Eurocentres – Global Language Learning is an international

language teaching Language education refers to the processes and practices of teaching a second or foreign language. Its study reflects interdisciplinary approaches, usually including some applied linguistics. There are four main learning categories for lan ...

organization with 20 language schools in 13 countries.

History

The first Eurocentres Language School was founded in 1948 by a Swiss, Erhard Waespi, in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

and is probably the oldest language school still operating on England's south coast. Waespi believed that learning a language should be an enjoyable, enriching, and personal experience that increased understanding between cultures. In 1960, he handed over his five schools for English (Bournemouth, London), French (Lausanne), German (Cologne – now Berlin), and Italian (Florence), to the Eurocentres Foundation, which he then managed for another 20 years. In 1970, Eurocentres acquired Davies' Schools of English at Cambridge. After 2000, Eurocentres began to expand outside of Europe. The Eurocentres Global Language Learning has been a consultant to the Council of Europe for the development of the

Common European Framework of Reference The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated in English as CEFR, CEF, or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingl ...

for language teaching and learning. For 72 years, Eurocentres was a Foundation Institution owned by Migros Cultural Percentage. The aims foundation implied to promote understanding between people and bridge national, cultural and social barriers. In 2018, Eurocentres is part of the German fir
mvc Education & Career group
In 2020, Eurocentres was acquired by Bayswater Education, who rebranded the schools to Bayswater in January 2023.

Pioneer Period: 1948–1960

1948: Erhard Waespi opens the first Eurocentres school in Bournemouth. 1959: The early Eurocentres schools come to the attention of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. Founder Gottlieb Duttweiler takes over and opens three new centres in Florence, Barcelona, and Cologne. 1960: Duttweiler forms an independent Foundation under the Eurocentres name, creating a number of what he terms 'European Language and Educational Centres'. The total number of students studying with the Foundation rises to 4,300.

Initial Expansion Period: 1960–1975

1960: Collaboration with France, Spain, and the USA begins. 1968: Eurocentres receives the "Statut Consultatif de la Catégorie 1" – advisory status in the field of language teaching and learning – from the Council of Europe. 1975: The number of students exceeds 20,000 per year.

Implementation Period: 1975–1985

1975: The first purpose-built school in London showcases innovative classroom design and self-learning facilities, as well as facilities for Computer Assisted Language Learning. 1977: The first purpose-built school in London showcases innovative classroom design and self-learning facilities, as well as facilities for Computer Assisted Language Learning. 1984: Eurocentres Cambridge, the second model school for teaching adults, follows.

Second Expansion Period: 1986–1999

1986: The first purpose-built school for teaching German opens in Cologne. 1988: New center's are opened in countries outside of Europe, including the United States and Japan. 1990: Eurocentres aids in the development of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and is commended by the Council of Europe Language Policy Unit for its contributions. 1991: With the completion of a new purpose-built school in La Rochelle, there are now 3 year-round schools in France – Paris, Amboise, and La Rochelle. 1993: The "Eurocentres Scale of Language Proficiency" is put into practice. It is followed by the development of a computerised language testing system which enables teachers to generate reliable tests according to students' individual needs. 1995: The first consultancy agreements take shape in Switzerland, Spain, and Brazil. 1999: International collaboration leads to partnerships in Canada and Malta.

Third Expansion Period: 2001–2018

2002: There are now two Eurocentres schools in Canada, and further partnerships develop with schools in Malta, Australia and Spain. 2005: There are now two Eurocentres schools across Australia and a centre opens in Auckland, New Zealand. 2006: Cape Town, South Africa, opens its own center. 2007: A new school for teaching German opens in Berlin. 2008: The Eurocentres school network in Australia is completed with the opening of Eurocentres Sydney. Today: Eurocentres remains an internationally recognised organisation, with a network of schools, agencies and offices dedicated to maintaining global dialogues across cultures. 2018: All Eurocentres' English and French activities, including schools in the UK, France, a franchise network, and teaching provisions across the world have been acquired by German fir

CEO and owner Stefan Menden sees Eurocentres as a "synergy" with the company's current portfolio. "Our experience lies in professional development/career services which combine very well with Eurocentres' strategy to teach 21st-century skills," he said.

Schools

Eurocentres offers languages schools in the UK and Ireland (

London Victoria Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a London station group, central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, London, Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named afte ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

); Australia (

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

) ; Canada (

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Lunenburg and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

); United States (

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

); France (

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

), South Africa (

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

); Malta ( Pembroke); Previous schools: (

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

); New Zealand (

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

)); United States (

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

); Malta (

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

); France (

Amboise Amboise (; ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home to the French royal court. Geography Amboise lies on the banks of the river Loire, east of Tours. It is also about awa ...

); Switzerland (

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

); Spain (

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

); Germany (

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

); Italy (

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

); Japan ( Yokohama-Kanazawa); China (

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

); Turkey (

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

) and Russia (

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

); .

Courses

Eurocentres offers a variety of language courses from general language instruction, exam preparation (

IELTS International English Language Testing System (IELTS ) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP and Cambridge English, ...

, Cambridge FCE, Cambridge CAE, Cambridge CPE,

TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ) is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities an ...

, DELF, DALF), to Business and Language instruction, work and study programs, and culture courses. In Turkey they offe
an IELTS
Course as well

References

{{reflist

External links

Eurocentres Language Schools WorldwideEurocentres – Brazil/PortugalEurocentres – ItalyEurocentres – SpainEurocentres – Turkey
Language schools