The demand for language skills continues to grow every year. Many people have realized the benefits of enrolling in a language school to become multilingual.
Survey shows that nine out of ten employers in America rely on multilingual employees. In addition, 56% of employers give advantage to multilingual applicants.
This data confirms the benefits of learning another language, which has created a demand for language schools.
Building and running a language school is a rewarding experience, but it can be challenging at first. It is why having the right information will help you start on the right foot and save you from many hurdles.
In this guide, we will walk you through the eight steps you should take to build a successful language school.
Step 1: Language Training Qualifications And Experience.
The first step is to have the qualifications related to your area of expertise. For example, a TEFL certificate will add reputability to your business and help you attract more students and employees. Additionally, having experience in teaching or school management will help you have a good start. You can take an online ETP course to help you become familiar with Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
Step 2: Determine How To Operate Your School.
Do you want to run your language school online or in person?
Running a language school online will require a learning management system to handle the delivery of your language lessons and the hosting of live video lessons.
You will need a suitable location to run your language school in person. Before choosing a location, make sure you know the laws in the area, such as employment and business registration laws. Other things to consider are the safety and visibility of the location, the availability of public transport, and the foreigner-friendliness of the environment.
Step 3: Identify Your Target Market.
Do you want to teach children or adults? If it’s children, then it’s advisable to determine the age group of the children you want to teach. It will help you get the appropriate resources for their level.
Adults learn new languages for various reasons, like preparing for a language exam, career language training, or leisure. Your language school can choose to focus on one or more of these areas. By Identifying your target audience, it easy becomes to set up content and equipment that fits their needs.
Step 4: Create A Business Plan.
Now it’s time to brainstorm and write a good business plan. A business plan is your business organizational and financial goals and how you plan to achieve them. This will include strategies to achieve your business funding, hiring process, employment contract, and administrative management. A business plan provides clear guidelines to help you start and manage your business.
Step 5: Design A Curriculum.
Your language school curriculum should be suitable for your target audience. A curriculum involves organizing the instructional blocks within your language course. These blocks include activities, reading, lessons, and assessments. ELL’s program has made it easy for you to design a curriculum that fits the needs of your language school.
Step 6: Purchase Resources and Equipment.
Purchase necessary classroom teaching equipment such as seats, boards, markers, projectors, and updated language textbooks.
In an online setting, you can set up a digital library where students can access resources anytime from anywhere.
Step 7: Hire Qualified Staff.
This step is vital because part of your school’s success depends on the team you bring on board. Before you hire staff, be sure they have relevant qualifications and experience related to their field. For example, English teachers should have a TEFL certificate and teaching background. ELL provides resources that can help you train your teachers in their area of work.
Step 8: Marketing.
It is time to promote your Language school to your target audience.
Some marketing tips include:
- Create a well-designed website to write blog posts and host necessary information about your school.
- Create social media accounts for your language school on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, and make sure you engage with customers on these platforms.
- Run paid and newspaper ads, distribute flyers, and put up posters.
- List your language school in local directories.
Making It Easy For You.
Starting a language school takes time and effort, and you should be patient with the process.
Lack of resources is often an enormous challenge when teaching a foreign language. However, many schools and organizations solve this challenge by using ELL’s all-in-one platform to deliver language training to their students worldwide.
This platform comprises 4000+ language learning content, a learning management system, and more to help you deliver advanced language learning–simply and economically.
Discover our language solutions and request a free demo here.
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