1965–1979 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.
1980–1995 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. 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 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). In 2002, the Hult family purchased the Arthur D. Little School of Management, which was subsequently renamed
Hult International Business School. Hult is one of the few triple-accredited business schools in the United States.
2006–2015 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. The Hult family donates US$1 million in annual seed capital to the winning team. In 2011, EF introduced the
EF English Proficiency Index, an annual ranking of countries by their English skills. In 2014, EF launched the
EF Standard English Test – a free, certifying English test designed for non-native English speakers. In the same year, EF partnered with
Community Boating, Inc., the oldest public sailing centre in the United States, to help people with physical and cognitive disabilities learn how to sail. EF celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015 with a series of events in Boston including "A Day with World Leaders" with speakers including Bill Clinton, Gordon Brown, Steve Wozniak, and Priyanka Chopra.
2016–present In 2016, EF became the educational sponsor of the
Nobel Prize Museum in
Stockholm, Sweden. In 2017, EF purchased the
EF Education–EasyPost professional men's cycling team. In 2023, EF launched a women's professional cycling team,
EF Education-Cannondale, which has been renamed EF-Oatley-Cannondale in 2024 In 2020, following the 2015 merger of Hult International Business School with Ashridge Business School, EF began offering executive training for international organisations, including via Amazon's Career Choice programme. The same year, EF began working with the
Mastercard Foundation and the Rwandan Development Board to help
Rwandan youth improve their English to access professional opportunities and support the country's hospitality industry. That same year, EF sold a majority stake in its Kids & Teens schools in China to private-equity firm Permira. The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to EF's travel-oriented businesses; however, it also led to growth in the company's online programmes. In 2022, the company opened a new campus in
Pasadena, California to support enrollment growth in its private boarding school product, EF Academy. The following year, EF served as the Official Language Training Services Supplier for the
2023 Rugby World Cup. In the summer of 2024, EF Education First was declared an "
undesirable organization" in Russia. In 2024, EF Education First was adopted by the São Paulo Department of Education (SEDUC-SP) as a platform of the
São Paulo Media Center, being called "SPeak". == Corporate affairs ==