Event Marketing & Partnership Specialist

EF Auckland wins double Silver at New Zealand Design Awards. 15th January 2026 EF Auckland has been recognised at Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards, receiving Silver awards in two categories: - Private, Public & Institutional Spaces - Colour Award - Spatial The awards celebrate the design of EF Auckland's language campus, recognising an approach that goes beyond aesthetics to support learning, wellbeing, and community. Designed by EF's in-house Architecture & Design team, the campus reflects EF's global brand while drawing inspiration from Auckland's local character and culture. "Every EF school starts with context," says Fiona Kennedy, Global Head of Architecture & Design at EF Education First. "We don't believe in importing a single design template around the world. Instead, we design campuses that feel unmistakably EF, while being deeply rooted in the city they belong to. When students walk through the door on their first day, the space should help them feel inspired, comfortable, and connected." Located in central Auckland, the campus was conceived as more than a place to attend classes. The spatial layout encourages interaction and movement, while colour, materials, and light were carefully used to create a warm, inclusive atmosphere. Social spaces and classrooms are designed to work together, supporting both focused learning and informal connection between students from around the world. EF's design philosophy centres on contextual design - ensuring that each campus reflects its local environment while maintaining a consistent global identity. This approach is applied across all of EF's International Language Campuses, many of which are housed in distinctive existing buildings that are adapted to serve modern educational needs. "The challenge is to balance functionality with emotion," Kennedy added. "These are working learning environments first and foremost, but when design is done thoughtfully, it can genuinely enhance how people learn, interact, and feel in a space." The Silver awards reinforce EF's long-term investment in high-quality learning environments and its belief that design plays a meaningful role in education - helping students feel at home from day one, wherever in the world they choose to study. About EF Language Abroad. EF Language Abroad offers immersive language learning experiences for students of all ages at EF-owned year-round campuses worldwide. Programs range from short courses to long-term stays and combine language instruction with cultural immersion and international community. About EF: EF (Education First) is a global association of companies focused on language learning, cultural exchange, and academic experiences. Founded in 1965, EF operates in more than 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ef.com.

EF recognized in Newsweek's 2026 Best Customer Service rankings in the United States and United Kingdom. 15th January 2026 Cambridge, Mass. and London, U.K. - January 2026 - EF (Education First), the world's largest private education organization, has been recognized by Newsweek and Statista in their 2026 Best Customer Service rankings in both the United States and the United Kingdom. This year, EF Language Abroad was named to America's Best Customer Service 2026 list in the Language Schools category and simultaneously honored in the inaugural edition of UK's Best Customer Service 2026 in the same category. The full U.S. ranking is available on Newsweek's website here, with the U.K. ranking available here. "At EF, putting customers first is core to who we are. Every student, traveler and family trusts us with an experience that can have transformational benefits on their lives - and we take that responsibility seriously," said Simon Cunningham, Director of Quality & Customer Service for EF Language Abroad. "Our mission is opening the world through education - to unite people across borders and cultures, and to spark the kind of mutual understanding that makes the world feel a little closer and a little better. Being recognized for customer service in both the U.S. and U.K., following a summer season where we registered record customer satisfaction scores reinforces that commitment and is a credit to the many EF colleagues who support our customers with care, integrity, and professionalism every single day." EF Language Abroad is EF's immersive study-abroad division, offering students the opportunity to learn a language where it is spoken by studying at one of over 50 international language campuses in some of the world's most vibrant destinations. As EF's original program, EF Language Abroad reflects the company's 60-year legacy of combining travel, language learning, and cultural exchange. This recognition in customer service reinforces the impact that high-quality support has on students and families electing to pursue an international language learning experience. Both lists are based on independent research conducted by Statista. Respondents evaluated companies across key aspects of customer experience, including communication quality, professional competence, customer focus, accessibility, and - in the U.S. ranking - range of services. The U.S. ranking also incorporates a likelihood-to-recommend component, weighted at 50 percent, to capture overall satisfaction and loyalty. This announcement has been shared in accordance with Newsweek's guidelines for the one-time distribution of news related to the ranking. No images or award logos are included. About EF (Education First): EF (Education First) is a global association of companies focused on language learning, cultural exchange, and academic experiences. Founded in 1965, EF operates in more than 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ef.com.