In the video below, Kate Hargreaves and Helen Lami share personal reflections with business journalist Al Gibson, on Academic Summer Camp’s acquisition of Living Learning English. You can also read the edited transcript of this candid conversation which look backs on Kate’s legacy and forward to Helen’s vision for the future of English language learning.
Also see the official announcement of the acquistion in the joint press release distributed by Academic Summer and Living Learning English with statements from both Kate Hargreaves and Helen Lami.
Al Gibson: I’m delighted to be here today with Kate Hargreaves and Helen Lami to hear the exciting news of an acquisition in the international English education industry. So, Helen and Kate, tell us why this is such good news.
Kate Hargreaves: Well, for me, I’ve had a wonderful career in the international education industry. I’ve loved every minute of working with international students, but I’m just getting to the stage now where I would like to retire. And Helen has a lot of energy and a lot of good ideas for taking the business forward.
So the idea is to hand over to Helen, in the very safe hands of Helen and her team, who will continue to run Living Learning English exactly as it is, with very few changes. But she would like to take on the company – Helen, you’ll probably speak more about this yourself – and take it forward and give it the energy that it deserves for the next season.
Helen Lami: Yeah, I think it’s great news for the industry because Living Learning English and Academic Summer really complement each other. I know that Kate gets a lot of parents who have children who would suit a summer camp, but we also get a lot of enquiries for courses year-round that would fit with students going on Living Learning English.
And we have worked together over the years, recommending each other’s businesses. So they certainly do complement one another. And I think, in challenging times in the international industry, actually we are stronger together. There is a lot of competition out there from corporate-bankers who back schools with huge investment, and it can be very hard for a small business sometimes. So I think we’re stronger together. That was our idea around this merger, or whatever we call it – it’s really exciting times for both companies, and we can come with a good news story.
Al Gibson: Fantastic. Kate, after 30 years of leading Living Learning English, what led you to your decision to pass on the baton right now?
Kate Hargreaves: Right now… well, my husband’s just retired, and I think when you work in the international education system it’s 24/7 – and running your own business is 24/7. I’ve just got to the stage now where I’d like to pursue other projects. I’m a keen traveller. I play pickleball – if anybody knows anything about pickleball, it’s a great fast-growing sport. I’ve got lots of hobbies and lots of things I want to do. And I’ve worked every summer for the last 30 years, so it would be really nice to go into my retirement and have a summer off.
Helen & Kate – many years of friendship and professional collaboration
Al Gibson: Helen, what motivated you to acquire Living Learning English and how does it fit into your long-term plans or vision for Academic Summer?
Helen Lami: Well, I think it’s having the long history with Kate. I can remember when she started Living Learning English, or at least the very early days. We were both working for boarding schools at the time, doing international marketing, and we often ended up travelling together. We’d book the same flights and spend a lot of time in Schiphol Airport on our laptops, getting excited about Skype as it developed and then about having emails on our BlackBerrys. I remember Kate showing me a USB phone that she used for Skype and I went straight out and bought one myself.
It was such an exciting time in the industry, and I saw Kate leave the boarding school to set up Living Learning English, which really inspired me. When I was thinking of starting Academic Summer, I met Kate and told her I was considering setting up my own business. So she was around right at the beginning of Academic Summer too.
When Kate mentioned more recently that she might be closing Living Learning English, I said, “No, you can’t do that! That would be really sad, we need to carry it on.” And that’s how the conversation started.
For Academic Summer, this acquisition means we now have year-round options for clients and students, while also giving them flexibility: they can experience a group context at a summer camp and then have one-to-one support with a teacher. The two models really complement each other. Sometimes we have students who are preparing to go on to boarding school – they can attend the summer camp and then use Living Learning English to fill in any gaps. It all works really well together.
Kate Hargreaves: The two organisations are not in competition with each other. They work seamlessly together, just as we’ve done in the past, to provide all the options that clients might need.
