar acts. EF said the alleged crime happened after the man returned to the US when his contract in China had already been terminated for violating the company's code of conduct. The company's spokesperson declined to explain the specifics of the violation. The Italian television show "Chi l'ha visto?" has brought to light many testimonies from students who participated in the EF language study trips.

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Looking Ahead

As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, Bertil and his family continue to lead EF. Through the years we have helped millions of people and become the world leader in international education by focusing on one global mission: Opening the World Through Education. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, global education is more important than ever. Together with educators worldwide, we provide experiences that teach critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and global competence. Most importantly, at EF Explore America we're dedicated to making these experiences accessible to as many students as possible. At EF (Education First), we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another. Interested in finding more about our programs?

Working at EF

A career with EF combines the support and opportunity of a large organization with the spirit and energy of a small business.

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