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Moving into TESOL Management –
Opening Your Own TEFL School
Management in TESOL is a logical next step for many aspiring teachers. It brings with it kudos and rewards, but also a range of challenges and hard work.
William Bradridge has been in TESOL management for over 15 years so he knows what the rewards and challenges are. In this article, he describes his experience of opening his first school, and outlines some of the potential pitfalls that await the new TESOL manager.
‘Over the past 15 years there is not much about that hasn’t crossed my path. From the elation of enrolling the first student into my very own school in Portugal (I felt like I was on top on the world!) to the agony of having to make staff redundant; from landing a great job as Director of Studies in my hometown school in the UK, to being laid off and unpaid myself when things didn’t work out a year later.
TESOL management can be full of highs and lows. I was a young TESOL manager because I had been teaching for only 2 and a half years before agreeing to go into partnership with my boss to open a new language school in Portugal. One of the first things you learn is how much work there is in just getting started. Opening the bank account, finding and furnishing the premises, hanging the lights and boards, hiring the staff to sorting out the red tape and legal formation of a new business.
Oh, and finding the students. Because that was where we went wrong. We opened a school in a town where there was only one other school, and we thought we saw a business opportunity. Big mistake. The other school had the rather limited market sown up. We managed to get a few students and a few companies on board, but it was never going to be enough to regularly break even. 18 months later, the euphoria of opening my first school was put into reverse; closing the bank account, disposing of furnishing, taking down the lights and boards, telling the staff what they already knew, that we were closing.
I lost my investment, but at the age of 26 I had gained a lot of invaluable experience. This helped me when it came to setting up Global English.
So if you have been teaching for a while and are thinking about opening your own school, the following pointers are things to think about before you take the plunge:
- the market - is there a desire for the product you offer? Are there enough students with enough disposable income in the town/area who would want to take lessons from you? Spend time doing market research, and go knocking on doors.
- the competition – are there any gaps in the market that you can exploit? Are other TESOL schools catering to all the demand, or is there room for doing something new, something better? If the TESOL market is saturated in your town, then don’t bother - find another town.
- DIY – you don’t need a staff of thousands. For example, do you really need school secretary when you start? Or can you incorporate some admin into your role? Appearances may be important, they are not as important as the bottom line, which is income and outgoings each month.
- hire good teachers to help you. Students won’t come back if the teaching is poor (unless there is no other option). Also, treat your students as customers – take care of them and they will keep coming back.
- learn the language. It seems silly to say it, but you will need to be confident in the language of the country where you are living – as you will need to use this to speak to your potential customers – after all, if they could speak English well enough, they wouldn’t need your services!
- Finally, start and build slowly. If you are building something to last, make sure that you have the foundations right. Even if it means that you have to do more yourself at first, you will reap the rewards in the end.
Of course, you don’t have to do it all on your own. Larger organisations such as Wall Street English are looking for potential TESOL managers who are ready to take the plunge. So if you are ready to take the next step, this is a possible way forward without incurring all the risk. You’ll be working for an organisation that will have covered most of the above checklist for you, leaving you free to focus on developing your management skills.
For more information on WSE, go to the Global English China web page here:
http://www.global-english.com/hr30b8mi/china.htm
and click on the WSE link at the top.
Remember, running your own language school can be a really rewarding experience. If you decide this is for you, then don’t let anyone stop you, but go into it with your eyes wide open.’
William Bradridge started in TESOL management in 1993 and has been involved in various capacities of management ever since. He co-founded Global English in 1997 and is Director of Studies. His latest venture has seen him set up a new organisation, Phone English, specialising in teaching English over the Internet using VOIP. For more information, click here:
http://www.phone-english.net
  
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