United Kingdom — International Student Market
654K inbound students (2024) +0%
1. India 169K
2. China 152K
4. United States 36K
5. Pakistan 31K
14 international branch campuses in United Kingdom
The first St Giles College was founded in central London in 1955 as an English language training centre. Last year, in 2025, we celebrated our 70th anniversary. We remain a family-owned business, which is quite unusual for an organisation of our size and is a key selling point for many of our stakeholders. However, most of our senior management team (excluding directors) are not family members.
Over the years, we have grown into a successful and well-established medium-sized business. We employ an average of around 100 people throughout the year, rising to approximately 300 during the summer. We operate five year-round centres in the UK for students with an average age of 20 to 30: London Central, London Highgate, Brighton, Eastbourne and Cambridge. In 2026, we offered Junior summer courses at three locations (Canterbury, Cambridge and London), as well as Family summer courses at four locations (Brighton, Eastbourne, Cambridge and London). The reduced capacity of our Junior summer programme in 2026 was due to the impact of global geopolitical events, including the war in Iran. However, we expect demand to increase in 2027 and are planning to offer Junior and Family courses at four separate locations each. We are also planning to increase our product offering by launching a new STEM Junior Course for 2027.
We are one of the best-known and largest international English language training organisations founded in the UK, and are likely among the top five of approximately 1,000 British organisations in the sector. Although teaching is our core service, we are a commercial business operating in a highly competitive industry.
We have a very proud reputation within the industry for our quality and professionalism. This comes from our belief in serving the students and agents who place students with us. They are our customers, and they expect friendliness, flexibility, efficiency, reliability, high teaching standards, the latest technology and personalised service that recognises them as individuals.
While language training remains our core service, we provide a wide range of additional services, including accommodation options, social programmes, 24-hour welfare and information support (including student visa assistance), cafeterias and airport transfers. We offer our students a comprehensive 24-hour experience, from the moment they arrive until they return home.
St Giles International aims to deliver high-quality courses at competitive prices. To support this goal, we operate an active Quality Management Project, which regularly monitors student satisfaction, professional standards and staff feedback. This data helps ensure that we maintain consistently high standards across all our centres.
The Chair of the Board and CEO are members of the founding family. Our Chair of the Board opened our London Central school in 1987, the largest in the Group. He served as Group Marketing Director for 15 years, and then as CEO for 25 years. He stepped down as CEO in January 2026 and was succeeded by his daughter, Hannah Lindsay-Cornish, who already had 14 years of service to the company as Sales and Marketing Director. This maintains the family-business character of the company into its third generation and enables us to continue our strong traditions while looking forward to future development.
We are proud to have a sociable, vibrant, and multicultural working environment where there are regular opportunities to consult, report and partner with senior colleagues, including the founding family. We are a hardworking team who are happy to pitch in and help each other when needed.
St Giles International Junior English Language courses mostly combine a half-day English Language course with an activities and excursions programme, providing 24-hour care and supervision to students aged between 8-17 years. These are packaged courses, which include:
- Excursions
- Sports and social activities
- Residential accommodation
- Insurance
- 24-hour supervision
St Giles Family Courses
This course offers families (parents and their children aged 5-15) the chance to visit the UK together and combine quality language learning with a fun activity programme, with a choice of 4 different locations: Brighton, Cambridge, Central London and North London (Highgate). Parents attend one of our Adult language centres in these locations, with separate children’s classes or sites based near the Adult centre. The courses for parents are optional, but the courses for the children are compulsory. The whole family enjoy the 3 afternoon activities and weekly full-day excursions at the weekends. The rest of the week can be spent enjoying free time together exploring the cities of Brighton, Cambridge and London. There is a choice of homestay accommodation in twin rooms, or a choice of apartment or hotel. Our Family course package typically includes the following:
- 3 afternoon activities per week
- 1 full-day excursion per week on Saturdays
- Light lunches (weekdays)
- Homestay accommodation in twin rooms, with breakfast every day
The Appointment
Job Title: Director of Junior and Family Courses
Reporting to: CEO and COO
Location: The ideal candidate will be based in the South of England, within easy travelling distance of London.
Responsibilities
As Director of Junior & Family courses, you will be responsible for directing and managing the strategic direction of these Courses and organizing the advanced planning of the courses, both in terms of the academic provision and the activities and excursions programme. You will strive for the overall success of the courses, ensuring that the programmes are delivered in accordance with St Giles’ high standards, to the maximum benefit of the students.