Kate Hargreaves and Helen Lami have been friends for over 20 years – a friendship rooted in their shared passion for international education that has now grown into a partnership shaping the future of English learning.
Kate and Helen on a visit to Ukraine several years ago. They have literally travelled the world together.
Al Gibson: Kate, you mentioned that you’ve never had a summer off in 30 years, but of course Living Learning English also provides online tuition year-round, as well as learning in a teacher’s home. So what were you doing during the summers – were you also running summer camps?
Kate Hargreaves: No, it’s always been home tuition in the summer, because the industry is very seasonal. Summer is when we have the most students – it really peaks then. We don’t have as many in the winter; November and December are not the most attractive months to visit the UK. But we do have some executives who need to fast-track their English for work. So we’re year-round, whereas Academic Summer mainly operates in the summer months. It’s not just the summer – we are operating all year.
Al Gibson: So, Helen, how do you plan to integrate the Living Learning English programmes into the Academic Summer offering?
Helen Lami: I think it’s about cross-selling and promoting both Living Learning English and Academic Summer – highlighting how they complement each other and offering more by working together. We’re also bringing our networks of agents together, introducing them to another trusted option. Kate works with a strong network of agents, as do I. Some are the same, and many know both of us really well. I think when they hear the news, they’ll be very pleased, because they trust both of us in the industry.
We both have a very similar business ethic, but there are also agents who maybe work with Kate’s competitors. I believe some of them will switch to us because of those long-standing relationships – and relationships are so important in our industry.
It’s also exciting to think about adding more options to the Living Learning English offer in the long term. At the moment, it’s almost exclusively English tuition, isn’t it, Kate? But there could be opportunities for GCSE revision or other subjects, depending on the teachers’ qualifications. Many are PGCE-qualified, so there is a lot of scope for growth.
And of course, we’re thinking about the future of English language teaching in the age of AI. There are many challenges, but also opportunities, and we want to make sure we adapt and continue to meet the needs of our students.
Kate Hargreaves and Helen Lami discuss Academic Summer’s acquisition of Living Learning English
Al Gibson: Kate, what are you most proud of from your 30 years of Living Learning English?
Kate Hargreaves: I’m proud of the team – our fantastic head office staff and our network of teachers. Some of them have been with us for over 20 years and are still going strong.
I’m also proud of the strong business relationships we’ve built. Some go back 20 or 25 years, and I think our reputation speaks for itself. We’re known as a leading provider of language services. We recently had a British Council accreditation inspection, which is very rigorous, and we scored strengths in almost every area. Our work was highly praised.
Over 30 years, we’ve developed excellent systems and a strong approach. But what I’m most proud of are the experiences we create for our students. Because we work one-to-one, we can tailor courses exactly to their needs and interests.
A recent example was a Swiss student who stayed with a teacher in Cardiff. He played the organ, and his teacher arranged for him to visit Llandaff Cathedral, meet the organist, and actually play the cathedral organ. That was an incredible experience for him.
These experiences, combined with the academic progress, are what make our programmes so special. Students can really fast-track their English when they are living and learning with a teacher in such a personalised way.
Over the years, we’ve worked with hundreds – actually thousands – of students. Some even return with the next generation. We had one Russian student who studied with us five times in her youth. Her brother came too. She’s now at university in South Korea and wrote to me saying, “Kate, people here don’t realise what they need. They need home tuition with a teacher and I need to tell them. Can I be your representative?” That was wonderful to hear.
Another thing I’m very proud of is our work with students who have special educational needs. On a one-to-one basis, we can really meet those needs. By matching them with the right teacher, we can create a programme that supports their learning and helps them to thrive.
Al Gibson: Fantastic. Helen, Academic Summer is quite focused on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). How does that work with the acquisition of Living Learning English?
Helen Lami: Well, CLIL is one of the teaching methodologies in teaching English as a foreign language. It’s a little bit like the example Kate gave earlier about the organist – using a student’s own interests and motivations. If it’s music, for example, you can develop English lessons around that.
