Answer English has new owner

UK-based online language travel agency, Answer English, has been sold to a French entrepreneur, Alexander Akoka, son of Roger Akoka, who owns the French language agency VELA in Paris.

James Herbertson, the previous Managing Director of Answer English, decided that he wanted to follow new challenges in the language industry. Alexander becomes the new Managing Director and will continue to operate from Central London. Herbertson said, “There have been many highs and happy memories. From the humble beginnings of an internet start-up in my bedroom in West London….  to the positive feedback of happy students and being nominated for LTM Star New Agency. I am very grateful to all the support from our language school partners and wish Alexander the best of luck for the future.”

He joins a newly formed group of boutique schools as Sales Director: Language in London, Totnes School of English and Annalivia in Dublin have recruited Herbertson to head up their direct and agency sales.

Government response to UK sector

A petition signed by close to 6,000 individuals urging the government not to damage its education export industry through ill-thought-out proposals highlighted in the review of the Tier 4 system has received an official response from the government. The petition requested Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, “to abandon attempts to restrict international students’ access to the best educational system in the world through the review of the Points Based System”.

The response was lacking in detail, simply saying, “We will respond fully in due course once the review is completed. The aim of this review is to ensure that we continue to give genuine students access to education in the UK, to which the government is strongly committed, whilst preventing abuse by economic migrants.” Meanwhile, several mainstream newspapers have reported the threat to the industry in online reports.

CEC Network “restructuring”

Amid reports that the Vancouver, BC, office of CEC Network has been closed and all staff made redundant, Mattieu Bergeron, new financial backer of the organisation, has confirmed to Language Travel Magazine only that the CEC Network is in a period of “restructuring” and that decisions are being made about the future of various offices around the world. Watch this space for more firm details about the CEC Network’s evolution.