ARTICLE: Starting Your Language School (in Japan) – A Primer
(Although this article was written for the entrepreneurial-minded resident of Japan, much of the advice applies to starting a service business almost anywhere. So even if you don’t live in Japan, still read on…)
Starting your English language school in Japan can be a rewarding experience like no other. Because of the importance of learning English to compete in the global economy, many Japanese adults and children are very willing and happy to learn English speaking and writing skills. By starting a quality English language school Japan you are adding value to the community as a whole and you will be a welcome business in the community!
Planning Your School – Making Some Important Decisions
One of the first steps you will need to take in starting your school is making some very important decisions. The first of these questions is who will be your students; are you looking to teach children, adults or both? This is a very important question to answer because it will determine the hours your school will be open and how many classes you want to teach. Children will be taught in the after school hours, while adults will need to be taught before or after their working hours.
The second consideration you will have is what to charge your students for the classes which you offer. The rate for a month of classes generally runs in the range of 5,000-10,000 yen for children’s classes, and 8,000-15,000 yen for adults. On top of this figure is generally a charge for books and materials, and also sometimes fees for buildings, air-conditioning and heating costs. Some schools even charge an ‘entrance fee’ but waive that fee during seasonal campaign periods as a form of marketing.
In addition to setting the hours your school operates, and addressing your fees and costs, another large consideration is your enrollment process and policy on observers in your classroom. There are a few ways in which you can tackle the issues of enrollment and determining the appropriate class level for your students.
Let’s look at each option:
Telephone Interview: The first option you have is to conduct a telephone interview with your potential adult student, or with the parent of your potential younger student. During the interview you will want to assess the willingness of the student to learn English as well as any past experience they may have had. Also during the telephone interview you will want to discuss your teaching style, expectations and fees. You also want to make sure you take the time to answer any questions which they may have about you and your school.
Personal Meeting: When you have been contacted by a potential student or parent, you might want to consider having a meeting, in person, and discussing your school. Just as with the telephone interview you will want to discuss the same things. You also want to allow your potential student and/or parent to ask you any questions they might have.
Observation of an Existing Course: You can offer your potential student and parents the option of observing one of your existing courses as it happens. To cut down on the distraction to your regular students you can have the class observed from an open door or window to your classroom. Or, you can ask your potential student/parent to sit at the back of the room and silently observe.
Trial Lesson for Free: You might want to offer you potential students a free lesson. You would invite them into your regular class and allow them to both observe and participate. This can be a wonderful option however you need to make it clear to the parent that other siblings or distraction to your existing students will not be tolerated.
Private Trial Lesson: Because observers can be distracting to your regular classmates, you might opt to do a one-time private lesson to establish the readiness and willingness of your new student.
Trial Lesson for Only Potential Students: If you find that offering a free trial course in an existing class is distracting, and offering one-time private lessons is time consuming, you might want to hold a trial course for any interested students and parents as well. Bring everyone together and do a trial lesson and show both the parents and students how your courses are done. You should aim to make this class as short and as fun as possible for all in attendance.
Curriculum Choices
Also in the planning phase of your school will be your decisions on the materials and curriculum you will be using in your classes. You should aim to make your classes interesting, varied, and fun for maximum learning. You can do this through the use of books, songs, drills, playing games, puppets, moving parts picture books, sound books, flashcards, gestures and dancing.
Keeping Your School Running and Growing Successfully
Once you have successfully established your English language school you will need to recruit new students to stay in business. There are many ways you can accomplish this. Let’s look at a few of them:
Control Growth – Aim for Excellence: If you want to have an “elite” school you should aim for excellence in your existing students and make your policy for enrollment stringent. By doing this you can charge more for your services and serve the students who are the most willing and open to learning. This can help keep you from the need of constant recruiting of new students; you will find that they come to you via word-of-mouth referrals.
Advertise in Publications & Through the Mail: You can advertise your school in local newspapers and also through letterboxing and direct mailings. The best times to do this are at the start of a new school year and around New Years time for adult students.
Give Away Promotional Items: Many schools choose to give away free CDs or flashcards with their business information on them. This can be a great way to get your name out there and to provide some free English learning at the same time.
Host a Party: One of the best ways to recruit new students is to host a cultural English party. Give out invitations to all of your students to pass out to their friends and family. At the party, offer prizes which have to do with your school. Also, at the party you will want to play fun English learning games. Your goal is to have each person who attended the party feel like they had fun and learned something all at the same time.
While entire books can be written on the topic of starting your own English language school in Japan, my hope is that this article gives you a basic primer on the topic. Its goal has been to give you some things to think about and consider for your own school. I will be covering the specific ideas in later articles to further assist you. Best of luck with your school!
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ABOUT:
Aaron is the vice-president of MisterEnglish.net, an online school management service that gives language school owners a convenient & professional way to manage their school(s) from anywhere. Aaron is a former language school owner himself, and lives most of the year in Japan.
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