About Participate Learning
Committed to excellence in education
What Do We Do at Participate Learning?
At Participate Learning our mission is to unite our world through global learning. Many of us are former teachers, principals, or school district leaders. All of us believe that global education is a catalyst for changing lives.
We are proud to be recognized as a certified B Corporation (B Corp) since 2011, and were designated as a Best for the World Honoree from 2013-2022; the Best for the World designation was discontinued beginning in 2023.
As part of our B Corp commitment, one of our success measures is the positive impact we make on our employees. We do this by offering interesting, challenging work in a collaborative, flexible, and open culture, and encouraging employees to pursue their professional and personal passions along the way.
Awards and Recognitions
Participate Learning is proud to be recognized for our dedication to exemplary leadership and outstanding business practices. We are grateful for the longstanding partnerships and trust from our community that has helped us achieve these honors.
Winner: Global Top 100 Inspiring Workplaces in 2024
Participate Learning ranks No. 43 among companies in North America and No. 51 globally for the top 100 Inspiring Workplaces Award, highlighting our commitment to creating an engaging and supportive work environment.
North Carolina Sustainable Business Council Visionary Leader
Recognized as a Visionary Leader by the North Carolina Sustainable Business Council for our forward-thinking approaches and sustainable business practices.
Communitas Award for Leadership in Ethical and Environmental Responsibility
Earned the Communitas Award for Leadership in Ethical and Environmental Responsibility, demonstrating our dedication to ethical practices and environmental stewardship.
Real Leaders Magazine Top Impact Company in 2024
Named a Top Impact Company by Real Leaders Magazine, showcasing our significant positive impact on the community and industry.
Our Commitment to Excellence
Since the beginning, we have committed to providing best-in-class service and support to our partner schools and Ambassador Teachers. We are pleased to share that our customers report a high level of satisfaction with our services based on our most recent survey, as indicated by our Net Promoter Scores.
When asked ‘On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend Participate Learning to a friend/colleague?’ 95% of Ambassador Teachers surveyed indicated a response of 8 or higher, confirming a strong sentiment of support for Participate Learning.
Our Journey
1987
Participate Learning, formerly known as Visiting International Faculty and later VIF International Education, was founded by the Young family (pictured above) to celebrate and promote the value of international perspectives in U.S. education.
1990s
We placed and supported thousands of international K-12 teachers in U.S. classrooms, and have since become the largest U.S. Department of State Exchange Visitor Program sponsor in the teacher category.
Early 2000s
We began to use our expertise to create additional global education and language acquisition programs.
2010s
Teachers in our programs gained more support and connection through the use of our online, collaborative professional development platform.
2017
VIF International Education changed its company name to Participate in order to more accurately reflect our current programs and services, today and in the years to come.
2019
Participate divided into two companies, Participate Learning and Participate Inc. Read more about our path to Participate Learning.
2022
Participate Learning is named a Best for the World B Corporation for the 9th year in a row. We are proud to be recognized as a certified B Corporation (B Corp) since 2011, and have been designated as a Best for the World Honoree from 2013-2022. The Best for the World designation was discontinued in 2023.
2024
Participate Learning named a Top Impact Company by Real Leaders Magazine for the sixth year in a row.
Join Our Mission
We are always looking for great people to join our team, and are searching for talented, fun, and motivated people who are passionate about uniting our world through global learning.