Kaplan Languages Group

Dr Agunda Chekhoeva is a cardiac surgeon based in Dusseldorf, Germany. She recently completed her Kaplan Online English course, which she describes as ‘exceptional’ and feels it has given her ‘the confidence to use the language in real life’. We are especially excited to hear this because when Agunda is not in the operating room, she dedicates herself to training other doctors and medical professionals in life-saving procedures and techniques. With better English, she can now share that knowledge and experience with even more medics around the world and that is great news! #KaplanCareerSuccess #KaplanLovesEnglish #KaplanExperience

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing the Regional Director of Kaplan Bath and Torquay, Mark Lloyd. He explains how we got into education, the key to success in learning and remembers the most motivated student he has ever met! 🌎Tell us about the career path that led to being Regional Principal at Kaplan🌎 I studied Economics at university, but I always liked languages. I took French and German classes at school, so after graduating I took a course to become an English teacher, then spent the next few years living and working as a teacher and academic manager in Portugal and Spain. I eventually moved back to the UK as Director of Studies at Kaplan Bath, where I still work 21 years later! In 2010 I took over as Principal, and during the pandemic in 2020 I was offered the position of Regional Principal, managing the Kaplan schools in both Bath and Torquay. ⭐What do you see as the most important components for a successful language learning experience?⭐ Over the years I’ve learned that people tend to learn a language best when they’re not actually trying to learn it. This sounds strange, but our brains are naturally very good at automatically learning languages if we give them the right opportunities to do so. This means being surrounded by the language and pushing ourselves to use it to interact with people. 👏Can you share the success story of a student who particularly stands out in your memory?👏 There have been many of course, but one specific example is a Spanish student who originally came to Bath for a two-month course in early 2018. He was in his early-fifties and a successful professional, but he was a beginner who needed to learn English because he was looking to change his job. Right from the start of his course he decided he was going to make full use of every single opportunity, which included joining every social activity or excursion even if it was something completely new to him. In the end he extended his course until the summer, then he returned after the summer and stayed for nine more months! He is without a doubt the most motivated and enthusiastic student we have ever had, and because he was older than most of the other students, they all saw him as a ‘father figure’. 💡 Do you have any hidden talents, skills or habits that your colleagues might find surprising?💡 There is one habit I have learned over the years which has helped me enormously in my career – whenever I am offered an opportunity of any kind in my job, in my mind I immediately assume I am going to say ‘yes’. This doesn’t mean I do say ‘yes’ to everything, but it means I have to work hard to find reasons not to! The full interview is available on the KI Language blog: https://brnw.ch/21wLiFa #KLGSuccessStories #KaplanExperience

Today's guest post comes from Georgia Michailidou, who leads our Cambridge school. She shares her thoughts about English as a global language and the value of diversity in teams. "Over the years, I’ve heard many students remark that they want to learn English from and amongst native speakers. But did you know that non-native English speakers outnumber native speakers by a significant margin? An estimated 1.5-2 billion people speak English, out of which only around 25% have been speaking the language from birth. This shift has transformed English into a true global language, making it an important bridge between cultures and nationalities. I’m an ELT professional who was raised and educated in Greece. I experienced first-hand the power of learning the English language, including all the struggles such as pronunciation and learning all those phrasal verbs! Within the high-performing team that I lead at Kaplan Cambridge, I have the pleasure of working with amazing staff from the UK, Egypt, Turkey, Spain to name but a few. This diversity is such a strength. We learn from each other daily – both linguistically and otherwise - while accomplishing our professional goals. (And this learning applies equally to our native speaker colleagues for whom English language acquisition is a continuous, lifelong process). In my experience, there are a few things that characterise the multicultural environment that I work in but two in particular stand out. One is increased empathy both for each other and for our students. We don’t have to imagine how it feels to be far from home. We know what if feels like. We’ve travelled the path of getting comfortable in a new place and navigating our way through somewhere things are done differently. The other thing is something which as a language lover delights me especially. It is the creative way that non-native speakers often use the language to express ideas and thoughts, bending rules and conventions that native speakers might not dare to! The evolving landscape of English usage offers exciting opportunities for language learners and global professionals. Embracing English as a lingua franca certainly doesn't mean disregarding our native languages or cultures. Instead, it provides a common ground for global communication and understanding while providing a great tool for expressing and celebrating our diversity." Every year, we help thousands of professionals to develop their English so they can engage and participate on the global stage. We'd love to do the same for you. For more information on our programmes and locations, please visit https://lnkd.in/gG-crs_a #KaplanExperience #KLGGreatPlace

5 years ago, Pedro, now a Business Sales Manager at Huawei, the global technology giant, came to Bath to study English with Kaplan. It changed his life. He explains how. Calling former students - how did your course change you? Did you experience similar benefits to the ones Pedro describes? #KaplanExperience #KaplanCareerSuccess

Teamwork makes the dream work! Last week, our Toronto soccer team fought their way to victory in the ISX Soccer Tournament against other Toronto English language schools. With players from France, Switzerland, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Turkey, Brazil and Chile, it was more 'world cup' than a 'Euro' competition. Many of our students have fascinating jobs and careers. We do wonder if having a Fenerbahçe coach in the Toronto soccer team gave us a little bit of an advantage...See if you can guess which one of the players it is! #KaplanWinners #KaplanExperience #KaplanLovesFootball

