Women's entrepreneurship
Marija Pejatovic
1. How and at what moment did you come up with the idea to start your own business?
I always wanted to work in education. During my studies, I dreamed of starting a private language school. After graduating, on the recommendation of a professor from college, I connected with older colleagues from another city and started my own business.
2. Have you always wanted to engage in your current activity?
My dream has always been to create my own educational environment and provide the best education to my course participants.
3. What are you proud of in your business?
What makes me happy and proud is that we have managed to create an environment where learning is joyful. We encourage curiosity and a love for learning and socializing, so our students still visit the school even after completing their courses.
4. What is the secret of your success? (List three qualities, behaviors, beliefs, or abilities)
Creativity, motivation, and continuous improvement.
5. How understanding has your environment been, and who has been your biggest support?
I have been fortunate to have everyone support me from the beginning and it's still the case today. My family and colleagues are my biggest support.
6. What is your guiding sentence?
Smile and the world will smile back at you.
7. Do you have role models who have motivated or continue to motivate you for further work?
Yes, my role model in teaching is my high school teacher, and today I am motivated by other successful teachers.
8. What have you had to give up?
Due to the specific working hours, I don't have time to socialize with friends during the workweek, but I make up for it during breaks.
9. What has driven you forward and how have you motivated yourself when times are tough?
When I see the curious eyes of my students, I always find motivation to be even better and to move forward. The positive energy of my students gives me strength to wait for the sun after the rain.
10. Why is it better for a woman to be an entrepreneur rather than being employed in a company?
Although it is sometimes difficult to overcome all obstacles, an entrepreneur has the opportunity to work on herself and for herself, she is independent, and constant proving strengthens her in every way.
11. How would you advise new female entrepreneurs or a younger version of yourself?
Be strong because you can do it. Dedication and continuous improvement are the keys to success.
12. On a scale of 1-10, how challenging is it to be a female entrepreneur in Serbia? (or being in a "male-dominated" field)
I believe it is much easier in our country for those whose salary is guaranteed. Being an entrepreneur means constantly caring for others who depend on you but also taking care of yourself, which is a big challenge.
13. When you are a woman in the business world, how common are indecent proposals?
People with integrity do not receive such offers regardless of their job position.
14. Where exactly do you see yourself in 5 years?
In the classroom, surrounded by cheerful children and younger colleagues. That's where I belong.
20% off on Cambridge exam prices
*** NEW IN OUR OFFER ***
*** GERMAN LANGUAGE COURSES***
*** MONTESSORI PROGRAM***
*** LOGO BLOCKS IN TEACHING***
*** INTERACTIVE BOARD IN TEACHING ***
*** PROGRAMMING AND ROBOTICS COURSES ***
Our school began work in 1997.
Types of courses in our offer:
- All levels and ages
- All kinds of translations
- Preparation for international exams
Our school is located in the center of Leskovac and consists of 5 classrooms, an office and additional space. The classrooms are spacious, beautifully furnished and completely equipped with modern audio, video and DVD devices. The school has an interactive white board which is regularly used in teaching and for various additional activities such as workshops and movie nights. We use textbooks and educational materials by foreign publishers in teaching, along with their accompanying audio, video and DVD materials. The students and teachers can also make use of our diverse school library.
Lessons take place in small groups or through individual work and are carried out by our team of professors who use the latest teaching methods. We work with preschool, school and high-school aged children as well as with adults. When forming groups we take into account the age and knowledge levels of our students, which are also the criteria according to which we plan the programs and methods of work, making our lessons easily understood and very successful. In any case, regardless of whether we are working with younger or ‘older’ students, the lessons are always a communicative and interactive process with the goal of helping the students ‘loosen up’ and accept the English language, eventually learning to use it as though it were their native tongue.
We pay a lot of attention to our adult students who are seeking professional or personal improvement and we always do our best to additionally guide or motivate them on their difficult journey to successfully mastering a foreign language, so they can see it through to the end. With the use of professional literature as well as workshops and seminars, our educational team continuously improves upon their already vast expertise in order to update their teaching methods in accordance with the latest global developments.
Since 2001 OXFORD SCHOOL has been a member of Serbia’s foreign language school Association, which in turn is a joint member of the European Association for quality language services. For our students, this means high educational standards and application of latest modern technology, as well as highly qualified teaching staff, excellent school equipment quality, professionalism and clarity in terms of administration with regular assessment of their skill levels. Our school is open to suggestions, with a clearly defined procedure for complaints and clearly structured teaching levels which are coordinated with international level standards.
Oxford School is a registered preparation center for Cambridge exams. In 2007, our school was awarded acknowledgments of quality for preparing our candidates for Cambridge exams.
In addition to standard courses, our school also offers specialized courses, accelerated courses and individual lessons.
We also have a translation bureau for all kinds of translations to and from English and German, as well as available court interpreters for these two languages.
For your youngest family members we have our English kindergarten, available every workday between 10AM and 3PM. The kindergarten utilizes the Montessori program.
With the desire of providing an all-inclusive offer, in addition to languages the children and youth of Leskovac now have the opportunity to design their future. With our partner – “KLIKER IT center” – we have started courses in programming and robotics.
Programming is a course in which we use creative work and solve real and specific programs in order to help the students learn about all the possibilities available to them through the use of information technologies. Our students will also learn the modern tendencies of this domain and its significance in modern society.
