Whoever says anything, and knowledge of foreign languages (English, French, German, etc.) is the cherished key to getting a prestigious well-paid job, possibly even abroad. And therefore, the school of foreign languages is a truly promising business idea, correctly implemented which, you can swim in gold, as a character in the famous Disney movie Scrooge McDuck! Well, perhaps the last phrase was an artistic exaggeration, but really worth thinking about translating this idea into reality.
Step 1. Choosing the form of organization and registration in tax
How to open a school of foreign languages? Begin by choosing the legal form. Beginners, as a rule, are limited to registration as an individual entrepreneur. This will allow you to train students and hire staff, but you will not be able to issue certificates. And in the workbook there will be an inscription “specialist in foreign languages”, but not “teacher”.
In practice, it turns out that if there is some starting capital and entrepreneurial vein, it is much more profitable to register LEUs. Of course, responsibility and all sorts of subtleties in this case will be much greater. However, you will receive a higher status and will be able to issue full certificates to your students.
In addition, LEU has a better chance of gaining a foothold in the city, as experienced and qualified teachers will go to work in a reliable organization with a distinct social package.
After that, you will need to register with the tax. Depending on the chosen form of organization, this process can take from 5 days to 1 month.
Step 2. Obtaining a license for educational activities
This document is issued by the territorial education authority. In order to get it, you need to provide a certain set of documents (the full list is specified in the body itself). This may be documentation related to the premises, course teachers, their qualifications, etc.
Step 3. Choosing a room
Be sure to determine where your center for learning foreign languages will be located. There should not be any particular problems finding a suitable place. You can buy or rent a room near major shopping centers, near various educational institutions (from kindergartens to universities).
Whenever possible, try to avoid placement in sleeping areas. In addition, find out if there are any nearby educational institutions of your direct competitors - a more popular and familiar organization will take you a fair amount of students.
Step 4. Purchase of furniture and equipment
Speaking about how to open a school of foreign languages, be sure to consider this expense item. In principle, there are no special requirements here: you can learn the language even while sitting on the floor. But to create a prestigious and credible image, you must admit that this is not enough. Stylish tables and chairs, bookcases, basic teaching aids (textbooks, workbooks) - all this you will need first of all.
In addition, media should be present in each audience. These include audio and video recordings, interactive programs for learning a language, etc. Ideally, it’s worth installing interactive whiteboards in the premises and buying several laptops - progress is moving forward, new methods are replacing traditional methods of mastering knowledge.
As your business grows and develops (this can also be included in the business plan of a school of foreign languages), you will be able to buy new teaching aids and equipment - interactive screens, projectors, etc.
Step 5. Search for teachers
The success that your school of foreign languages will have is 95% dependent on the quality of teaching. However, here you have to sweat - few talented and experienced teachers will decide to leave their homes for a new project.
First of all, you need to decide which languages you want to teach. According to statistics, the most popular are English, Spanish and Italian. But German and French, oddly enough, in recent years faded into the background.
You can search for employees both through acquaintances and through specialized sites related to job search.
It is important to build on your target audience. So, for teaching children and adolescents, it is best to invite teachers who have worked at least a few years at school. They know how to interest children, attract their attention and help to consolidate new knowledge. But if it comes to teaching business language for students and adults, it would be more logical to choose as teachers those people who have lived several years abroad.
Step 6. Student Admission
Thinking about how to open your school of foreign languages, try to prepare everything in such a way as to start work in late summer or early fall. It was at this time that classes began at schools and universities. And even adults who have long forgotten about such a thing as summer vacations are more willing to set off to acquire new knowledge when the unbearable heat recedes.
Step 7. Advertising
Of course, you have already drawn in your imagination an audience full of enthusiastic students who are actively outlining new material and trying to discuss in the language they are learning. If you are interested in how to open a school of foreign languages, be sure to think about how you will advertise your services. After all, without this, your potential customers simply will not know that you exist!
The most effective way at the moment is advertising on the Internet. Many underestimate it, but in vain. By creating your own site, you can provide people with detailed information about each course and training conditions, tell about the teaching staff, experience and achievements of each employee.
Here it will be possible to publish important announcements, messages about promotions. And, of course, those advantages, because of which people should choose your center for studying foreign languages, and not another institution.
In addition, you can think about advertising on various thematic forums, sites in your city, on social networks, on online dictionary sites. As a rule, you can place ads on such resources for free or at a minimum price.
Another relatively inexpensive and effective way to talk about yourself is to distribute flyers. This must be done in crowded places - at universities and schools, in shopping centers and offices of large international companies. In a word, wherever your potential students may be.
Step 8. Assessment of necessary investments
It should be said right away that a lot depends on your capabilities. You can start small, gradually increasing both the quality and cost of training. However, at least a small starting capital to start with is worth:
- rental of premises - from 0.2 thousand at e .;
- paperwork for registration and obtaining a license - 1.7 thousand. e .;
- purchase of furniture and equipment - 3 thousand at e .;
- purchase of a minimum set of teaching aids - from 0.4 thousand e .;
- salary (3 teachers) - 1.8 thousand. e .;
- accountant services - 0.3 thousand e .;
- advertising campaign - 1 thousand at e.
Thus, your own language school, the business plan of which we are currently drawing up, will cost you about 9 thousand dollars.
Step 9. Estimated Forecasted Income
And now - the most "delicious" part. On average, the cost of one lesson 1 hour long varies from 6 to 20 y. e. (when it comes to specialized and individual lessons - from 10 to 25 cu). The size of one group is up to 10 people. That is, from one group in one day we get a minimum of 60 cu If your staff has three teachers who lead three groups, they will bring 180 cu per day. In order for classes to be effective, they need to be conducted at least 3-4 times a week. That is, for a week we get a minimum of 540-720 y. e., and per month - 2.1-2.8 thousand at. e. If we take the maximum figures, then the monthly profit can be from 7.2 to 9.6 thousand. e.
However, we recommend that you set average prices - in this case, the project will pay off in a few months, and your net profit will reach 2-4 thousand. e. per month.
Step 10. Expanding the scope of activities
So, now you know how to open a language school and whether this idea will be profitable. But keep in mind that by offering additional services to your customers, you can significantly increase your income. In particular, this may be the following:
- narrowly specialized training (for example, medical English);
- preparation for international exams (requires a special license);
- writing translations and reports to order.
Now you know how to open a school of foreign languages!