Celebrating our KLG People, this week, Jillian Nelson, our Seattle School Director talks about Seattle's attractions, the key to successful language learning and the person who had the greatest influence on her! 📃Tell us about your career path📃 I've always been interested in living abroad. I did an exchange program to Japan in high school, which led to teaching in Japan for several years. I did a Masters in the UK and joke with my students that I chose England for my study abroad as I’m not as good at foreign languages as they are! My plan was to teach at a US university after my MA, but then I took a part-time instructor job at Kaplan after my return, not really expecting it to be a long-term thing. After teaching about 3 months, I moved to an accommodation role and started my Kaplan career path! 🌐What are the secrets to successful language learning? 🌐 The first thing I ‘d say is to take down your walls. You can only make real progress when you open yourself up to learning. 👨👩👧 What’s great about your team? 👨👩👧 As a school, we put the focus on communication and connection. I make a point of telling students how many mistakes I make in English! Accuracy is important but you can’t achieve accuracy if you/re not comfortable practising. ♥️What do you find most satisfying about the job?♥️ When a long-term student arrives with a low level and finishes their course with a full graduation speech before transferring to college in the United States It’s incredible to witness and we get to be a part of that. 🏙️What makes Seattle a choice for students?🏙️ Seattle is a small ‘big city’. Sure, there’s corporate culture with Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft based here but there’s also a thriving arts scene with lots of musicians and artists. We also have nature on our doorstep. Lake Washington, Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and of course, the iconic Mt. Rainier. The ability to enjoy city life and nature in the same day is a highlight. I’m a passionate snowboarder so that suits me particularly well. 👨👩👧How would you describe your team at Kaplan Seattle?👨👩👧 It’s a kind team with a jovial atmosphere. Everyone likes being here and understands that’s it’s all about the student experience! 💡Who’s your role model? 💡 I’d have to say my mom! As a single mom, with three kids, she started her own business and made a real success of it. She's one of the kindest people I know. The main thing I learnt from her is the willingness to listen to people. She works in insurance, advising older clients, helping them to figure out issues, and I learned a lot watching her deal with people. As school director, the ability to listen is critical. Students will come to you frustrated. They want to be heard and acknowledged and that basic understanding of people started by seeing my mom working with her clients. For information on studying in Kaplan with Jillian and her team, please visit: https://brnw.ch/21wL48F

Here at Kaplan International Languages, part of the Kaplan Languages Group, we're all about making our new international students feel right at home from the moment they step through our doors. Our secret weapon? These eye-catching tropical shirts! On Induction Day at our Kaplan London 30+ school, you can't miss our Student Services team as they walk you through the essentials of school life and studying in London. But as Wayne, our Student Services Manager (pictured centre in photo) explains, "It's more than just funky fashion. These shirts are another way of showing our commitment to creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere, breaking down barriers and injecting a bit of fun into the serious business of education." Whether you're puzzling over paperwork, trying to decode the transport system or just need a friendly face, our teams are here to ensure a smooth, enjoyable experience. Thinking about joining our global community of learners? Drop us a message and let's chat about how we can help you achieve your English language goals! #KaplanExperience #KLGGreatPlace #KaplanLovesEnglish

Summer is here, and the busy season is in full swing! To kick things off, we had a laid-back afterwork party at our BCN Headquarters with tasty food, drinks, and great company :) Check out these snapshots from the event! A big thank you to everyone who joined us and made the evening unforgettable. At KLG, we believe in the power of team spirit and creating memorable moments together. Here's to a fantastic summer ahead! 🎉 #SummerVibes #AfterworkParty #WEareKLG

Today, we invite you to meet Luca Ottavo, our Sr. HRBP Manager & Talent Acquisition at KLG Headquarters in Barcelona! -What is your story? I grew up in Italy and lived there until I was 19 years old, when I decided to complete my university studies in both the Netherlands and Italy. My Spanish adventure started in the summer of 2009 when I came to visit friends in Barcelona for a few days before returning to the Netherlands. But here I am, 15 years later, still in Barcelona and with an MBA in Human Resources from the University of Madrid Carlos III. I have been with KLG Europe for 4 years now and would love to stay longer. I joined in the middle of the pandemic as an HRBP and was promoted to Sr. HRBP Manager and Talent Acquisition. -This is the time to thank someone in the company who has been part of your journey. I definitely want to thank my manager Alba, the whole HR team, and all the managers who have made our professional relationship smooth and agile. But really, I want to thank everyone at KLG Europe for creating such a pleasant environment. -How did you hear about your first position? A month before the pandemic hit Barcelona, I was not that far away from starting my own business. This was the main reason why I decided to stay in Barcelona, but then the HR world reignited my passion for the second time. So, during the month of April 2020, I received a call from the HR department to start a selection process as an HRBP, and a few weeks later, I joined ESL Education. I have been part of the HR team for a few years now, and in just 4 years, I have gone through many pleasant changes and special challenges. -What are your hobbies or interests? Traveling: I used to collect magnets from all the cities I visited. I have more than 120 magnets. For the last few years, I have been replacing the magnets with local (empty) beers. Cooking: I like to eat, but when I cook, I love to see the faces of the people who taste my food.