EF Educational Tours (EF Tours)

EF Educational Tours
Private
Industry Education
Founded 1983
Headquarters Cambridge, MA
Parent EF Education First
Website EFTours.com

EF Educational Tours (abbreviated as EF Tours) is an education company that develops and provides experiential learning opportunities around the world for groups of U.S. and Canadian middle and high school students.[1] The company offers educational tours, service learning tours,[2] language immersion tours,[3] and leadership summits.[4] EF Educational Tours defines its mission as “Opening the World Through Education” and believes that immersive educational experiences help students gain a broader perspective on the world.[5]

EF Educational Tours is part of EF Education First, a privately held education company[4], composed of 15 independent divisions working across 500 schools and offices in 53 countries.[6] EF celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015.[7]

History

EF Education First was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult from the basement of his university dormitory. Bertil’s childhood struggles with dyslexia served as his inspiration for EF.[8] After dropping out of school, due in part to his inability to learn English, Bertil took a job as an errand boy for a Swedish bank.[8] His supervisors quickly recognized his work ethic and sent him to London on work exchange as a reward. Only a few months after relocating, Bertil could speak English.[8] His time in the U.K. taught Bertil that “learning by doing” can have an equal, if not greater, impact on educational outcomes as traditional classroom methods.[8]

After launching EF’s language divisions in Europe in 1965 and Asia in the 1970s, Bertil founded EF Educational Tours in 1983 to offer teachers in the U.S. and Canada a new way to provide students with a global education by helping them organize trips to international destinations during school breaks and summer vacations.[8] Today, EF Education First offers tours to all seven continents.

Leadership

Although he is still involved in EF Education First’s operation, Bertil Hult has passed responsibility for the day-to-day management of EF to three of his sons.[8] Dr. Edward Hult is CEO, North America, overseeing EF’s educational travel and cultural exchange divisions.[8] Philip Hult and Alex Hult are the company’s co-chairmen overseeing EF’s language and academic businesses.[9]

Divisions

EF Educational Tours is organized in three separate divisions: EF Educational Tours—U.S., EF Educational Tours—Canada, and EF Tours for Girl Scouts. The company’s North American headquarters is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts with additional offices in Denver, Colorado, Toronto, Canada, Montreal, Canada, and Vancouver, Canada.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Education First headquarters debuts in Cambridge - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  2. ↑ "Sandwich Students Offer Helping Hands In Dominican Republic". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  3. ↑ "Study Abroad Opportunities for High School Students". 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  4. ↑ Murphy, Colum. "Cooperation on Flight Search Could Help Boost U.S., China Ties". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  5. ↑ Boss, Suzie (2014-03-25). "In China, Students Come Face-to-Face with Global Issues". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  6. ↑ "Education First headquarters debuts in Cambridge - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  7. ↑ "EF Education anniversary bash attracts Bill Clinton, other leaders - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Founder Bertil Hult sees EF Education First breaking down global barriers - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  9. ↑ "EF Educational Tours and EF Explore America Earn Accreditation | Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  10. ↑ "Education First headquarters debuts in Cambridge - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 2016-08-16.
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