We have been serving students and parents for more than 35 years and we strive to provide access to educational institutions that meet clients` preferences
“As the situation was changing, not on a daily but on hourly basis, with different governmental announcements in every country, we were in constant communication with parents and schools in order to make the best decision for every student. These were stressful days, and I am happy to say that the majority of our students came home!´said Tamara Lukić, Marketing director of EGIDA International.
How did you organize your business activities?
Egida International is an educational consulting company that represents more than 300 prominent language schools, colleges, and universities around the world, with offices in Serbia, Montenegro and the USA. We have been serving students and parents for more than 35 years and we strive to provide access to educational institutions that meet clients` preferences. When the WHO declared Covid-19 pandemic, our first task was to reach our students, who are currently all around the world, and give them support. As the situation was changing, not on a daily but on hourly basis, with different governmental announcements in every country, we were in constant communication with parents and schools in order to make the best decision for every student. These were stressful days, and I am happy to say that the majority of our students came home! The ones that decided to stay are university students who are following all health regulations of the counties that they are currently residing in.
When we started working from home, the most important thing was to inform all our clients how they can get in touch with us. We sent out a note from our CEO to clients, assuring them that even in these uncertain times, their deposits for summer programs were safe with Egida. In case that their planned travel could not be organized, we would give our clients different options and any they choose would be secure with us and their investment saved. Even if we cannot give them answers at this point, it is important to be honest and open in order to maintain credibility.
How are you spending your private time during the pandemic?
When working from home, it takes a lot of discipline to separate working time from private time. And I must admit that I am still working on my self-discipline. These days, there are so many memes and GIFs and similar content on social media, depicting working from home routine, and I must admit I can relate to a few of them…
What will you do first after the state of emergency is cancelled?
The outbreak of Coronavirus COVID-19 presents the tourism sector with a major and evolving challenge.
Egida is already working on providing quality online solutions for our junior and adult clients who want to develop their foreign language in an international mixed class. Despite the fact that chances for summer travel are still uncertain, all of us from education sector believe that the school year in September will start as usual all over the world. So, I am happy to start working on new applications for our high school and university students who want to study abroad.
As everybody, I am trying to understand the full extent of the problem, but I tend to stay positive, focus on new ideas and programs to minimize the effects of this global crisis on our business.