Last updated: 22 October 2026
The short version. We only collect what you send us or type into the assistant. With your permission we pass consultation requests to our partner study abroad consultancy so a counsellor can contact you. The assistant only remembers you if you switch memory on. We do not use advertising or analytics tracking, and we never sell your information.
- Who we are
- What we collect
- How we use it
- Who we share it with
- International transfers
- How long we keep it
- Your rights
- Children
1. Who we are
EF Consultancy is a trading name of [to be added], 23 Stanford Road, Colchester, CO4 5NF. We decide how your personal information is used, which makes us the "controller" under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).
Contact us about anything in this policy at [email protected].
EF Consultancy provides free study abroad guides, EF Match and an AI assistant, and introduces students to a partner study abroad consultancy. The partner consultancy, not EF Consultancy, provides counselling, applications and visa support. EF Consultancy does not give immigration advice.
2. What we collect
When you send the consultation form
- Your first and last name, email address and the country you live in.
- Your phone or WhatsApp number, if you ask to be contacted by WhatsApp or phone.
- Your study plans: preferred destination, study level, subject and start date, how you would like to be contacted, and anything you write in the message box.
- The page you sent the form from, and a record that you agreed to the introduction, with the date.
When you use the AI assistant
- The questions you type and the assistant's replies, which are processed to answer you. EF Consultancy does not keep a copy of your conversation.
- Only if you switch memory on: short notes about your study plans (for example destination, subject, English test score or budget range), linked to a random ID saved in your browser. Before anything is sent to the memory service we remove email addresses and long numbers such as phone or passport numbers, and the service is told not to keep identity, bank or address details.
When you use EF Match
Your answers are processed in your own browser and are not sent to us. If you then open the consultation form, only the suggested country is passed to it.
Technical information
Our website host, Cloudflare, processes technical information such as your IP address and browser details to deliver pages and protect the site. We briefly hold your IP address in memory to limit how many assistant messages and form requests can be sent in a short time. When you send the consultation form or an assistant message, Cloudflare Turnstile checks that the request comes from a person and not an automated program; this check runs in your browser and Cloudflare processes technical information about your browser and device to do it. We do not use analytics, advertising or social media tracking.
If you message us directly
If you contact us by email or WhatsApp, we receive your message and contact details. WhatsApp is run by Meta, and its own terms and privacy policy apply.
3. How we use it, and our lawful basis
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Introduce you to our partner consultancy and give them your form details so a counsellor can contact you | Your consent, given with the tick box on the form. You can withdraw it at any time. |
| Record your enquiry in our customer system and reply to you | Steps you ask us to take, and our legitimate interest in handling enquiries |
| Answer your questions in the AI assistant | Our legitimate interest in providing the assistant you choose to use |
| Remember your study plans between visits | Your consent, given by switching memory on. "Forget me" withdraws it. |
| Keep the site secure and prevent misuse | Our legitimate interest in protecting the site and its users |
| Meet legal obligations | Legal obligation |
We do not sell your information, use it for advertising or send you marketing emails. We do not make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you. EF Match is a suggestion tool based on fixed rules that runs in your browser.
4. Who we share it with
- Our partner study abroad consultancy, only when you tick the box on the consultation form. They use your details to contact you about your plans and become a separate controller. They will tell you how they use your information, and their own privacy notice applies to what they do.
- Service providers who act for us, under contracts that require them to protect your information:
- HubSpot, our customer system, which stores consultation requests in its EU data centre.
- Cloudflare, which hosts this website, runs the AI model that answers the assistant, and runs Turnstile, the check that stops automated abuse of the form and the assistant.
- Mem0, which stores assistant memory, only if you switch memory on.
- Others when the law requires it, for example to respond to a lawful request from the authorities, or to protect the rights and safety of our users.
5. International transfers
Some of our service providers are based in, or may process information in, countries outside the UK, including the USA. When that happens we rely on safeguards allowed by UK law, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where a provider is certified, or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses. Contact us if you would like more detail.
6. How long we keep it
- Consultation requests: up to 24 months after our last contact with you, then deleted, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
- Assistant memory: until you click "Forget me", and in any case no longer than 12 months.
- Assistant conversations: not stored by EF Consultancy.
- Rate-limit information: held in memory for up to 10 minutes.
Information you share with our partner consultancy is kept according to their privacy notice.
7. Your rights
You have the right to ask for a copy of your information, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time; this does not affect anything we did before. To use any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will reply within one month.
To delete assistant memory straight away, use the "Forget me" button in the assistant.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint (opens in a new tab) or on 0303 123 1113.
8. Children
Our guides are general information. If you are under 16, a parent or guardian should fill in the consultation form for you. Assistant memory is off by default, and we do not use tracking or profiling.
9. Security
The site uses encrypted connections (HTTPS), access to your information is limited to people who need it, and our providers use industry-standard security. No system is completely secure, so please do not share passport numbers, bank details or passwords in the form or the assistant.
10. Cookies
We do not use advertising or analytics cookies. See our Cookie Policy for the small amount of information the assistant stores in your browser when you switch memory on.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your information, we will update this page and the date at the top.