The English language revolution. Founded in 1965 by a young Swedish entrepreneur Bertil Hult, EF Education First (EF) started out by bringing local Swedish high school students to Britain to learn English. It was a simple, yet radical, business idea that was the first step in EF becoming the world’s largest private education organization. Today, the 15 divisions of EF comprise 450 schools and offices in more than 50 countries, as well as a network of 35,000 staff. Each division offers a range of educational options: online and local language schools, educational travel, academic degrees, and cultural exchange.