In 2008

How did it all start?

Schools & Agents was born in 2008 as an online directory of language schools and agents. It also closely followed the language travel industry by publishing related news and press releases. As the years passed, the website became more dynamic - more members joined in and it was the members themselves who submitted most of the content that was published, and that is still being published, in the Member and News articles section.

In 2011

Bernice joined in...

Bernice started working for Schools & Agents towards the end of 2011. At the time, she also occupied the role of Director of Studies in a family-run English language school in Malta. Before that, she held various other academic positions at the same school. Being a family-run operation, Bernice had the opportunity to try her hand at marketing too, and that is how she started working with agents. It is interesting to note that some of the agents she worked with at that time are still very active members on Schools & Agents nowadays as well. In 2011, Bernice resigned from her post at the school and joined Schools & Agnets full time. She attended her first industry workshop in September 2012, and it has been one fantastic ride since.

In 2015

Lynne joins too...

At the beginning of 2015, Marcus, who was the first owner of Schools & Agents, decided to step down and asked Bernice if she wanted to take care of his baby (as he always put it!!). Despite never having had her own business, Bernice had no doubt about this decision, but she also always knew that this was a two-man (,or in our case, women) job! If there was one person she wanted to share this venture and adventure with, that would be her sister, Lynne. So in July 2015, just days before Lynne’s birthday, we signed the papers and officially became business partners, taking our relationship to a whole new level!

Lynne's background is also in ELT, and, like Bernice, she also started off as an English language teacher. As time passed, she became more interested in the general running of the school where she was working at the time and consequently moved into the marketing department. After various experiences in different language schools, Lynne decided to take marketing more seriously and study it formally. Lynne has, in fact, trained many students in the field of marketing as a lecturer too.

"At the beginning of 2015, Bernice approached me with the idea of joining her in this venture, and without hesitation I accepted," Lynne said. "The two of us had previously worked together for a good number of years, and on top of that, we are sisters who are blessed to get along so well. It was a natural step forward, and I couldn’t be happier to have taken it."

In 2017

We continue to create connections...

Since 2015, we have worked to establish contact with ALL of our members - schools, agents and service providers too - and every year since then, come January, we make sure to start the process all over again. By doing this we not only get to communicate with everyone in our database, but we also get to listen to what they have to say and devise our strategy based on what our clients suggest.

Of course, it is not always possible to please each and every single person, however, we do try our very best and are always glad to have a chat with you through a video call or through our social media pages.

And because we believe in communication, and that great things happen when people come together, in January 2017, Schools & Agents organised its first industry event: Ski & Network in the Swiss Alps, an event that was organised together with fRilingue and which brought together a small group of schools, agents, and organisations in Leysin, Switzerland. The focus of this event was on networking, because we truly believe that when people get the chance to speak in a relaxed and fun atmosphere, they achieve more.

Head to our Events section for further information on our events, including upcoming ones.

Also in 2017

New logo and new website!

At the beginning of 2017, we launched a new website, which explained the customer journey and what Schools & Agents does in a clearer and more organised way.

We also redesigned our logo and chose to have three figures holding hands in a circle; this represents the three pillars within our industry, i.e., the education providers, agents and international education organisations who work closely together in order to provide the best service possible to the ultimate client, the student, and each other.

In 2020

Difficult times

The world, and our industry in particular, were hit by the global COVID pandemic in 2020, which we're sure no one expected, especially after the industry's fantastic year in 2019. However, things that we have no control over happen, and if 2020 taught us anything, it was that

1) our industry is resilient; and

2) that if we do not adapt to change, we will never thrive.

This is what we thankfully did, and all throughout the years of the pandemic, we not only gave all our members FREE access to use the Schools & Agents platform and post company ipdates, but we also launched our live broadcasts. At the time, this was simply a way to virtually see each other and let the world see that we and our partners are still around. Different people joined these live broadcasts throughout the pandemic, and we are proud to say that those live broadcasts are here to stay.

In 2024

Time for an upgrade!

This brings us to today. 2024: the year that celebrates us still being around after difficult times. A year in which we get to celebrate resilience, success and new beginnings. And what better way to celebrate that than to launch a brand new website, brand new products, and brand new partnerships? We are super excited about what this year is going to bring, and we invite you to stay tuned, follow us on social media and get in touch with us so that we can inform you about everything that's going on!