It is announcing thousands of places at its six English language summer schools based on the exchange rates as they were on 31 January 2014. Two weeks after introducing the offer, the school has received “hundreds” of enquiries from students in the Eurozone, Colombia, Ukraine and Russia.

“”We took a view at the start of the year that the strength of the pound may have an impact on students considering study in the UK and decided to get well ahead of the issue,” Ben Toettcher, managing partner of SKOLA told The PIE News.

“Our campaign is designed simply to make sure the exchange rate is not a factor for students considering studying with us.”

These exchange rate movements have had a major impact on the price of English language courses in the UK said SKOLA

“We felt it would send a strong signal to our partners if we took away at least one element of uncertainty that has beset them in the past year – the exchange rate.”

In the 12 months to 31 January this year, the euro lost 10% against the pound, the Kazakhstani tenge 7% and the Japanese yen 5%. The biggest changers were the Russian rouble and Ukrainian hryvnia, both of which lost over 40% against the pound.

These exchange rate movements have had a major impact on the price of English language courses in the UK said SKOLA.

For example, a student paying for two weeks at a SKOLA residential summer school in January 2014 would have paid 87,534 roubles. On 31 January this year, the price of that course had grown to over 145,000 roubles, almost entirely due to the exchange rate it said.

Under the new scheme, SKOLA aims to bring down those prices to less than 95,000 roubles for Russian students.

“We’re trying to be open and transparent. All prices are published on the website so Russian students can see what students in Europe are paying,” spokesperson Peter Sigrist told The PIE News adding that over 2,000 weeks are being offered at the lower rates the rates, but there are a couple of weeks that are ‘peak’ and only one course at each school is offered.

“If you’re a country with currency change you won’t see it as a deal, it’ll just feel like prices haven’t changed from last year,” he commented.

Currency fluctuations continue to rock other parts of the sector particularly in Switzerland were agencies are reportedly concerned about profitability after the Swiss franc was unpegged from the euro in January.

Some education agencies are reaching out to partner schools asking for consideration of the new currency situation.

However, writing in the PIE Blog this week, CEO of the UK’s English UK has said: “While it’s a worrying time for the Swiss agencies, in our business – and, indeed, in any international business – currency fluctuations are an occupational hazard.”