I think CLIL is underestimated, but it’s being used more and more, because sitting and learning grammar or working from a textbook – you can do that in your own country anyway. When you’re travelling, you need to learn English in context. The British Council now often uses the term ‘Applied English’ which is very similar. It’s about the motivation for learning. If you want to study, you need the language around study. If you’re in business, you need the language of business. The more real and connected it is to communication and culture, the more effective it becomes.
So I can see CLIL applying to both organisations and developing over time. Watch this space!
Kate Hargreaves: I think that really reflects what we do at Living Learning English. All of our teachers – and we have a network of over 100 – bring different strengths, business backgrounds and educational experiences. For each client, we look for the best possible match with a teacher.
For example, at the moment we have an ambassador looking for a teacher, and we matched them with someone whose husband had also been an ambassador. That’s a perfect fit – they’ll be speaking the specialised language that’s relevant for that role.
So yes, it’s all about content and integrating it. We’re very focused on the individual, and the niche environment in which each client is working.
Al Gibson: So Helen, how do you see these new services rolling out at Academic Summer? You’re moving beyond students aged 7 to 17 – now you have ambassadors and adults too…
Helen Lami: Well, Kate has built up an amazing reputation and has excellent feedback with Living Learning English. So I don’t see us changing the way we promote either organisation – they both have their own strong brands, and I really want the Living Learning English brand to continue.
It’s really about linking the ownership and the teams. As I mentioned, we’re stronger together. By working side by side, we can open up a wider clientele for both organisations and promote each other’s services. But Living Learning English has an established brand, and that must continue.
Kate Hargreaves: Absolutely. When you have a business with such an established reputation and name, it needs to carry on, because people will be looking for it years later. They’ll remember: “Oh yes, I went on that Living Learning English course.” And when you look at search terms, that’s exactly what people are looking for – “living learning,” “learn live,” variations on our name.
And also, I’m not disappearing, Helen. I’ll be around to help, to guide you through the handover, and to support marketing or anything else you need.
Helen Lami: That’s great. That’s really good.
Learn English With Living and Learning English
Al Gibson: Kate, what do you hope parents and students will continue to experience under Helen’s leadership?
Kate Hargreaves: I think the reputation we have for really top-notch customer service – for finding the best options for each child or adult learner and delivering on our promises. When someone comes to us, they know they’ll have an individual teacher, their own tailored programme, and they’ll make real progress fast. You can learn a lot of English in a week with us, and I’m confident Helen will carry that on.
Al Gibson: So when is this all happening, Helen?
Helen Lami: Well we have already started the process but we are going to make an announcment of our intention just before the LC Event which is big event in our industry. Although the official takeover of transfer of shares will happen later, and there will be a transitional period. By the end of August, we’ll be announcing that I’m taking over the role of Principal from Kate, and that she’s retiring – but with her continued support through the transition.
Al Gibson: Well, it’s fantastic news for the industry. I wish you both the very best – to you Helen, with this exciting new project, and to you Kate, in enjoying your new adventures. As such good friends, I’m sure you’ll stay in touch and continue to share stories of success and future development.
Helen Lami: You never know how these things start – I think back to the days of BlackBerrys and Skype when we were so excited about new technology and changes in the industry. The next ten years will be a lot more challenging – with artificial intelligence and robotics changing the world. We’re preparing students for a very different future, and I think we’ll need to adapt to meet those needs. That’s the big question – what is the future of English language teaching?
Kate Hargreaves: And that’s why I have every confidence in you, Helen. You’re already asking the right questions and looking ahead. I think you’ll be brilliant at taking this forward.
Also read: Celebrating Kate Hargreaves – Three Decades at the Heart of Living Learning English
The Clever Fox Journal is the online news section of Academic Summer Camps, inspired by our logo – a wise fox wearing a graduation cap. Just like our summer programmes, The Clever Fox Journal is a place of curiosity, learning and discovery, bringing you the latest updates, insights and stories from our academic camps in the UK and Canada. Stay informed, stay inspired – and think like a clever fox!
