What Education International does

Education International (EI) is a Brussels-headquartered global union federation that represents 33 million teachers and education support personnel through 375 affiliated member organizations across 180 countries and territories. Founded in 1993 through the merger of the International Federation of Teachers' Unions (IFTU) and the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP), the organization operates as a registered non-profit under Belgian law with 101-250 employees and regional structures spanning Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America and the Caribbean. Its core offerings consist of advocacy and representation services to national teacher unions, capacity-building programmes (notably the John Thompson Fellowship for union leaders), research publications and policy briefs, and global campaigns such as 'Go Public! Fund Education,' 'Teach for the Planet,' and 'Students before profit.' EI holds consultative status at international bodies including the UN, UNESCO, and the ILO, and increasingly engages in policy advocacy vis-à-vis the IMF on public education funding.

The organization's revenue model is membership-dues-based rather than commercial: affiliates pay dues that fund the central federation, while a separate Solidarity Fund collects contributions for development cooperation activities in lower-income countries. Technology infrastructure is conventional and non-proprietary: a multilingual content management system (English, French, Spanish), a Customer Relationship Management tool for member management, ClickDimensions for email marketing, Cvent for event management, BOB for account management, and a SharePoint-based member portal. EI does not sell products or services; its 'distribution' consists of advocacy services, knowledge resources, capacity-building programmes, and solidarity support delivered to member unions via digital channels, regional convenings, and the World Congress. Recent strategic activity has expanded the federation's mandate into AI governance in education (via a new AI and Technology Network launched in June 2026), Indigenous rights advocacy, and joint civil-society reporting on IMF education-policy conditionality.

Name

Education International

Legal name

Education International

Website

https://ei-ie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Education International is a Brussels-based non-profit global union federation founded in 1993 that represents 33 million teachers and education support personnel across 180 countries through 375 affiliated member organizations, providing advocacy, capacity building, research, and policy engagement with international bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Union Federation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Comparative Education Policy Organizations (EDADADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Teacher union federation
• Global education advocacy
• Union leadership development
• Education policy research
• Capacity building programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Education International is a non-profit global union federation that represents 375 affiliated education unions and teacher organisations, collectively representing more than 33 million teachers and education support personnel in 180 countries. Its core offering consists of international advocacy, capacity-building and leadership development programmes (including the John Thompson Fellowship), research and policy publications, solidarity support through a Solidarity Fund, and coordinated global campaigns on public education funding and teachers' rights.

