GLS Berlin, one of the most renowned language schools on the German-speaking market and a 5-time winner of the STAR SCHOOL GERMANY award, celebrates its 40th birthday this year.
GLS was founded in 1983 by entrepreneur Barbara Jaeschke, who still runs the company today, now with her daughters Dr. Reemda Jaeschke and Dr. Verena Jaeschke.
What started 40 years ago as a one woman show is now a company with 170 employees and more than 10,000 customers from all over the world who learn languages with GLS. The company has grown continuously in recent years, despite crises that threatened its existence, such as the Corona pandemic, which affected all of the company's business areas. GLS is thus an example of a woman-led medium-sized company with successful intra-family succession.
The most outstanding event in the company's history so far is the establishment of the GLS Campus in Berlin. This was preceded by the acquisition and refurbishment of an ensemble of historically interesting buildings in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district:
In 2005, GLS purchased and refurbished an abandoned school, and in 2011, an adjacent bath house, which had previously stood empty for 30 years. In 2015, after extensive restoration, GLS was able to reopen the bath house, converting it into a hotel. The hotel is part of the GLS Campus, which also houses the GLS Language School with 60 seminar rooms. Due to its excellent facilities, the GLS Campus has now also become a stage for international events, photo shoots and conferences.
Information about GLS can be found here, and here more about the history of the company.