Elisabeth Glöde
Rostock, Germany

"I have never regretted my decision to set up my own business and to franchise with Berlitz in 1998. With the support of Berlitz I have been able to establish the brand successfully in Rostock. I am proud that it has become a synonym for high quality in language instruction.

"From the very beginning, I have been informed about the company's goals and strategies. I have been able to ask critical questions and have always received competent and comprehensive answers. This is how trust is built: If you are involved in the company's development, if you feel as part of the team and if you aware of your responsibility, too.

"With state-of-the-art programs like BerlitzEnglish™, new marketing strategies, customer-oriented services and the commitment to top quality, the company and its franchisees are well prepared to meet the challenges of the future and to stay 'top of mind' with the customer.

"As a Berlitz franchisee, I profit from the research and structure of an international company without having to give up my entrepreneurial spirit. I have chosen the best of both worlds."


Ahmed El-Daly,
Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt

"One is lucky enough when he or she gets the opportunity to work with an international brand and gets all its support. However, the luckiest is the one who works with Berlitz®. You get the chance to work and be associated with a reputable, well-known, and well-established company — a strong brand and a strong franchisee support. When working with Berlitz®, you find yourself working among your friends. Berlitz® does not only become your business, it also becomes your family, home, and passion."


Leila Shehab
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Beirut

"The Berlitz Experience: Starting with Berlitz marked my life. As my husband says, 'before Berlitz I had a wife and a life'.

"In fact it has been a rich and extremely challenging and rewarding experience: both professionally as well as financially. Of course, it requires lots of planning, dedication and hard work. Believing in the Berlitz Method® and in the system is a big step towards success.

"We have always been under the impression that a franchisor sets the agreement terms, guides the franchisee during the first period and then leaves him to swim or sink.

"With Berlitz it has been different: as of day one, we have been guided step by step through every single new activity. We have had enough preparation and training to enable us to be functional during the first period. Regular follow-up calls, trainings and visits are there to remind you that you have a very solid support system that you can really rely on.

"Not only do we want to maintain the quality we promise to deliver but we feel very proud to be associated with the Berlitz name. Our brief Berlitz history is a testimonial to our satisfaction and commitment. In 1998, Berlitz UAE started the first center in Abu Dhabi. At present we have: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Beirut and soon Qatar and Oman."


Michael Boyd,
Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Oxford, UK

"I have been a Berlitz franchisee for nearly five years now, opening the first Centre in April 2000. It has been a very educational and rewarding experience, and I would recommend it to people who fit the profile.

"As a means to make a sharp profit, clearly investing in education is not going to come top of the list. There are many other franchise opportunities that are more obvious: pizza chains come to mind, or personal finance or property. But if you have an interest and background in teaching or languages, investing with Berlitz can offer a rewarding and satisfying professional career, in charge of your own destiny. There is sufficient profit, in any case, and the capital commitments are not huge.

"Importantly, you find yourself constantly traveling – in actual fact, and metaphorically through the contact with your clients and the languages they speak or are learning. Your Centre becomes a sort of miniature United Nations – a gathering point for like-minded curious people to meet and exchange skills. If you really want to be idealistic, there are times listening in to the conversations around you when you can actually believe that your work through Berlitz really is ‘helping the world communicate’, as their advertising states.

"I was put through several trainings before being let loose with the Berlitz brand: two weeks in Princeton HQ, two weeks sales training in Vienna in the snow, a week in Brussels, and even a day or two in local London. Visits to the then European HQ in Frankfurt fitted in, and senior staff from all these places have subsequently visited me and helped at all the stages – from selecting premises to Opening Parties to training teachers and sales staff. There is always someone there when you need help, even now.

"I now have four Centres, all still quite small, but growing steadily. I am pleased I work in my own business, but I realise it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I have earned more in the past, but not since university have I felt I was learning more."