When it comes to our mother tongue, most of us don’t give language a second thought. However, without language, almost all aspects of life as we know it would break down. Teaching foreign languages gives others access to a completely fresh perspective on human life, as seen through the lens of a new language. With today’s growing rate of globalization, starting a foreign language instruction business can offer you an exciting and profitable career.
You may also be interested in additional home business ideas.
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Tailor Brands ($0 + State Fees)
Start a foreign language instruction business by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Foreign Language Instruction Business
- Form your Foreign Language Instruction Business into a Legal Entity
- Register your Foreign Language Instruction Business for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Foreign Language Instruction Business
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Foreign Language Instruction Business
- Get Foreign Language Instruction Business Insurance
- Define your Foreign Language Instruction Business Brand
- Create your Foreign Language Instruction Business Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your foreign language instruction business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Foreign Language Instruction Business Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a foreign language instruction business?
Costs for starting a foreign language teaching business could be as low as zero dollars, for those who choose to teach out of their own home, or visit students’ homes, instead of renting office or classroom space. The internet has some great free instructional materials, and youtube is filled with clips of foreign language music and films to supplement your lesson plans.
What are the ongoing expenses for a foreign language instruction business?
Expenses can be kept relatively low for those working with a modest budget. As your business expands, you may decide to rent out office and / or classroom space. Costs vary greatly depending on your location and desired square footage. Companies with an average of ten employees spend around $6,000 a month on rent. However, creative use of space, or sharing space with another company, can significantly reduce costs.
Who is the target market?
A foreign language instruction business can attract a wide variety of students: children and adolescents, business professionals, doctors and nurses, or people who simply enjoy the adventure of travel.
How does a foreign language instruction business make money?
A foreign language instruction business makes money by offering lessons in one or more world languages. Students may pay for one class at a time, or purchase a certain number of classes up front. An additional source of revenue could include the sale of language-learning materials, such as books, CDs, and DVDs.
How much can you charge customers?
Language classes can range from approximately $20 – $70 an hour, depending on the instructor’s level of experience and the class size.
How much profit can a foreign language instruction business make?
Your ability to generate income will depend on how many teachers you have on your team, and how many classes you are able to schedule each week. As your business’ reputation grows, you can expect to increase profits considerably.
How can you make your business more profitable?
Group classes bring in more students and require less class time than one-on-one sessions. To offset the challenge of handling multiple students at a time, have two teachers lead the class.
Another option is to assign a certain part of your teaching team to the higher end of the market: doctors, business professionals, military personnel, etc. This can increase revenue and also diversify your client-base.
Carry an inventory of language learning books, cds, and software for your students to purchase, to supplement their in-class study.
Offering online classes can expand your reach virtually unlimitedly. Skype, Google Hangouts, and other internet platforms offer convenient and effective ways to host classes on the Internet, and online learning is a quickly growing market.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your foreign language instruction business is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your foreign language instruction business were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?
Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a foreign language instruction business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
Services Contract
A foreign language instruction business may consider creating a services contract. This services should clearly outline the terms of instruction including price and level of proficiency once lessons are over.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a foreign language instruction business
A great place to start is at the language department of your local elementary, middle school, high school, or college campus. A great way to attract clients as you begin your business is to offer a student discount.
Churches, hospitals, schools, grocery stores, and other public places often have a community bulletin board where you can post a flyer or an advertisement for your business. Language learners come from all kinds of backgrounds, so be creative about where you place your marketing materials.
Craigslist, facebook, and other online forums can also be a good place to promote your foreign language learning business.
By providing quality instruction, your business also has a good shot of growing steadily over time, simply by word-of-mouth.
How to keep customers coming back
Doing a mentorship with an established foreign language instructor in your area is a great way to see what it takes to keep students coming back over a long period of time.
You may also consider catering your business specifically to a niche market, like those who often travel for work and require basic language skills as part of their profession.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages offers members the latest tips and resources for language educators. Membership fees start at only $45 a year, with additional benefits offered to those who opt for a higher level of membership. Studying up on materials like these will help ensure that your team is able to consistently provide a top-notch learning experience.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
Teaching a language generally requires a person to be fluent in that language. However, a language lover who is still learning might consider teaming up with others who are fluent in order to start this business. Definitely, one must possess a real passion for world culture, and an interest in sharing that appreciation with his or her students. This is what makes the challenges of language-learning worthwhile.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a foreign language instruction business?
The models for a foreign language teaching business are varied, and so are the general activities one would expect to encounter as a business owner. Typically, foreign language instruction business owners are also teachers themselves. As such, common activities include:
- Evaluating students’ language proficiencies
- Preparing individual or group lessons
- Correcting students’ in-class or at-home assignments
In addition to these tasks, a foreign language instruction business owner should set aside time to find interesting and relevant learning material to share with his or her students. This might include foreign language films, music, artwork, newspapers, or magazine clippings that not only provide an opportunity to improve one’s language skills, but also give students a chance to learn more about the customs and lifestyle of the people who speak their target language.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful foreign language instruction business?
The most important skill in foreign language teaching is the ability to connect with people. Whether teaching a large group or working one-on-one with a student, a foreign language teacher must find a way make the material fun and relevant for each individual.
You should also be passionate for learning languages and exploring other cultures. At least one person on your team should be fluent in the target language, as this will give your business credibility and quality instruction.
Generally, foreign language teachers should have a bachelor’s degree in the target language. Alternatively, teachers may be native speakers of the language. Still, it helps to possess a foreign language teaching degree or certificate, as this is required of nearly all teachers at public and private schools and universities.
Adventurous persons may choose to instead spend time living and working or studying abroad while they attain fluency in their target language, before returning to the US to start their business.
What is the growth potential for a foreign language instruction business?
It all depends on your ambition and organizational skills. Foreign language learning is now in higher demand than ever, as international travel and communication becomes easier and more vital to the global economy. Some may prefer to keep their business local, while others may choose to branch out over time and develop a worldwide brand.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
How and when to build a team
Teaming up with other language teachers, either at the beginning of your business, or after establishing your own student-base, is a great strategy to reach a much wider audience. By building a strong team of teachers, your business can offer a variety of language courses, and ultimately attract more students.
As your business expands, you will want to consider hiring more staff to help take care of scheduling, marketing, and managing finances.
Average annual salaries for these positions are:
Useful Links
Industry Opportunities
- Forum of helpful links and teaching materials for foreign language teachers
- Sample Professional Development Course for foreign language teachers