Angeliki from Greece

I learnt English from an early age. My dad was very proud of my English and he wanted me to become a teacher, but I wanted to be a hairdresser!

I went to the United States for six years and obtained a BA and a Master’s degree in Foreign Policy. Coming back home, I couldn’t really find a job, so I thought I’d follow my dad’s dream and become a teacher. This was a real turning point for me.

I have never stopped learning myself, and I recently got a new Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics.

A couple of years later, I decided to start my own language school and that’s when things really took off. In 1978, we opened the first Kinnick Language School. We started small, but it has grown from 75 square metres to 550 square metres. Along the way, my daughter and son also got involved in the business and we have grown to the point where we have five branches now, having opened a new one in June 2020.

We’ve now been operating for over 40 years, and we have three teachers who have been working with us for 38 years and they are retiring soon. This must mean that we’re doing something good!

In fact, most of our staff have been with us for more than 25 years. We have at least three Cambridge examiners on staff and many more of our younger teachers are examining for local or government bodies. Our staff includes six teachers who have recently obtained Master’s degrees in Applied Linguistics. These younger teachers bring new students and new ideas, which keeps the school going. Some of our teachers are also our former students.

The amazing thing is that our students now bring their children back after all these years and these students say they are so happy they are learning English at the school that their mom or dad attended.

My students really inspire me because some initially come to us really believing that they can’t succeed. I remember a case of a 15-year-old boy who hated English. His mother brought him to the school and asked me to do something with him. We helped him prepare for a Cambridge English certificate and at times it was challenging, but we managed it. In fact, when he finally passed his exam, he went up on the roof terrace of the school and screamed ‘I did it, I did it!’ You see, it was just a small certificate for us but a giant leap for him!

I have never stopped learning myself, and I recently got a new Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics. All in all, I am so glad that I followed my father’s advice all those years ago.