Inverness business with an international reach, TEFL Org, gets royal seal of approval with Queen's Award for Enterprise
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A business born in a Highland shed which now trains more than 20,000 students worldwide has become one of just 13 Scottish businesses to be recognised by the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.
TEFL Scotland, which trades as TEFL Org, received the international trade award for outstanding short-term growth after seeing its overseas sales grow by 386 per cent in just three years.
Founded by Jennifer MacKenzie and Joe Hallwood in 2008 to train people how to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL), it now has customers in 154 countries and employs 40 staff.
Ms MacKenzie said: “The Queen’s Award without doubt marks a huge landmark in our business’s development on the international stage.
“To be recognised for the work we are doing in the global market is very humbling and we hope this acts as a springboard to further our expansion and expertise around the world.”
Managing director Andy Healy said: “We have been pushing international sales for a while now, and it’s truly a delight to see the hard work of the team and the globally renowned reputation we’ve worked so hard to build come to fruition in such a fitting way.
“We pride ourselves on the simplicity, flexibility and quality of our courses which appeals to a varied global audience and hope that winning this award will open even more doors for us as we continue our expansion in the overseas market – helping more people across the globe enjoy the flexible lifestyle that teaching TEFL offers.”
The firm offers a range of in-person and online TEFL courses, providing internationally recognised qualifications to more than 150,000 teachers who have gone on to find employment across the globe.
In 2020 alone, the Inverness business experienced a rise of more than 250 per cent in the sale of online courses and a significant increase in remote teaching opportunities.
TEFL Org was one of two Highland winners with Dingwall’s WoodBlocX also receiving an international trade award for its unique and versatile wooden building block design.
Forres firm AES Solar received a sustainable development award.
UK government minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart, congratulated the Scottish winners, commenting: “From TEFL Scotland equipping tutors to teach English from their base in Inverness to the Bladnoch independent distillery making world-class whisky in Dumfries and Galloway, these firms showcase the excellence Scottish business is renowned for.
“Their innovation, contribution to sustainable development and achievements in trade prove that Scotland is a major player on the global business stage.”
