Page 11 - ELG1901 Jan-Feb 463

NEWS

EC take over Embassy, eight schools closed

By Melanie Butler
discounting in the market. In the Russian agency website, smapse. Gazette has been unable confirm
Maltese language school chain same year, Embassy discounts com, still offering a 25 per cent the number of staff transferred
EC has acquired Embassy English went as high as the 40 per cent discount, ‘at all schools Embassy to EC. We have no information
from pathway giant Study Group offered by one Colombian agency, English’. on numbers employed in the
and closed all year-round centres while Embassy UK’s losses soared EC English Holdings, Malta, US or Canada, but during the
in the UK, US and Canada. to over £4 million, according to took control of the UK company year ending 31 December,
Embassy had not made an company accounts. on 30 November, according 2017, Embassy UK employed
operating profit in the UK since In 2017, Embassy closed to papers filed at Companies 175 people, of whom 131 were
2014, according to accounts for language schools in both the House. The Australian company teachers, according to company
Embassy Educational Services, UK and the US and losses fell. was acquired on 19 November, accounts.
lodged at Companies House. Agents’ demand for discounts, according to Bloomberg. Sources in one UK school
Demand for large student however, continued to take its In all, eight schools were closed confirmed that no teachers at the
discounts, on top of agent toll. In September 2017, Embassy in December. No figures on job centre were retained, although
commission rates of 30 to 40 per launched a new price structure losses have been released but, in some were reportedly encouraged
cent, may have played a part in its aimed at ‘moving away from … an interview with the PIE News to apply for jobs in Australia.
financial troubles. discounts’, according to company website, EC chairman Andrew Some administration staff are
In early 2016, David Leigh, marketing documents. Mangion estimated that 50 per thought to have been offered
then CEO of parent company Shortly before going to press, cent of Embassy staff had been posts.
Study Group, complained of heavy Gazette research found one retained. Mangion stated that confirmation of the information
The Gazette contacted EC for
Embassy schools in Australia and
DÜNYA DIL OKULLARI New Zealand would become EC given to the PIE by Andrew
centres. Embassy Summer would
Mangion. Asked to name the
retain its name and operate
schools closed and the number of
in the junior vacation market
staff retained, an EC spokesperson
alongside EC Young Learners.
Embassy schools, and we have
Confusingly, on 13 February of stated, ‘We have closed some
this year, all Embassy year-round retained certain Embassy staff
schools still appeared on the globally.’ They did, however,
Embassy website. Contacted by confirm that both Embassy
the Gazette, the UK Advertising Summer and EC Young Learners
Standards Authority, which would continue to trade under
regulates companies’ claims on separate names but under the
their own websites, confirmed same ownership. Asked to explain
that, ‘the advertising of courses why Embassye nglish.com was still
that do not exist would, of course, promoting schools which had
seem to be a problem.’ been closed, EC told us this was
On your bike? Embassy Cambridge is The position of Embassy on their priority list but offered no
one of four UK locations to close staff also remains unclear. The further comment.

Chinese to redefi ne native speaker teachers?

China is set to redefine native- Talking to the press after speaking countries and countries teachers are rounded up,
speaker teachers to include discussions with Chinese that were colonised by these detained and then deported. As
citizens of former colonies where President Xi Jinping late last year, native speaking countries.” we report on page 7, a group
English is used as a second Santa Romana told the Manila Such news, if confirmed, of over fifty South African
language, according to Philippine Standard: ‘They expanded their will come as an immense relief youngsters were rounded up and
Ambassador to China Jose definition of English-speaking to recruitment agents who flown out of China just before
Santiago Santa Romana. countries….They said native have struggled to fill posts in Christmas.
the country’s private language ESL countries may face severe
However,
teachers
from
schools, estimated to number at
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY BEIJING teachers who meet the visa Fillipino teachers signed early
restrictions, if the agreement on
least 50,000, with native speaker
requirements of a first degree,
in January is anything to go by.
a Tefl certificate accepted by
Under the agreement, teachers,
who must have a first degree or
the government and two years
classroom experience.
teaching, are forbidden from
To fill the demand, agents
have taken to hiring native- post-graduate degree in English
working for the state sector
speaker school leavers with no and can only teach in ‘tertiary
qualifications, and sending them educaton.’ This is thought to
into the country on student visas, mean they can only work in
with the promise they can switch private language schools for
to a teaching visa on arrival. adults and cannot be hired
Philippine Ambassador to China Santa Romana The result have been waves of in China’s burgeoning young
celebrates Philippine Independence Day
crackdowns, where unqualified learner market.
editorial@elgazette.com 11