How to Start a Coaching Centre?

Have you observed that education as an industry has been expanding at an exponential rate? And has bad experience with coaching classes made you realise that you can do better? Setting up a coaching centre can be a highly profitable venture. After school coaching classes are in constant demand, due to the competitive nature of various types of examinations. A good college admission is ensured if supported by coaching.

Coaching centres are many, but what will make yours distinct depends on your planning and execution. Certain parameters have to be kept in mind while trying to start a coaching centre. Read on to know about them. 

Online or offline Coaching Centre: 

Both types are lucrative in today’s scenario. Offline coaching classes have been going on for ages while online classes have become a norm now even in two and three tier cities. Offline requires more investment in assets, like space, benches, boards, etc. Online would require you to invest in infrastructure for carrying out classes online, app development for teachers and students and so on. In short, initial investment would be needed for both kinds of coaching centres. It depends on your preference, what kind of coaching institute you would want to run. 

Market Analysis before Starting a Coaching Centre:

 If you aren’t sure about how to go about doing it, keep in mind the following questions :

• Which age group do you want to target?
• Which courses are in demand in the area you are targeting?
• Who are your competitors providing the same service in the market?
• How many batches do they run?
• How many  students per batch?
• What kind of course material do they use?
• What are their charges per student and the packages they offer?

 Getting their answers will determine the path you would want to take up in setting up a coaching centre.

Right Location: 

For starting an offline coaching centre, location matters. Taking classes from a dingy room in a location not easily accessible by public transport will not work out. Remember  many of the  students who are going to come to you would use public transport. Choose a location which will be convenient for the students you are targeting and provides the assurance of being secure.

Good faculty and impressive course material : 

To kick off your venture and to maintain a constant influx of students, attention should be paid for hiring competent instructors. Investment on a proficient faculty is a must. Are the tutors tech-savvy? Is your course material constructive and covers all the topics exhaustively? Are you providing previous years questions papers and sample papers? Once you work out these aspects you can rest assured that you are going to earn dividends. This will convince the target group that they are gaining more by coming to you, thus building your brand and bringing your centre word of mouth publicity. 

It doesn’t matter which type of coaching enterprise you run and on what kind of platform. Your faculty and course material will entrench your place in the coaching business.

Effective Advertising: 

Fancy ads in newspapers or pamphlets, there are many ways you can target your market. Don’t have a budget for that?  Well then the following can help you out :

• Use social media: Facebook, Instagram, WatsApp are what the world wakes up to everyday. To target youngsters, these are the most effective means. Use these platforms for marketing and also as a broadcast medium. 

• Get listed on local listings: Students depend a lot on Google for their research. One way to get their attention is to enlist yourself on google maps and other listings. It will ensure your institute appears on the initial pages of the students’ search.

• Ads on educational pages: Tie up with educational institutions, who can allow you to post your banner ads on their sites with your details. This will push students logging on those sites to check out your centre.

• Email campaign : It is powerful enough to convert prospective students into enrollments. Since people keep checking mails it is a cheap way to reach out as well. Get a mailing list from various sources and start sending those emails!

• Referral system: Who can say no to an incentive? It is a method that does not fail. It makes students and their parents your promoters. Offers to earn discounts or receive more facilities builds loyal clients.

• An impressive  website: With eye-catching content, interactive images and course descriptions, a website will undeniably create and establish your image in the market. Every student/ parent will check your website to determine if you are worth their time and money.

Teaching tools: 

Online or offline, teaching tools hold ground as necessities for teaching. Be it interactive whiteboards, projectors or educational softwares, there is no doubt that students will be impressed by your teaching methodology if you use these tools. So, find out what is available and is conducive for your courses. 

Start ticking off these goals on your list to become the market leader in coaching. Remember to research, research and then research some more! It will throw up many options and solutions to benefit you.