When I started to work in Barclays Bank, where I worked for 24 years, I thought that I was going to retire there. But you never know, life changes constantly.
I was a happy hard worker, I grew personally and professionally. My life was my job and it had its rewards. I had the pleasure of directing different branch offices in Madrid. I worked with fabulous people, I met fantastic customers and I learned many things, things that I will use now.
I have 3 children, when my 2 first children were born I continued working full time, I didn´t see them grow, but I accepted it although I knew I could never recover that time.
After 5 years, I was pregnant again, it was a desired pregnancy, when the baby was born I thought I wanted to live his infancy very much and then I decided to take maternal leave. I dedicated myself to spend two years only with my family.
At that time we traveled to Canada. There I learned that people were interested in our country and in our language, it was a great surprise to me. After Canada we went to Ireland, where our children went to school and I took an English course while my husband taught Spanish.
Ireland was wonderful , a great experience in our life, we learned many, many important things and we have great memories from there. During that time I started to think about my life, about my job, about my family, I was looking for another kind of life . I was happy, with less things, really happy actually.
I learned that my own country and my language were more valuable to me than I had thought. In Ireland, we met many people interested in our language and in our country. Not only the beaches, but also the cities, the mountains, the monuments….
In Ireland I went to an English course in a small school , a family school in their own home. They were fantastic and friendly people, they were like our family. Their teachers were very professional and I was lucky to be their friend . I fell in love with that business.
When we came back to Spain, I started to work part time in my old company, but I was not the same person any more, I wanted another life. I thought about that wonderful and small school all the time. I got the idea to continue showing our country and our language abroad.
I summed everything up about this experience and I got to the conclusion that I wanted to have my own language school, but How?. I started to research, and little by little I discovered it. However, I had a good job and was impossible to leave it. In that precise time the company opened a dismissing peoples process, and it was my moment.
I left Barclays Bank with sadness after many years, but with many hopes, enthusiasm and motivation to create my own company.
Now, I am here.
Esther Campos Pizarro
