The language schools, IH Quito and IH Guayaquil, currently host around 350 students collectively and IH Montañita caters for eight or nine CELTA courses every year, and there are plans to grow all three centres.

“This affiliation is significant for us for two reasons. Firstly because we did not have a presence in Ecuador before and it is a location where the ELT market is growing and so we feel IH affiliation can really make a difference,”
Lucy Horsefield, COO of IHWO, told The PIE News.

“We did not have a presence in Ecuador before and it is a location where the ELT market is growing and so we feel IH affiliation can really make a difference”

“Secondly because we are delighted to have a partner like John Warren who has already grown the presence of his language schools in Ecuador and sees the value and potential of further growth with IH.”

John Warren, Director of the three schools, told The PIE News that joining the IH network comes at a time when low cost ELT providers in Ecuador are undercutting quality schools, with bad business practice and exploitative strategies.

“We are convinced that by becoming IH and introducing better business practices and the standards in the IH customer service charter we can help to show the way for other schools,” said Warren.

“Affiliation to the IH network brings enormous satisfaction that we are meeting the standards set by a world class organisation.”

Warren noted that the IHWO brand is largely unheard of in Ecuador and he will be undertaking a two-year process of rebranding.

This year IHWO welcomed schools from Germany, Italy, Angola, Russia, the US, Mexico and Ireland to its network.

Horsefield confirmed that IHWO is “always looking for top quality language schools that share our educational ideals” and is currently investigating potential new affiliates in Europe.