Start & Run an ESL Teaching Business. T. Nicole Pankratz - Bodner

school vacations occur at the same time. In South Korea, for example, the post-secondary school year runs from March to December, meaning that students are on vacation in January and February.

      Tuition fees

      While tuition fees vary from school to school, a typical full-time language program in a well-established institute costs about $1,300 USD per month, plus registration fees (approximately $100 USD). There may also be material fees to consider, as well as extra costs for airport pickup, activities, and health insurance.

      ESL Products

      ESL schools and tutorial services require ESL products in order to conduct business. They not only need textbooks but also a wide variety of learning materials and resources, such as maps, picture dictionaries, books, flash cards, props, CDs, videotapes and DVDs, and computer programs. Schools and tutorial services may also be in the market for premade curriculum materials, particularly if they are in the early stages of business development. Or they may be looking for everyday items they can use to market their business, such as pens and writing paper printed with the school’s logo and contact information.

      Once your school or tutorial service is stable, you may want to consider venturing into other industry-related areas. You might decide to create your own textbooks, which will ultimately save your business money on resources. Or you might create, patent, and sell one-month programs to schools overseas. Here are some other cool and unusual products you could use yourself and sell to others.

      Classroom props for role plays could include —

      • costumes that represent different social or economic roles (e.g., a nurse, a server in a restaurant, a police officer),

      • household items in exaggerated sizes made out of cardboard or foam,

      • backdrops for skits, and

      • traffic signs.

      How-to videos and documentaries that demonstrate important aspects of the international-student experience and that are helpful to ESL teachers include —

      • how to stay safe in the city,

      • student biographies,

      • homestay problems and solutions,

      • tips on classroom management, and

      • ideas for working with students with disabilities.

      Promotional materials include —

      • calendars featuring pictures of and/or artwork by students,

      • clothing and accessories with pictures of and/or artwork by students, and

      • video clips of students demonstrating various speaking abilities (to be posted on the school’s website).

      ESL-related publications include —

      • short stories and novels written at levels appropriate to ESL students,

      • stories and poems written by ESL students, and

      • a newspaper for ESL students.

      English-on-the-Go

      A portable ESL business or “English-on-the-go” is another way of developing your ESL business.

      With a portable ESL service, you can offer lesson packages to companies, rather than individuals. Industry-specific, onsite English classes may be attractive to business owners who hire foreign-born employees. English classes designed to help staff overcome pronunciation difficulties or better understand customer-service language are a benefit to both the employees and the company.

      Teacher Training

      Teacher-training programs are not all created equal. Some are comprehensive university-based programs that last two years. Others run for a week and are designed to quickly prepare “teachers” for work overseas at English institutes. Still others are offered online, allowing prospective teachers to work at their own pace, even in remote places.

      There are three main teacher-training courses:

      • Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)

      • Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

      • Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

      For the most part, TESL, TESOL, and TEFL amount to the same thing. The difference is in the content they prepare you to teach. For example, TEFL focuses on teaching content designed for students living in their home country, rather than for students who are living and studying in an English-speaking country. Students studying English in their home country are less likely to need help with practical everyday conversation and more likely to need academic or workplace English for the purpose of test preparation.

      Teacher training is becoming increasingly competitive. Already, many North American ESL schools have regulations regarding teacher qualifications, making it difficult for new teacher-training organizations to establish credibility. However, there is room for teacher training designed for specific types of people planning to travel and teach overseas.

      In recent years, there has been a push from industry leaders to create ESL associations that adhere to guidelines and restrictions about teaching credentials. The consensus seems to be that the more time spent studying and practicing teaching, the better equipped the teacher. Of course, whether this is true is debatable and is not at issue here. (Indeed, on more than one occasion I have witnessed irreparable damage done in schools by teachers with amazing credentials and decades of experience.) What is important is that if you start an ESL-teacher-training business, your students could have difficulty getting their credential recognized if your program does not meet the current, and ever-changing, industry standards.

      In some cases, credential recognition is not an issue. For example, you can offer teacher-training programs to international students planning to teach English when they return to their home country. Or your program could be designed for North Americans hoping to make some money while traveling in other countries.

      ESL Services

      When it comes to extra ESL services, there is a wide range of options to choose from. The trick is to find out what services are missing in your own business and in your area. A more complex approach is to create a need in your clientele.

      Since international students live overseas for a significant period of time, you may want to start by thinking about what they need, use, and do in their daily lives. For example, since many students relocate more than once during their overseas stay, you may want to offer relocation services, including transportation and muscle to help move belongings and/or furniture. Indeed, even a transportation service has the potential for success in areas where students have limited options.

      Or, knowing that students often feel homesick and disoriented, you may want to provide special counseling or mentoring services. On a related note, you could make students feel more at home by opening a lunchtime catering service featuring food from their home countries. Since so many students travel during their overseas study period, you could form partnerships with hotel or bed-and-breakfast owners in neighboring cities and offer “travel and learn” programs.

      Corporations also make use of ESL services. You could build and sell ESL-based customer-service programs to companies that hire non-native English speakers. Many large hotels and restaurant chains rely on foreign-born staff who might benefit from classes in listening, reading, writing, and of course speaking and pronunciation. Offering to help a company help its employees improve customer service might win over the management.

      Homestay

      While homestay services may already be part of the overall plan for your school or tutorial service, you may want to consider expanding the business and offering your accommodation