Job Discussion Forums

[Expat101]

If you are planning on starting a business in this field, you should seriously take into consideration these important things:
1. Cash flow - do you have enough in reserve and to invest without going broke or trying to do everything on the cheap (e.g. photocopying and selling student books illegally for profit)?
2. Student placements - How will you assess the students' levels and place them in the right classes with appropriate materials? Will you just throw all kinds of students in a class with any materials because it's a new school and you have to keep the lights on? Or will you charge small fees to attract large numbers of students and crowd them into small rooms without heat or air?
3. Do you know your competition well? A few weeks ago, I was speaking with someone who had started a new school and he insisted that IDP was 'a school.' He really had no idea! This owner saw a sign on the building and that's how he jumped to this conclusion.
4. Parents! Do a Google search on 'teachers dealing with difficult parents' and imagine yourself dealing with them in droves every single day. Do you have a therapist to help you through all of this? How's your health, now?

[LongShiKong]

[Expat101]

Student Placements:
LongShiKong, that's good if you have had adequate training on how to do assessments and placement tests. You might be amazed by how many new start-up schools never take this into consideration. I was once told to use my time (maximum of three minutes) to give 'free assessments' as a sort of marketing tool for the new school. I asked for ten minutes and this was considered out of the question. Mind you, this was the only placement/assessment they would ever receive at this school.

[Andrew Jordan]

I plan an eventually starting my own school, I don't feel I have the experience to do it yet. I tried several years ago, but only because I found a city I loved and knew well (did an exchange program there many years before) what did not have any good schools. I felt it was an untapped market, I had local partners and a thought out plan. Then my visa upgrade (temp to yearly worker) fell through and I left the country quickly. Now I think it was a good thing I did not start the school, I lacked the experience and was too reliant on friends for cultural and linguistic understandings.

In another country I quit my job (language mill bad boss) and spent a year teaching privates exclusively, including some group classes. I felt that was a valuable experience. I improved my curriculum design, level testing, and dealing with parents/students in a non-classroom (business) setting.

I found the most important thing with maintaining my reputation. Once I got a small group of students (mostly from a disgruntled employee of a bad language school) they started referring their friends to me. Even now 6 months latter I get e-mail monthly from someone say "I heard you taught XYZ, Do you have any opening in your schedule." I can only wonder how many phone calls my cell has gotten, i never communicated with students by e-mail when I was there, only cell.

I also specialized, I taught general English too, but most of my classes were students came to me with something specific. "I want to negotiate a new contract next year in English with my Canadian partners." or I want to take X test to go to university. (TESOL or local). By doing this I was able to focus on what I could do best and I could market more effectively.

Eventually I will have my own school, but this is a slow process to develop the skills necessary. I want to become a manager at a school next, (I have had manger responsibilities before but not the title or full set of responsibilities)

My question to those of you who have opened schools is, What did you do to prepare that was most effective. What do you know now that you wish you had known before.

**I asked my CELTA trainer this last question years ago, his response surprised me. He said get a good lawyer.

[LongShiKong]

[gharwell1]

If you want to set up a School anywhere, go to an Office Supply and get a Dome Bookkeeping System. (Spiral Bound) http://domeproductsonline.com/

You are going to need a system to keep your numbers straight. You can't make good decisions if you don't know where you are. I did this for a school I opened in Guatemala and it saved my life. I also did it for a school I took over in Ecuador and again it saved my life as well as the school.

As far as materials, be sure it's something nobody else has. Otherwise, why should they come to you when Joe Blow down the street is 3 bucks less per month. "Because i care!" Right.... 3 bucks is three bucks. In Guatemala I sent out a flier that said, "I teach you how to speak English not operate a tape player." Then the problem became where to get teachers who didn't live out of a backpack ; which is all I could afford anyway. But, I had organized numbers to look at and examine.
I made a great living. My local bar would ask ME if I could change large bills.

Also, if you think you are not going to get harassed by every Tom, Ivan and Wang....., you are sadly mistaken.

[LongShiKong]

gharwell1: Thanks for the advice!
Yes, bookkeeping will help determine if and when I'll break even and recoup the initial outlay for classroom space, a co-teacher/assistant, furnishings, courseware, and other supplies.

As for courseware, most private schools use their own (in-house published) which I find acceptable at best. I even felt Longman School's choice of curriculum left a lot to be desired--one of the reasons I left.

For young learners, I'm partial to what Macmillan publishes, having used their Fingerprints series. After Oxford, they have the best selection of coursebooks for kids and just as many N.A. as U.K. English series. Few schools resort to such series due to the expense compared to domestically published series.

[coledavis]

[LongShiKong]

I've changed my plans from teaching out of an apt to tutoring small groups (of kids) in their homes. The new residential area in Beijing I've chosen is both high-density and high-income with little competition but since it'll take time to develop a reputation in the area, I figure it's better to tutor kids in their homes at first. By watching/assisting me teaching their kids, I hope to win parents' trust and establish the reputation I'll need to open up a school.

I'll have to convince parents of the value of group tutoring for their child's and mine. By offering discounts for each additional child, I can reduce the time I'll need to teach to make the same income. I'll provide a viable alternative to private schools where parents are excluded from all but demo lessons and teacher turn-over is a common complaint.

As I said on a private lessons in China thread, in my marketing rhetoric, I'm going to take direct aim at private schools run more like daycares than schools and their hapless victims (parents, kids, and even teaching staff). With learning outcomes set to the lowest common denominator, they more or less equate America's 'No child left behind' policy.

I'll have to do market research to find out how many parents would have the time or be willing to assist me teaching their own kid(s) and others in their homes. Having taught young kids with parents present in the classroom before, I don't see this as problematic if I clearly define how and why I want them to assist me. If not, I'll hire and train an assistant and up the tuition.

[coledavis]

Interesting. I suspect that parents may be less keen on helping to teach children other than their own. But I guess you will only know for sure if you try it.

[LongShiKong]

[coledavis]

Maybe, maybe. I would merely question whether it would be the parent's ideal to be there (and think about whether or not the class would become unwieldy with so many adults there).