The first international students sold books in the summer of 1985. As a result of their success, Peter Ferre was sent to the UK and France to interview a personal team. Peter selected the second biggest team in company history that summer, with a team of 47. In 2003 the international division selected over 600 students to participate in the Southwestern programme on both continents, making up a quarter of the total sales force of the company.

Our first international office was set up in Bristol in 1994, the same summer that students began selling in the UK. The Bristol office services the needs of students selling in the UK. The Edinburgh office was opened in 2002 to service the needs of international students. A landmark took place in the winter of 2002/3 when the first team from the Southern Hemisphere sold books in Arizona, led by Kenyan national Justin Heath. This team from South Africa joined students from The UK, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia, Slovakia, & The Czech Republic giving Southwestern a truly international flavour and a program where students from all over the world could sell year round and make money to pay their way through college.

We are proud to now have a presence in Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, China, France, Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia, The Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulagaria, Peru and Holland. Applicants from all countries are welcome to apply to work in our Northern hemisphere summer and Southern hemisphere summer programs in the USA and applicants holding European Union passports are welcome to apply to work in our Northern hemisphere summer selling program in the UK.

Singaporean breaks International record in USA
November, 2006 {Adobe Acrobat Format}