English UK has this week begun an English is GREAT campaign aimed at students in Brazil, one of our priority markets, supported by significant Government funding.

Highlights of 'English is GREAT: Speak to the World' include free taster English lessons in a specially constructed classroom at four student fairs in Brazilian cities this month and two competitions for students to make videos about studying English, the best of which will be used to promote UK ELT through social media in a new and more effective way.

The experiences of students who win short scholarships at English centres in the UK will also feed back into the campaign, which runs to March 2016 and is expected to raise awareness of UK ELT to 17 million people.

"English really is GREAT and we are delighted that our proposal to showcase the quality of the UK's ELT teaching, as well as everything else we have to offer, has been chosen by the GREAT campaign. We are particularly delighted that our bid was successful, as there was a great deal of competition," said Annie Wright, deputy chief executive of English UK (business services).

"We worked with our regional and national groups to identify the best teachers to send to our travelling classroom to inspire Brazilian students, and we're really looking forward to seeing them in action in the first classroom sessions today at the Salão do Estudante fair in Belo Horizonte. This is an important element in our strategy to promote the UK as the world's leading ELT destination."

English UK is also delighted to be working with BMI Media, organiser of the Salão do Estudante fairs, as our Brazilian delivery partner.

Our travelling classrooms will be in full swing at the fairs in Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in September, with five classes daily, each teaching fun but useful English to 50 potential students. Each fair will also feature a prominent English is GREAT pavilion, with space for participating teachers to promote their region to students and their families.

The campaign also includes two separate video competitions for students in Brazil and the UK, creating films which will be shared through Brazil's busy social media and add an emotional pull to more traditional marketing of English in the UK.

In video booths hosted in the English is GREAT pavilions at BMI Media Salão do Estudante fairs in all 7 venues including Curitiba, Recife and Brasilia, would-be students will be encouraged to make one-minute films on the subject of 'what English means to me' and ending with the words "English is GREAT," for the chance to win a two-week scholarship to the UK. 

The best will appear in a video gallery on a specially designed competition site www.speaktotheworld.com.br which will also accept competition entries. Five winners will travel to the UK in early 2016, making vlogs about their experiences and presenting special seminars at Salão do Estudante fairs in the spring.

In the other competition, students already in the UK will make videos about why they chose to study here, with the best appearing in the video gallery.

A compilation of the best video clips and vlog excerpts will be used to create a promotional film, intended to influence study decisions over several years.

The teachers are each from a different English UK region. They are Jennifer John, Celtic English Academy (English UK Wales), Francine Rackham, Leeds English Language School (English UK North), Sabrina Hendry, Devon School of English (English UK South West), Christopher Mc Laughlin, Foyle International (English UK Northern Ireland) and Justin Noppe, Wimbledon School of English (English UK London).

For further information on English is GREAT in Brazil, please contact Annie Wright, English UK deputy chief executive (business services) on annie@englishuk.com or Jodie Gray, English UK's head of market development on jodie@englishuk.com.