How to start an ESL school in China?
In this post we talk about how to enter the competitive ESL market in China.
ESL school in China
As we mentioned before, starting an ESL school in China is extremely hard, and nearly impossible. According to current policies (April, 2022), private education centers are not allowed to teach subjects which are in school curriculum, and this includes English as well.
However, it might still be possible to apply and obtain an education license in China for well-known, international education brands. Therefore, the new policies, which literally put an end to all small to medium size tutoring schools, have not affected those existing international private schools and universities in China.
This essentially means that if businesses can fulfill the requirements – min. 8-10 million USD in funding, offer courses which are recognized internationally, bring know-how, technology etc. into China, and above everything, the business has a reputation abroad and recognized by well-established international education bodies – then it is possible to get an education license.
Obviously, not every business can fulfill these requirements. So what to do in this situation? Our answer is – be creative! there are always ways to go around the local policies without breaking any laws. How?Β
How to enter the ESL market in China?
If your business, most probably, cannot fulfil the requirements for education license in China, instead of trying to register a local company in China, you can “enter” the ESL market using your foreign company.
Let’s assume you have an LLC in the U.S. This company has it’s own education platform and has several teachers (or you are the only tutor) who can record ESL courses and upload on the platform. These courses are then sold online through this education platform which is live in the U.S and hosted in the U.S. Clients (students from all around the world, including China, South Korea, and Japan, three countries which have the most demand for English language) can pay for the courses using their credit cards or PayPal.
In the above simple scenario, your U.S. based LLC and its education platform, and yourself as a business owner are not breaking any local policies or laws in the countries your students buying the courses from. Why? because the transactions are happening in the U.S., your business is getting paid in the U.S., your courses, your education platform is hosted in the U.S. too. Basically it’s a U.S. company serving its international clients online.
Shanghai Silk Road can assist you with the following:
1. Incorporate your U.S. LLC
2. Obtain an EIN number
3. Corporate bank account from distance
4. Custom education platform development and management
5. China Social Media Marketing