Learning a new language is an important skill that gives individuals access to further education and employment opportunities abroad. Apart from English, there has also been a high demand for people with Chinese, Japanese, French, and Spanish competencies. Young people and those in their senior years are seeking places to learn these languages for personal and professional purposes.
It’s not easy to ignore the popularity of online language courses and tutoring services, but physical schools are just as popular. That’s mostly because they provide students with opportunities to practice their skills with native speakers and experience a more immersive form of learning. If you’re thinking of starting your language school, here’s a simple guide to help you get started.
Develop A Working Concept
Let’s start by setting the kind of vision you want for your school. The kind of language courses you will offer will depend entirely on your experience and competency in another language. It would make sense to set up a German learning center if you’re a German expatriate or you’ve lived and studied in the country in the past. No matter the case, make sure to come up with a vision and mission statement for your school. Outline what students ought to accomplish and include a set of principles and values that will set your school apart from other language centers in your community.
Do Research On The Field
Setting the foundations of your language school is easy. Now comes the more technical phase of planning your course offerings, coming up with a curriculum, and setting prices. First, it’s always a good idea to offer packages focusing on certain areas of language use. If you’re starting a Japanese language school, you might want to offer a course on using Japanese for business and professional contexts and another focusing on conversational Japanese.
These offerings will depend on the kind of demand that exists on the market, so try to search for other schools in your area, find out what they’re offering, and see if there’s an opportunity to create a course they haven’t thought of yet.
Create A Curriculum
Coming up with a foreign language school becomes complex when you’re now in that period of developing a curriculum of instruction. This is made more difficult if you lack a background in education, especially in the field of foreign language training. If you’re not sure how to structure your courses, it always helps to seek professional advice from other language schools. You can also base your curriculum on existing ones outlined in textbooks and other learning resources so long as you mention them in your course offerings.
Get The Right People And Equipment
Keep in mind that the success of your foreign language school will depend entirely on the corps of trainers you’ve hired and the facilities you’ve installed. When recruiting teachers, make sure that they have the right credentials that qualify them to teach the language for the right program.
For instance, if you offer business Spanish, opt to recruit teachers with at least C1 level proficiency. In terms of facilities, you will need to make sure your lecture rooms are large enough and well-ventilated. If your school accepts preschool language learners, provide them with lockers at Schoollockers, an area for interactive language learning, and apps that facilitate learning. You should also make sure that the school itself is accessible to your clients, so take time to pick the right location.
Develop A Marketing Strategy
Once everything is in place, you can move on to promoting your language school. The best place to get started is social media. Set up a Facebook and Instagram page where you can post your course offerings and give people a sneak peek of the establishment.
You should also need to build a website where clients can learn more about your services and enroll.
Endnote
The demand for foreign language courses is rising, and you may want to take action by starting your school. By keeping these tips in mind, you can build one that’s guaranteed to thrive.
