“My mission is to promote many more educated people on earth. An educated person is already a guarantee that he or she will not be impoverished and poor. An educated person is a precondition for the prosperity of the country's economy. An educated person means a high quality of life” – Ayan Aliyeva, Founder of A-Level Educational Group.

"I can loudly say that I have been a businesswoman since childhood ...”

I have been working since childhood. I had my own salary when I was in the eleventh grade: I was appointed as a coach of a handball team thanks to my achievements in sport. I spent all my wage on preparation courses to enter the university. After that I entered the University of Foreign Languages in Azerbaijan, and a year later I continued my studies at Chicago University, USA through a scholarship competition.

I also studied in England; hence, I have several diplomas. However, I have never studied at the Faculty of Business. I always accumulated knowledge in the field of education and all my activities are related to this field. I have become a very successful businesswoman because in order to succeed in it, it is not necessary to have an education in business, but it is necessary to be a professional in the field you try to develop.

“I founded a company which is a holder of numerous awards…”

When I returned home from Chicago University, I started working in Baku at the Center for Language Courses, which went bankrupt and I was asked to buy it. I was 21 years old at that time in 2006 and I did not have enough funds to do so, although I had great desire. Therefore, I took a loan from the bank. This was my first business activity. I myself was a teacher and a member of the administration. I was helped by a small group of enthusiasts who still support me - my team, with whom I have been working for 12 years. We created a large international educational company “A-level education group” from small language courses.  The company brings together 5 schools in Azerbaijan with language courses, educational colleges and preparation programs for those who want to get education overseas. We opened our branch office in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, a year ago. We have branch offices in Kazakhstan, Russia and Oman. We have received numerous awards over the years: we earned “Company of the Year” award in Azerbaijan, we won at the international competition “Millennium Award”, and I won British Award (alumni awards) organized by British Council in 2019 as the best businesswoman.

„A-Level Educational Group operates in different directions...

Our center offers language courses which are designed for those who are interested in learning General English  as well as Academic English – if a student desires to continue studies abroad, we provide him/her with adequate qualifications ( ILTC; TOEFEL; SAT) and help him/her to become freshmen at various universities in England, America, Canada and Europe. When the goal is achieved, the student moves to the next stage which our agency assists with.

Our center does not only teach students a foreign language. We also offer math courses in English. For example, children can study GCSE in English in Georgia - a British Program, which is taught in accordance with British curriculum as well as SAT Math and full-time Mathematics. We believe that when the university requires a language proficiency certificate, we should not allow ourselves to send someone abroad who does not know mathematics in English. He or she should know the terminology, and be able to do Math in English. Mathematics is the basis of all education.

We also have a separate subject - Learning Skills. Once the student completes the course with us and has a place at university, he or she takes this subject which allows them to learn how to study, analyze, comprehend, process information, draw the right conclusion.

Our Language Center also offers students German, French and Italian language courses.

"The goal of our educational institution is to establish “quality thinking” ...

Our center provides a quality approach to educational issues. There are separate centers where students are taught languages, but we prepare our students for a future quality education. It does not matter where the person continues to study. Our goal is to teach the student “quality thinking” through language education.

In addition to this, separate centers are focused only on sending students abroad and providing the necessary documentation, while we take care of their education. We teach students the language, we teach them how to learn, and we also help them to get a visa and gain a place at university; we send them abroad and support them until they are there.

“Getting education is also important for housewives because women raise the future generations” ...

The age of our students starts from 3. We accept anyone who wants to learn a language, regardless of their future educational ambition, career advancement or professional development. I believe there is no limit for human, professional and personal development. Therefore, education has no age.

In addition, we greatly help our students in their professional growth. We have separate business English and medical English courses, English language courses for engineers and for people from all walks of life. Name your profession and we will provide a course specifically for your field - you will learn English and concurrently, you will learn the vocabulary specific to your field.

We have wide-ranging agreements with England, America and European countries, according to which, we can issue a certificate from those countries. I mean, if a student takes a language course in Georgia he or she can receive a certificate from the United States.

In addition to this, I believe it important that housewives take care of their self-development. If we want to grow our employment prospects, we will definitely need English, to go shopping abroad, in any country.

"The mission of the teachers employed in our center is to discover and develop the talents of students” ...

In addition to the business relationship between our teachers and students, there are personal, human relationships and approaches towards each other. To this day, even though it is summer when everyone wants to relax, some of our students continue learning languages in the center.

We are very careful about selecting teachers. They go through several stages of interviewing and testing. The teacher must first and foremost be a professional in his or her own field. He must know his subject well. He / she should be a relationship expert, aware of the students' personal characteristics. Active, passive, depressed and students requiring support need different approaches. The teacher should be able to unlock the potential of any person.

"Despite the pandemic, the Tbilisi branch office of our company has a successful academic year” …

We opened the language center in the capital of Georgia in September a year ago. We created small groups, composed of two to five students, because we believe that the teacher should be able to work with students based on an individualized approach. Thanks to this tactic, we have been able to send many of our students to study abroad and we are proud of their success. Despite the circumstances as a result of coronavirus which prevented us from doing more, we have managed to win the trust of Georgian society. We worked to keep our students during the hard times, 80% of our students went with us online. However, a person is a member of society and I think it is necessary to be surrounded by people. Hopefully, the restrictions will be lifted in September and we will be able to meet our students personally in keeping with all safety rules. We offer them a quality education in a healthy environment.

“The recipe for success is hidden in us ...”

My schools have succeeded because I am a teacher myself. I'm not just a businesswoman who opened colleges and schools to earn money. My company is my adoptive child, I live with it and I breathe with it.

To become a businesswoman from a young girl- is a process of constant self-development, it is a talent, a desire to succeed, a desire to be a professional in your own field. I believe that only quality education allows us to see the path that will lead us to our goal "- Ayan Aliyeva, the founder of the A-Level Educational Group.

(R)