Product overview

Education International (EI) is a global union federation representing education workers rather than a technology product company. EI's offerings consist of advocacy and representation services, research and publications (including the Worlds of Education newsletter and blog), policy briefs, campaign resources, and cooperation projects for its 375 member organizations representing over 33 million teachers and education support personnel in 180 countries. EI's digital presence includes multilingual websites (English, French, Spanish), a newsletter subscription system, and member-only resources hosted on SharePoint. The organization focuses on priorities including quality education for all, the teaching profession, rights and democracy, and building union power.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• John Thompson Fellowship Programme A flagship leadership development programme for education union leaders, running since 1999, designed to build union governance, accountability, and leadership skills through hands-on, needs-based training and mixed-group cohorts with a 50% women participation target. It serves union leaders from EI member organisations, with documented participation from CTF-FCE, the Swedish Teachers' Union, and the Australian Education Union.
• Worlds of Education A multilingual publication and blog platform providing ongoing news, analysis, and perspectives on education unionism and global education issues for EI members, education union leaders, and the broader public.
• EI Newsletter Subscription Service An email newsletter subscription service operated through ClickDimensions email marketing infrastructure, allowing visitors to opt in to EI communications with preference management and opt-out options.
• Experiencing Democracy in the Classroom: Building Democratic Learning Environments to Promote Civic Learning An open-access publication co-produced with the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) that provides teachers with tools and international examples for building democratic learning environments and supporting civic learning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of John Thompson Fellowship participants found the programme content 'relevant or very relevant' and training 'very effective', with 84% reporting greatly improved knowledge and skills
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Education International and the IEA joined forces to launch 'Experiencing Democracy in the Classroom: Building Democratic Learning Environments to Promote Civic Learning', an open-access volume providing teachers with tools to create democratic learning environments. The partnership connects insights on civic and citizenship education with practical teaching strategies and international examples. The volume was developed drawing on findings from IEA's International Civic and Citizenship Education Study.
• GEW (Gewerkschaft für Erziehung und Wissenschaft, Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEW, a German education union and EI member organisation, is running a campaign 'Teachers must not be neutral' to defend democratic education and support teachers facing threats from far-right actors. GEW has launched a petition with a broad civil society alliance calling on ministries to implement structural changes to better support teachers and democratic education. The petition has received over 250,000 signatures.
• LUMSA University (Rome, Italy)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe volume 'Experiencing Democracy in the Classroom' was edited by Valeria Damiani, Associate Professor at LUMSA University, and Gabriella Agrusti, Full Professor of Experimental Pedagogy at LUMSA University, who presented the publication at the launch event hosted by Education International.
• EI Africa ECE NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EI Africa ECE Network brings together education unions from across Africa to enhance advocacy for early childhood education, focusing on workforce recognition, pedagogical improvements, and increased public funding for ECE. The network held a meeting in Zanzibar to develop strategies for improving ECE across the continent.
• Canadian Teachers' Federation/Fédération canadienne des enseignantes et enseignants (CTF-FCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTF-FCE has been involved in the John Thompson Fellowship programme since 1999, with International Cooperation Programme Director Beverley Park contributing over two decades of involvement. The federation plays a key role in programme design and evolution, ensuring contextual relevance rather than exporting a single model.
• Swedish Teachers' Union (STU)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Swedish Teachers' Union participates in the John Thompson Fellowship programme, with International Secretary Eva Elmstedt Frisk emphasising the importance of mixed-group composition and maintaining 50% women participation, and contributing to programme design discussions.
• Australian Education Union (AEU)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeputy Federal Secretary Nicole Calnan highlighted the programme's value in creating 'protected space' for leaders to develop confidence and build durable networks across organisations, contributing to evaluation discussions on the John Thompson Fellowship.
• Union of Teachers in North and East Syria (UTNES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUTNES is an Education International affiliate that organises events and advocacy for Kurdish language rights and mother-tongue education in Syria. EI supports its affiliate's call for official recognition of Kurdish language in Syria's education system and public institutions.
• ActionAid InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation International partnered with ActionAid International and other organisations to publish a joint report exposing the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) policies on education. The report reveals how the IMF has pushed low-income countries to prioritise debt repayments over public services, including education.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)minorOthersEducation International advocates against IMF policies that it believes harm education funding in developing countries. The organisation produces reports and analysis on the IMF's impact on public education spending.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ActionAid International: International NGO focused on poverty and human rights that partners with EI on joint advocacy and reports, such as the recent IMF policy critique. Comparable in publishing and campaign-driven advocacy aimed at international financial institutions.
• Education Cannot Wait (ECW): Global fund for education in emergencies, often cited alongside EI in coverage of conflict and displacement. Comparable in operating across the international education ecosystem with a strong donor and advocacy focus.

Broad incumbents

• International Labour Organization (ILO): UN agency setting international labour standards and convening governments, employers, and workers. EI holds consultative status with the ILO and engages it on teacher working conditions, union rights, and AI in the world of work.
• UNESCO: UN agency for education, the principal intergovernmental body with which EI engages. UNESCO is a comparator in the international education policy space, producing research, convening member states, and setting norms that influence EI's advocacy agenda.

Direct peers

• UNI Global Union: Global union federation for skills and services workers, organised along similar lines to EI with sectoral affiliates, regional structures, and a comparable dues-funded federation model serving workers across multiple industries.
• International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC): The main global trade union confederation of which EI is a global union federation affiliate. ITUC represents the broader labour movement and operates a comparable dues-funded model with global advocacy, regional structures, and a Global Rights Index.
• IndustriALL Global Union: Global union federation representing workers in mining, energy, and manufacturing sectors, sharing EI's federated structure, dues-funded model, regional offices, and advocacy engagement with international institutions.
• Public Services International (PSI): Global union federation representing public sector workers, including many of the same categories of education support personnel that EI organises. PSI shares EI's structure as a dues-funded federation with regional offices, policy research, and advocacy at international institutions.

Regional players

• World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU): Alternate global trade union federation historically active in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Operates a similar dues-funded federated model and represents overlapping categories of workers, with a different political orientation from EI.

Others

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA): International research cooperative producing large-scale comparative studies of education systems, and a direct content partner of EI through the 'Experiencing Democracy in the Classroom' publication. Comparable as an international education-focused membership and research network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eduint
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EduInternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/educationinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/education-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/eduint

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education International