m2r Education

In 2009 we received, totally out of the blue, an enquiry from New York, asking us to provide UK recruitment support, We duly obliged and this was our first foray into the world of international business.

We currently export across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC). Markets were chosen based on the east of market entry, attending DBT trade missions and market interest as well as ease of doing business.

We have expanded way past our initial comfort zone! To date we have done business in over 40 countries and have been able to develop a brand new product portfolio which would not have been possible had we just existed in the UK. We have learnt about new countries, cultures and made great friends and developed excellent client relationships along the way. We have been able to physically visit new markets, have amazing experiences and broaden our business and personal horizons. I wouldn't change this for the world.

We use DBT services extensively and value all support provided. Some of the things they have helped with include.
• Over 30 trade missions
• Conducted numerous OMIS reports
• Benefitted from building local in-country relationships with DBT Commercial Officers
• Use of funding
• Continued support from our International Trade Adviser (ITA)

Very much so. Pre-COVID-19 we purely focussed on the international teacher recruitment market. Due to the lack of global travel, we had to dramatically change the business model and now offer a range of online education services which has allowed us to continue to trade and also open new markets, win new clients and offer new services to current clients too. For all the tragedy that COVID-19 has brought, we would not have diversified without being faced with a global
pandemic.

During the pandemic, we won two awards and helped UK key workers secure online jobs when they were unable to perform medical duties due to illness. We have also delivered online tutoring to children across the globe who needed additional support due to a lack of face-to-face school time.

DBT helped as we were able to access their global network of Commercial Officers. During the summer of 2020 I reached out to over 50 across the globe and I was able to promote our new services and ask for advice. We have increased business and achieved export sales due to their support.

My International Trade Adviser was also excellent, again offering great support and ensuring we were kept informed of any trade events that would benefit us.

We have taken advantage of grants available through the local authority; these have been a great help too.

Yes, and I also spoke at quite a few too and offered my advice and support, as an Export Champion. Despite us being an experienced exporter some of the workshops have still added value to our business and helped us to develop a partner network for our new services.

They offer peer-to-peer support, excellent information as well as access to a network of International Trade Advisers.

Just do it! If you genuinely believe that your product or service is suited to export, then you have nothing to lose. You must be committed, patient and resilient. This is not a short term business strategy so plan for the long haul.

I have attended over 20 missions to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, UAE, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, China, Russia and Singapore.

Trade missions are a fantastic way to generate
business, engage in high level networking, build relationships and learn the culture of a country. We use trade missions as the initial market entry point and for us, they are irreplaceable.

We have also attended several virtual trade missions and spoke at DBT led virtual conferences which have allowed us to continue to promote our services without the need to travel. I have found this invaluable.

In Egypt for example, we signed ten contracts in seven days during a mission. In Saudi Arabia we built long term relationships and won numerous contracts across the Kingdom and we did the same in the UAE and Qatar.

These are just a few examples as we generally win business from attending a trade mission.

On top of this, a trade mission allows us to network with other delegates and we have developed excellent business relationships with other delegates too. They also allow us to understand the geography and culture of a country, essential as one of our services in
providing in-country teacher recruitment support.

• Plan.
• Think about your Unique Selling Points (USP)
and focus on these.
• Get a lot of sleep before you go, trade
missions are all go!
• Delegate your UK work so you can fully focus.

It has given us tremendous credibility and elevated our services when dealing with an international audience. We feel very proud to be export champions and it drives us to achieve more.

To continue to build a global network of partners, mainly in Asia and also Latin America and the Caribbean as we do not currently have any business there.

The ability to showcase our fantastic, award-winning UK services to a global audience.

It was a huge honour to have been awarded an MBE in the 2022 Queen’s New Year Honour’s list for services to education and export. Over the past 15 years I have built a business which offers a range of international education services and to be recognised in such a way
is a fantastic achievement and one I am extremely proud of. 

The past 18 months have felt like 10 years and also 10 minutes! We have achieved so much and will continue to innovate and expand, It has also showed that you don't need to travel internationally, to trade internationally.