Anyone got some surefire ideas? The afterschool is in the midst of getting started and needs students fast. Owner is worried she won’t get enough students and might need to give up.
That is one of the best questions I have seen asked in the Teaching Forum. I was wondering when someone would ask something along those lines.
Hook up with a kindy and grab their graduating class.
Summertime classes, maybe too late there, but worth a shot.
Have a system that flows seamlessly from a large kindergarten.
Giving up when getting started doesn’t sound so good.
Where is the school?
Off the top of my head
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The kindergarten connection- a possible crop of them every year
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Connections with local elementary school teachers
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Connections within the community. A school that puts out and shows that it is doing something for the community and is doing something positive with the students will get referrals. My kindergarten does this with park days and it seems to be working. Also membership to organizations can help.
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Fliers- I’m not a marketing major and know nothing about marketing, but a well produced flier must help a little
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Running a good program. If little Wang or Meimei can speak and read English well, this will get around.
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Programs that parents want that bring money and studnets to you(i.e. Go, piano, high level Chinese classes, computer classes). While it’s great to have a varied program, you must remember, that it has to generate a positve cash flow(Don’t go into business unless you know what positive cash flow means)
I would say that a school needs to have the cash to last a full year without any cash coming in(and yes I do know that cash will be coming in). It’s hard to start a business. There comes a point that you need to quickly overcome where you think, “Oh F$#%, what am I doing?” This is hard and perseverance will pay off if you did everything else right. Sometimes it is hard to pin down what “everything else” is.
CYA
Okami
[quote=“Bassman”]
Where is the school?[/quote]
It’s in Taipei located near an MRT station. She decided to buy into a non-English teaching franchise for an afterschool class seeing that the whole area is surrounded by as many as 9 English schools nearby catering to about 3 elementary schools in the area. She thought she could be different and offer something else. Now she thinks if she can add English to the program she might get more students.
So far her timing is off and she is looking forward till the next school year and I proposed that she could take in some students for free in the summer if she is going to wait till the next school year. So she is going to try the first five students to sign up gets a free lesson in the summer.
Her business sign is smaller than the rest of the English signs on the building so I suggested hanging a red banner indicating a new opening or something across her outside window so others can notice it better. Basically its a 8+ floor building with lots of English schools in it.
I was also thinking of suggesting those “transparent sign stands” so that she can stick her poster of her school and some brochure so passerbys can pick it up on the street level entrance which competes with two other transparent sign stands already there. <— anyone know if this is effective?
The insides of the place does not look like it has been decorated that much at all. I can’t complain yet since she hasn’t started operating yet. She did buy new tables and chairs but it doesn’t emit a good vibe. I hope she will decorate it better so the parents can feel confident in the place.
That’s about it so far.
Thanks for the replies so far.
If she talks about foreign-anything in her advertising, parents will come rolling in. At least that’s the impression that I get. Also, “limited time” discounts seem to get people going as well.
On the more serious side, if there are already 9 English schools, the market is pretty much saturated. The only kids who wouldn’t have any afterschool activities are the ones who don’t want/can’t afford/etc. I think her best bet is to get the new incoming students. Most places do this by having people hand out fliers to parents at the gates to the elementary schools.
Little late now since the school year is over, but what worked well for me was to hit the elementary schools a few days in a row right before the kids let out when all of the mothers and caretakers are standing out front waiting. Passed out fliers, smoozed a little and had 120 kids signed up the next day. Not a bad start.
CK
You must be a good schmoozer!
[quote=“answerer”]
On the more serious side, if there are already 9 English schools, the market is pretty much saturated. The only kids who wouldn’t have any afterschool activities are the ones who don’t want/can’t afford/etc. I think her best bet is to get the new incoming students. Most places do this by having people hand out fliers to parents at the gates to the elementary schools.[/quote]
You need to think outside the box. Handing out flyers and the such is all good and well but you’re missing something.
Has the boss done her homework? 
Flyers (DMs) are something you have to do, apparently, but to be honest, all of my students have been either walk-bys (in the beginning) or word-of-mouth references (what I’m getting now). I am convinced that one needs to distinguish oneself in some way. I do this by being the only buxiban in my area with all classes taught exclusively by a native speaker (me!), by being the most expensive (but only slightly), by encouraging a parent to sit at the back of the class anytime they want, and by emphasizing an intensive reading program that I haven’t seen at many other schools, and never at a big chain. Still, it’s a slow road. I think it’s very important to have good visibility from the street. I think it’s important for the school to be clean and bright. I think it’s important to have a good rapport with the mothers - they’re the ones who will make or break you, and in this respect my wife is hugely helpful, as all the mothers enjoy talking with her. I’ve only been in operation a few months, and as I said, while business is steadily climbing, it’s a slow road. If anyone thinks that we’re missing an essential step, let me know. Obviously, I’d like to succeed beyond my wildest dreams. 
Maoman et all,
Yep, find a niche. If you do that then you will have the luxury of turning students away.
She’d better have a clear and workable plan. You say that she wants students fast, but what happens if she gets students fast? Is she prepared to meet their (or I should say their parents’) demands?
Does she offer something that other schools in the area don’t? Or does she just do what the other schools do–only better? Getting students to sign up isn’t a problem. There are plenty of parents out there who will try anything once. But what will keep them there? Answer that and you are on your way.
Get a few students. Satisfy their parents by doing what you say you’ll do. Word of mouth will do wonders. DMs are okay for getting people to know who you are but they won’t keep students in the seats. Hard work and clear goals will.
Being surrounded by other schools isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Without exception, there will be parents who are unsatisfied with what they’re getting from those schools. They will come to your school to see if you can offer better. Be prepared to do so.
[quote=“Durins Bane”]
Has the boss done her homework? [/quote]
I don’t think she did. Or maybe she did and she is showing buyers remorse. She did say she had sleepless nights and really worried about the lack of students because her business is not related to the English schools. She must be thinking no one will go to her afterschool because it is not an English afterschool/Bushiban.
And I will see if she has a workable plan if she gets too much business. She should because she bought a franchise thing kinda like “Kumon”.
Been checking the flyers of the English Bushibans.
Hess has I think a kindergarten class that can recognize 400 English words? Another for Grade 1-3 that can recognize 5000 words. Isn’t that a lot? Marketing ploy? Maybe its up to 400 English words and 5000 for the other one.
[quote=“sticks of fury”]
She did say she had sleepless nights and really worried about the lack of students because her business is not related to the English schools. She must be thinking no one will go to her afterschool because it is not an English afterschool/buxiban.[/quote]
That is NOT a disadvantage. Think outside the box…
pitch the bitch!