Language Link

What Language Link does

Language Link is a Moscow-headquartered, privately-held language school network operating 40+ physical schools across Russia and Kazakhstan, plus an online learning center. The company was founded in 1997 by Rob Jensky and delivers English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian-as-a-foreign-language instruction to children, teenagers, and adults. Its core pedagogical technology is a communicative teaching methodology delivered by 100+ native-speaker teachers from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and other countries, supported by branded textbooks from Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Longman, plus an in-house teacher qualification program that upskills 500+ teachers annually.

The company monetizes through four primary revenue streams: recurring monthly course subscriptions (children's tiers at 6,400-13,920 rubles, the economy Empower course at 5,760 rubles, and individual lessons with native speakers), Cambridge examination services (the first Platinum Cambridge Assessment English partner in Russia, conducting roughly 10,000 exams annually), customized corporate training, and franchise royalties from partner-operated schools under the Language Link brand. Customer segments are predominantly individual consumers (B2C) with a smaller corporate training business, and the company reports an 80%+ student retention rate. Recent product expansion has added an Acting Skills Course in English, free Business English interview preparation, and a co-located children's programming offering through a partnership with PIXEL.

Technology infrastructure is limited to the online learning platform, which supports remote enrollment and homework delivery rather than AI-driven personalization. Leadership is led by founder Rob Jensky, who continues teaching, alongside Academic Director Chad Birdon. Awards include CV Magazine's Best Foreign Language School Eastern Europe 2020, multi-year SchoolRate Expert of the Year, and Cambridge Platinum Partner status. Headcount is reported at 501-1,000 employees, and operating geographies span Moscow, Moscow Oblast, St. Petersburg, Samara, Cherkessk, multiple Russian regional cities, and Atyrau, Kazakhstan.

Name

Language Link

Legal name

Language Link

Website

https://languagelink.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Language Courses: Group and individual language courses for children, teenagers, and adults. Languages include English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian as a foreign language. Revenue from course fees with monthly payment options available.
2. Examination Services: Cambridge exam center conducting approximately 10,000 exams annually. Preparation courses and testing fees for international certifications.
3. Corporate Training: Customized corporate language training programs for businesses and organizations.
4. Franchise Revenue: Revenue from franchise partner schools operating under the Language Link brand with standardized methodology and quality standards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Language Link operates a network of 40+ physical language schools across Russia and Kazakhstan plus an online learning center, delivering communicative-methodology language courses (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian as a foreign language) for children, teenagers, and adults. The company also offers exam preparation for Cambridge, TOEFL, IELTS and Russian state exams (ЕГЭ/ОГЭ), corporate language training, teacher certification programs, summer language camps, and authorized Cambridge Assessment English testing at its Platinum partner centers.

Product overview

Language Link is a network of language schools in Russia and Kazakhstan offering a comprehensive portfolio of language education products. The core offering consists of English language courses for children, teenagers, and adults using communicative methodology with native speaker teachers from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Supporting products include online English courses, exam preparation (B2 First/FCE, C1 Advanced/CAE, C2 Proficiency/CPE, TOEFL, IELTS, ЕГЭ, ОГЭ), European languages (French, Italian, German, Spanish), Eastern languages (Chinese, Korean, Japanese), and Russian as a foreign language. Additional services include corporate training, teacher training programs, summer camps, conversation clubs, individual tutoring, Cambridge authorized testing, and a franchise program. Sub-brands include the economy Empower course (developed by Cambridge University Press) and intensive Move conversational course.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• English Language Courses (children, teenagers, adults)
• Online English Courses
• Exam Preparation Courses
• Cambridge Assessment English Examinations
• European Language Courses (French, German, Italian, Spanish)
• Eastern Language Courses (Chinese, Korean, Japanese)
• Russian as a Foreign Language

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ annual Cambridge exam candidates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PIXEL (Programming School)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Long-standing partner operating at the Language Link Sviblovo location. PIXEL offers programming courses for children aged 5-17, including programming fundamentals, game development, website creation, digital arts, computer literacy, and graphic design. The partnership provides combined language and technical education offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Skyeng: Russia-focused online English school with native-speaker teachers, subscription-based individual lessons, and corporate training. Closely comparable on digital GTM and target customer, even if less reliant on physical schools.
• BKC-IH (International House Moscow): Long-established Moscow-based language school network offering English and European languages with Cambridge exam preparation. Most direct in-market competitor given overlapping Moscow footprint, exam prep focus, and corporate training offerings.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Global language school chain with similar multi-language curriculum, native-speaker teachers, and franchise/own-school hybrid distribution. Comparable on offering and brand-led model, but operates at vastly larger scale and across more geographies.
• Kaplan International: International language school operator with exam preparation (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge), teacher training, and physical centers. Comparable on exam prep portfolio and adult learner focus.
• Berlitz: Global language school chain with immersive methodology, corporate training, and franchised centers. Comparable on multi-language offerings and corporate client base.
• Inlingua: Global franchised language school network delivering multi-language instruction for adults and corporate clients. Comparable on franchise-based distribution and B2B training offerings.
• Wall Street English: Global franchised English language school chain with proprietary methodology and in-center delivery. Comparable on franchise-driven physical distribution and English-only curriculum.

Emerging players

• Novakid: Online English school for children 4-12 using native-speaker teachers in a subscription format. Comparable on kids segment, methodology, and online delivery; a digital-only emerging challenger to Language Link's physical kids programs.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ll_orenburg
• Facebookfacebook.com/llrussia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/language-link-russia

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Language Link