During the main operational weeks, the Director of Junior Courses is required to be on emergency call and be prepared to provide a high level of management support and substantial overtime. The ideal candidate is pragmatic and capable of handling pressure, with a practical and common-sense approach to problems. It is a challenging role, and it fits someone who likes to be a linchpin and is capable of making tough decisions.
The Director of Junior Courses needs to work closely with colleagues in Sales, Marketing, Bookings and other Senior Management, and strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential. Strong recruitment skills are also essential for the role.
List of Duties
To carry out the non-exhaustive list of tasks below:
Pre-course:
- Line manage other managerial staff employed to work in the Junior Courses department ensuring that staff are inducted, monitored, appraised, and trained as required.
- Maintain and develop a positive organisational culture, values, and reputation by leading by example.
- Plan, agree and deliver the strategic objectives of the junior programmes.
- Develop new programmes in line with market needs and update current programmes as necessary.
- Provide support to Sales and Marketing staff as necessary. This may include giving presentations to Overseas Partners online and face to face and updating social media.
- Ensure group allocations are being collected & altered in line with market movements
- Contribute to an annual budget forecast in cooperation with our Finance Manager
- Comply with and monitor necessary financial tasks of the department, in line with company policy.
- Ensure that suppliers (including staff, deposits for centres etc) are paid in line with company policy and that spending is within the agreed limits.
- Renegotiate contracts with host institutions such as independent boarding schools and universities.
- Source new host premises and negotiate agreements for use of facilities, bedrooms and classrooms
- Conduct interviews with applicants for Summer positions and other staff deemed necessary for the smooth operation of the course.
- Assess course requirements in terms of academic and leisure supplies.
- Assess course requirements in terms of staffing and teaching levels.
- Monitor staff levels to ensure courses are neither under nor over staffed.
- Oversee on-boarding arrangements for all new staff and returning staff
- Organise and run the pre course training for centre management teams. Monitor training for all other staff.
- Update staff training manuals and other documentation.
- Oversee the planning of excursions and activities for young learners with clear itineraries/fact sheets and pre-booked tickets, lunch arrangements, reserved coaches etc
- Oversee airport pick-up and return for groups and individuals with coaches and taxis
- Answer agent enquiries, prepare course fact sheets, sample timetables and assist with quotes for group proposals.
- Ensure external inspection criteria are met.
- To observe and comply with all legislative requirements and regulations of the British Council Accreditation Scheme for running Young Learners (Junior) courses.
- To ensure there is adequate insurance cover for the operation of all St Giles Junior courses in the UK.
- Be aware of key markets and industry trends and use this information to predict future student numbers
- Any other duties as required to ensure the smooth running of the junior courses.
During the Course:
- To be personally involved in all aspects of communications with clients
- Arrange quality check visits to centres (including meeting a sample of students, parents, group leaders and agents).
- Regularly receive student feedback and act upon concerns.
- Provide support to all staff and perform other ad hoc duties as required
- Maintain adequate staffing, management and rotas.
- Maintain staff and management performance and discipline at all centres.
- Maintain student discipline at all centres.
- Be the safeguarding lead and create a culture of safeguarding in all centres.
- Welcome visitors to the programme as required (e.g., third party agents, colleagues from St Giles, inspectors from accreditation bodies, etc).
- Be on call for emergencies and major concerns out of hours.
- Lead on the processing of pay roll data ready for submission to our pay roll company
Essential qualifications and experience
- A minimum of CELTA or equivalent
- Significant prior experience working in a management capacity at Junior Summer Centres, preferably at Head Office level. Alternative management experience within the industry may be considered.
Terms and Conditions
- Holidays include 4 weeks/20 working days, not including statutory holidays, plus 1 extra day for every year of service, up to a maximum of 5 days.
- Probationary period of employment is 12 weeks, but this may be extended at the discretion of the CEO.
- Sick pay includes 4 weeks full pay + 4 weeks ½ pay in any one year.
- Working hours include 09.00 - 17.30 Monday to Friday, off season, with evenings and 6 days per week of work required during course operational times.Given the seniority & nature of the position, the employee should expect to generally work longer hours, during the time of courses being operational as required. The longer working hours and 6 days a week of work during the operational period are subject to Working Time regulations.
- Overtime is not paid additionally although extra days’ holiday are offered in lieu of any days worked at the weekends.
- The applicant may be periodically permitted to work from home (subject to terms and conditions). The Director of Juniors may be expected to attend meetings in London and at other sites in the UK periodically.
- In year 3 (after 2 full years’ service), you will become eligible for the company Pension Scheme (prior to that, Auto Enrolment).
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