fbpx
Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
15th Feb 2016

UK’s English Language Teaching sector worth £1.2 billion

A recent study commissioned by peak body English UK puts the value of export revenue from the UK’s English Language Teaching (ELT) sector at £1.2 billion (US$1.74 billion) for 2014. The total economic impact of the sector – including student spending on tuition, accommodations, and other living expenses as well as the knock-on effects of spending by ELT centres and their employees and suppliers - was estimated at £2.4 billion (US$3.48 billion). Supporting the British economy through teaching English as a foreign language also highlights that the sector supports roughly 26,650 jobs throughout the UK and returns a net tax contribution of £194 million (US$281 million) to government coffers. Supporting the British economy is a clear statement to government stakeholders as to the far-reaching impacts of ELT provision in the UK, and an attempt to reflect the real significance of the sector within the British economy. The full-time equivalent employment attributed to ELT centres (14,300 FTEs in 2014), for example, is larger than that of Coca-Cola or Vodafone in the UK, on par with the government’s own Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and even with reach of BP’s (formerly British Petroleum) complement of 18,000 UK employees. "Why are we producing this report now, a century after the first accredited English school opened in London?" asks English UK Chair Steve Phillips. "Because our once world-beating industry is shrinking, and it is time for us to highlight its worth as part of our campaign to get the government and opinion-formers working to help us grow for the UK economy." Separate reports from English UK, and from other peak ELT bodies in leading destinations around the world, paint a clear picture of the UK’s weakening competitive position. ELT enrolment is often measured in terms of absolute student numbers but also by student-weeks booked. Supporting the British economy calculates that 650,000 individual students studied at more than 500 accredited ELT centres in the UK in 2014, for an estimated total of 2.6 million student-weeks. Even so, when counted by student-weeks, the US is the world’s leading provider and has registered steady growth over the past four years. In contrast, bookings by student-week in the UK have declined modestly from 2011 to 2014. Australia has seen solid growth over the same period whereas Canada, currently the fourth-ranked destination, has been essentially flat. In other words, the UK has been losing ground over this period while other major destinations, notably the US and Australia, have registered real growth. Attendees at the recent English UK Marketing Conference in London were advised that preliminary data for 2015 (compiled by English UK and based on reporting from about half of the association’s private-sector members) shows an average decline of nearly 12% in student-weeks from 2014 levels. These projected further declines for 2015 (final numbers will be available later this year) will no doubt reinforce the determination of British educators and peak bodies to address a number of policy issues affecting the UK’s international enrolment in ELT and otherwise. These include immigration policy and the inclusion of international students in net migration targets as well student visa procedures and work rights for foreign students. In related findings, the English UK study notes that 81% of ELT students leave the UK immediately after concluding their courses. This echoes another recent report that indicated 88% of international university students in London returned home immediately following their studies. In contrast, only 4% of ELT-course leavers remain in the UK to work, and 14% stay on for additional studies in Britain. "Domestic full-time students in the United Kingdom typically spend £21,500 [US$31,100] on subsistence and course fees in a 39-week academic year," adds the report in commenting on the linkages between ELT enrolment and international student numbers at the tertiary level. "If this is representative of the students who stay on after their English language course for further study, their expenditure could total in the order of £1.9 billion [US$2.75 billion] each year. This does not take into account that university fees paid by international students are typically higher and is therefore a cautious estimate."

Most Recent

  • Language travel sector leaders call for a focus on value amid persistent discount pressure Read More
  • Canada: List of non-degree college programmes linked to post-study work rights has changed Read More
  • US administration revives proposal to limit terms of student visas Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

Language travel sector leaders call for a focus on value amid persistent discount pressure A June 2025 forum convened by ALTO (Association of Language Travel Organisations) confirmed that price discounting in language...
Read more
Canada: List of non-degree college programmes linked to post-study work rights has changed The Canadian government is continuing its policy of linking eligibility for a post-study work permit (PGWP) – at...
Read more
US administration revives proposal to limit terms of student visas The Trump administration has given notice of a proposed rule change that seeks to limit the term for...
Read more
How have changes in policy settings impacted international student recruitment at Australian universities? Over the past couple of years, Australian universities have been operating within a policy framework that makes it...
Read more
New analysis sounds a note of caution for UK immigration reforms Within the UK’s higher education system, there are a group of institutions known as “Post-1992 universities”. The term...
Read more
US warns of expanded travel ban that could affect key African markets “The United States is considering restricting entry to citizens of an additional 36 countries in what would be...
Read more
Breaking: US resumes student visa processing On 18 June, the US State Department sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts abroad instructing them...
Read more
Is Canada valued more as a “pathway to immigration” or as a destination for education? During a 12 June 2025 webinar presented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and IDP, IDP...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links