A long queue of Spaniards camping out in the Calle Almagro in Madrid does not mean that the summer sales are on; it is a sign that the British Council English Teaching Centre is about to start enrolment for its classes, and it is worth a 36‐hour wait to ensure a place. The Council has 44 centres in 31 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, with about 52,000 students at any one time — people who are keen to pay to learn English, and who select the Council's own centres because of their high reputation.