English UK has written to the Prime Minister setting out three policy changes that would help the UK ELT sector grow and deliver greater economic benefits across the country.
The letter focuses on expanding Youth Mobility Schemes, extending ID card travel arrangements for EU school groups, and increasing Rent-a-Room relief to encourage more households to host international students.
We have also written to ministers across several government departments to raise awareness of the sector and our key campaigning priorities.
For members who would like to support our campaigning work, our campaigning toolkit includes ideas on who to contact and what to include in your correspondence.
The full text of the letter is reproduced below.
Dear Andy Burnham,
Warmest congratulations on becoming Prime Minister, and on the extraordinary start you've made.
We believe English UK can help you deliver your pledge to create 'good growth in every postcode'. To unlock that growth, we are asking your government to support three practical changes:
- More Youth Mobility Schemes, particularly with the EU
- ID card travel for EU school groups, extending agreements beyond France and Germany to countries such as Italy and Spain
- An increase in rent-a-room relief from £7,500 to £12,000, in line with inflation, to encourage more households to offer the uniquely British homestay experience to English language students
English UK represents around 300 English language teaching centres across the UK, including several in Greater Manchester and Liverpool. Most are commercial businesses, with others based in further education colleges and universities.
Together, our member centres support around 40,000 jobs at all levels, as well as the household incomes of families who welcome students from around the world into their homes.
Many ELT centres are in places where other employers can be harder to attract, including coastal communities where job prospects and life chances are often limited.
The UK is already the world's most popular destination for international students learning English. Our sector contributes around £2 billion to the UK economy and helps build positive international relationships through students who have had a great experience here. On average, every ELT student is worth £3,500 to the UK, spending twice as much as ordinary visitors.
But with a little help from your government, we could do even more. Over half of our students are children and teenagers who come on short language holidays, usually for under a fortnight. We also need to attract more students and encourage adult students to stay longer than the current average of under nine weeks.
We want to help the UK thrive, and these changes would enable us to play our part.
If you or a member of your team would like to know more, or visit one of our member centres, perhaps during a Number 10 North day, we would be very happy to help.
Yours sincerely,
Jodie Gray
Chief Executive
English UK
