Alexandra Uifalean
October 19th, 2019
How to start a language school..... Countless blogs, articles and videos are out on the internet with business plan mock-ups and the perfect target market to try and attract students to your language learning business.
Ever wonder why so many language schools open and close in no time?
Starting a language school is a hard nut to crack. There are so many details to focus on: real estate, financing, logistics, and marketing'to name a few.
Here's something to put you in the right mindset:
Language schools that start shaky, usually stay shaky.
If your purpose is to build a strong teaching business, there's no place for cutting corners. There's a science to running a successful language school and many do it without a clear strategy.
But not you.After reading this article, you'll know what's most important when launching, and how to start your own school. We've put up a list of ten inspiring tips to help you make the best out of it and easily attract those language learners!
Without any further mentions, let's dive in.
Competition with language schools is high - so you need to stand out from the crowd.
If you want to maximize your chances for success when opening a new language school, rule number one is to create an inviting space that reflects your culture.
Here are nine design principles from GettingSmart that you can apply to create a resilient brand and improve the student experience:
Before opening your first language school, is crucial to know as many details as possible about your future clients, so do your research and market analysis. This won't be easy without a solid business plan. You can also consider your target market and what language they will want to learn.
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you reach the right audience and identify their needs. You'll then be able to design programs that better serve them and help boost enrollment.
Whatever you do, without the right people, you won't go far. 'There is no such thing as spending too much time on hiring,' thinks Nicole Assisi, the CEO and founder of Thrive Public Schools.
Here are some things you should consider when it comes to attracting and recruiting dedicated employees:
Not everything is about hiring. What happens after starting a language school sets you up for success or failure. But we hear you, beginnings are a delicate time. 'During the opening phase, staff tend to be smaller and inexperienced teachers are more likely to be hired,' is what Joan Massey, the CEO Chavez Schools told GettingSmart.com. She recommends 'working toward a balance of staff who have at least three years of experience to support the onboarding of new teachers and the success of the academic program and instruction.'
Studies show that 87% of millennials consider career growth and development opportunities very important. After all, by investing in your employees, you're also increasing retention rates. Here is Breezy's advice on how to nail it:
Matthew Wunder, CEO of Da Vinci Schools, highlights the need to promote enrollment. 'Enrollment matters. Keep your enrolled students connected and engaged with the school. Recruitment and retention is the financial lifeblood of your start-up.' Consider the following questions if you want to have the right number of students in your program:
As you outline the framework that will support your language school and students, keep in mind it's important to prototype and test their practicability before you start the ball rolling.
Ron Berger, Chief Academic Officer at EL Education, recommends promoting staff agreements 'on as many consistencies as possible before students arrive so that things feel clear, respectful and safe for all students.' Think about aspects like code of character, cell phone use or the communication between teachers and students.
With all the hassle of opening a language school, 'it can be easy to overlook the importance of your staff and student culture during those early days,' points out Jim May, Chief Schools Officer.
However, it's vital to pay attention to culture from early beginnings. 'listen to students and take the time to nurture the human element. People want to identify and purpose. Build that into the culture of your school and you will go far. The processes are important only as long as they bring people along,' recommends Pat DeKlotz, Superintendent at Kettle Moraine School District.
When you encourage students and parents to participate in co-creating the school's vision, you're setting your school up for long-term success.
Here's a great piece of advice coming from Carrie Irvin, the founder of Charter Board Partners. 'One of the most foundational, and often overlooked, aspects of starting a new school is a good board - they can be the difference between a good school and an extraordinary school
Think about the board as a crucial part of your language school, just like the building and the educators. Carrie has a bunch of tips for school owners who want to hit the nail on the head:
'Identify the processes your school will use to manage innovation,' says Alex
Hernandez, the Dean at Charter School Growth Fund. 'The most innovative schools succeed because they consistently improve their 1.0 school models.'
Technology is a big deal. Thanks to it, we're able to redesign schools and create a personalized language program that will better serve students. Since the early bird catches the worm, stay on top of new trends and technologies that can help your staff and students leap forward and blaze new trails.
EDTech is booming and it's only moving one way. Go with innovation in your school during the early days and you will be forever thankful to yourself. The area for change becomes more difficult to implement as you scale, and setting up the correct foundations from the start will help you succeed.
If there's one thing you need in place before opening your first language school, it's a reliable administration system.
When we designed Teach' n Go, we focused on what language schools and training businesses need and left out all the clutter and complexity. Its user-friendly platform keeps you in the loop with what's happening in your training business: from lesson scheduling, attendance history, teacher assigning, course pricing, payments and billing to custom reports' and much more.
We also created a dedicated portal and automated email and SMS notifications to keep parents updated and help you strengthen your relationships with students.
It takes a lot of guts and effort to get a new language school up and running. From mapping out your language program to what language your school will teach - It's a long road full of twists and turns!
Hopefully, with these tips, you'll feel more confident that you've got what it takes to open and run it, as well as keep enrollment flowing one way.
Focus on one area at a time and if you ever need help streamlining your workflow, you can always try Teach 'n Go for free.
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Tip: Choose School Owner/Administrator if you're setting up a school for the first time on Teach 'n Go.
