Helen Doron Educational Group shines a spotlight on its first-class franchisees.
Content Partnership*
Croatian national franchisee Danijela Haralovic discovered Helen Doron English while living in Hungary. As the family was there temporarily for her husband’s work contract, she sought English lessons for her then two young children that didn’t include translation to Hungarian, a language they didn’t speak. She also sought an organization using the immersion method without any translation – just pure English.
Not familiar with the Helen Doron brand, Danijela recalls: “I happened to see a banner on a house that advertised Helen Doron. It said ‘English for All Children’, which I liked the sound of, so I Googled the company and found there was a Learning Centre in the area where we lived in Hungary.”
Her children enjoyed their classes and the two years went by quickly. “After witnessing how positively my daughter and son reacted to the Helen Doron lessons, I immediately fell in love with the methodology.”
THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP
Danijela had worked in a managerial position in the banking industry previously and had every intention of returning to the career she had taken a leave of absence from. After being away though, she saw the situation from a different perspective.
“It was a safe and secure job for life, but they didn’t really care about the employees as individuals. I didn’t want to go back to having someone standing over me, bugging me, telling me what to do.” So, she decided to launch a completely different career.
“After witnessing how positively my daughter and son reacted to the Helen Doron lessons, I immediately fell in love with the methodology and knew that becoming a Helen Doron franchisee myself was the next logical step in my career.
“My franchise network was built mostly based on word of mouth. Within the first three years of operation, I had eight franchisees operating in eight locations. Excellent teachers and lessons, satisfied clients and happy students are the best marketing tools.
“I currently have four locations, 21 teachers, and 1,300 students. In all of Croatia, we have 29 locations, over 100 active teachers and more than 5,000 students! My future goals include maintaining the excellent quality of lessons and bringing them to even more students across Croatia. I plan on expanding the franchise network in Croatia by introducing the SET model (self-employed teachers) in cities and towns otherwise not covered by Helen Doron centers.
“For anyone considering franchise options, I would want them to know that it is a fulfilling and rewarding job. Working with children is a joyful experience and helps create such a positive environment. You must always have a keen eye on the details regarding both parents and students, so every day is a totally new experience. It’s wonderful being part of an international franchise network.”
EMPOWERING FRANCHISE PARTNERS
“Helen Doron Croatia empowers its employees by constantly striving to be better,” Danijela continues. “We have educational workshops and seminars for the teachers and franchisees held throughout the entire year. Field visits are made to every location in the country to offer extra support to teachers and franchisees, both new and experienced. Teachers are also given the opportunity to improve on a wide variety of skills by offering them additional assignments not always related to the classroom, such as promotional events.
“We offer flexible working hours for employees interested in earning extra money and for those who have children at home. Employees’ children attend Helen Doron lessons and kindergarten for free.
“My three children have a combined Helen Doron learning experience of 29 years, which is the same number as how many Helen Doron locations there currently are in Croatia. Toni enrolled at five years old, Iva at the age of three, and Dunja at only four months old! I am very satisfied with the program and everything they have learned, as are my children.”
“Field visits are made to every location in the country to offer extra support to teachers and franchisees, both new and experienced”
Upon opening the first Helen Doron English location in Zagreb in 2009, the franchise quickly expanded to 29 centers across Croatia. Both Helen Doron teachers and parents have become successful franchisees over the last 12 years, which is a true testament to the quality of the franchise and one’s ability to grow within the Helen Doron network.
AT A GLANCE
Established: 1985
Number of franchised outlets: Over 1,100 Locations of units: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam
Investment range: €150,000 – €250,000
Minimum required capital: €200,000
Contact: info@helendorongroup.com
