How do I set up an English Language School in Japan?

スミス英会話奈良西大寺校の日本語のメインサイトはこちら

I remember entering this exact search into Google and Yahoo many years ago when I decided that I wanted to come to Japan and set up my own English language school in Japan. I remember searching and searching and I found a seemingly never-ending number of websites, blogs, ads, newsletters. I would search and take notes; trying to put together a piecemeal plan for how I would set up an English language school in Japan. It was frustrating to say the least and the fear of failing was constantly present in my mind. It was all new to me and I had no idea what source of information I could believe and the more I searched the more I realized that even if I were able to piece together a plan by scouring the Internet,… at the end of the day I would still be alone in trying to implement this plan and I was worried because I knew Japan is not cheap so it would be important to set up my English language school as quickly as possible and start earning an income.

I had so many questions.

Where should I set up my English language school? Location is paramount in business and deposits on property in Japan are very high so you better be really sure about that location.

How should I set up my English language school in Japan?

Do I need to register it?

Do I need an accountant?

Do I have to pay taxes?

Which taxes and under what shape would my English language school most benefit from?

What about visas?

How would I get one?

How long would I get one for?

What if I was only granted a 1 year visa? What would I do? Could I still set up my English language school in Japan?

Would I be able to secure property with only a short visa?

How would I advertise? Internet, magazines, newspapers, flyers?

What books should I use to teach?

What hours should my English language school be open?

When should I take vacation?

How much should I charge for lessons? How should I charge?

What should I wear?

I can carry on a conversation in Japanese but I definitely am not trained in the art of customer service in Japanese. Delivering professional customer service in Japan is a must, and I knew that. I also knew that delivering this level of customer service required training, in other words, a highly-trained secretary to handle this very important part of your business. This is a unique position and you need someone with secretarial experience in an English language school environment.

Any Japanese speaker simply will not do. You, and they, could be heading for a disappointment.

Overlook this aspect of your business at your own peril.

These issues I faced are only the tip of the iceberg which is why in hindsight I am happy to have joined Smiths School of English. As I mentioned in my testimonial, the time period from when I landed in Japan, to when my English language school was opened and income starting coming in surprised me.

Anytime I had a question, I simply picked up the phone, sent a fax, or sent an email and a clear concise answer was provided, no second guessing. No time, no money wasted.

I was reminded of the benefits of being part of this TEAM recently at our 2009 Smiths School of English Summer Franchisee Seminar. I had the opportunity to see familiar faces and new faces. It was exciting to see new franchisees partner up with veteran franchisees and pose questions to which we could provide answers since we’ve already gone through that process.

It’s fun to help others out, especially when you know the answers and can save them a lot of time and money by telling them what you’ve learned. I remembered my fears when I first joined and I was the one seeking out the veterans for help.

It’s amazing how quickly your questions can be answered when you are part of a team whose members are all working towards a common goal; that of increasing our incomes and improving the quality of our lives, as a Smiths School of English franchisee.