In a world building walls, meet the language school trying to break them down
With physical and metaphorical walls popping up around the world, how can language skills help us to maintain access to global opportunities? Lex Baker, Franchise Development Director at Wall Street English, the world’s leading English language school franchise, says learning a language in a competitive world helps to open doors and expand opportunities, breaking down barriers from a business and personal perspective.
Europe is in the midst of a period of uncertainty. Brexit is driving division internally and externally, bringing with it the fear of contagion and a possible return to hard borders in Ireland.
Meanwhile, in North America, President Trump is planning to erect a giant wall to separate the U.S. from its Southern neighbour and major trading partner, Mexico, while threatening entering into a trade war with the world’s second largest economy, China.
EU-US relations are at a low and an escalating global trade war is becoming a harsh reality, with all the implications that brings for international trust and cooperation. The world seems more divided than ever.
With all these barriers, it’s easy to forget that not so long ago we operated in a different world.
We celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall, hailed the advent of globalisation, enjoyed the benefits of a peaceful and unified Europe and thrived on the back of a positive Transatlantic relationship that allowed for a free exchange of ideas and mutually beneficial trade arrangements.
How do we get that back? Language schools might not seem like an obvious answer. But learning somebody else’s language can be a very simple and powerful way of breaking walls down. And demand for learning English has never been higher.
Language skills are opening doors to more opportunities and delivering a real advantage in an increasingly complex and competitive career landscape.
How is the current political and economic climate affecting growth in your sector?
Actually our business continues to go from strength to strength. Last year we helped our franchisees open 19 new centers in eight countries, and we’ve already opened another 11 centers this year across six geographies, while planning around 15 more. More than 170.000 students in 27 countries around the world are currently enrolled to learn English in one of our 415 centers.
And new markets are waiting to be developed.
Our sector is growing fast and we’re seeing further opportunities for growth, particularly in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. This is partly driven by the human desire to be more connected, which is good news for students-and for investors who want to be part of this growth story.
After a period of growth focussed on Asia, we recently returned to EMEA with openings in Tunisia and Angola. In 2018/19 we are directing focus in particular on expansion in Poland, Germany, Spain and Egypt and finding strong franchise partners to enter those markets.
What is behind this growth story?
Part of the reason for this growth is our growing global reputation for excellence. Wall Street English was founded more than 45 years ago and our experience, constant investment in technology and unique, blended learning approach has supported our rise to become the world’s leading English language school franchise.
But another part of our success is a sense that language connects the world in ways that nothing else can. English remains the dominant language for business, science, culture and education around the world. Almost 25% of the world’s population is learning English and 80% of multinationals use it as their primary language, regardless of the current climate.
How does speaking English help to break down those barriers?
Whether you are trying to be understood in the Middle East, Asia, Europe or Africa, English is most likely to be the common language. It brings cultures together and enables mutual understanding and an exchange of ideas. It is the world’s common currency for communication. And that’s a good thing.
This desire to be understood across boundaries means that English language learning continues to be in high demand, a trend that is set to continue into the future.
What does this mean for franchisees?
As demand for English courses increases, so do the opportunities to invest in our franchises across the world. We need passionate business partners who can help us to take advantage of this momentum. We have opportunities for franchise operators across the world.
And with successful franchisees achieving highly attractive and competitive profit margins, we have plenty of options in both existing and new markets.
Do I need sector experience to run a franchise?
One of the main reasons for the success of Wall Street English over the years is our commitment to make the franchise experience as easy as possible for talented investors and operators to enter.
Sector experience is not a requirement and we have a product and technology team of more than 60 people constantly driving our curriculum and learning experience to ensure that we are delivering great value to our students and making our business accessible to people from all walks of life.
We’re looking for ambitious partners seeking a high financial return to own and run these franchises and we have a team of more than 40 people in place who are dedicated to providing franchisee support to help make this happen.
What kind of people are you looking for to run your franchises?
We need them to have a real passion to succeed and an awareness of the greater good. We want our franchisees to recognise their ability to change people’s lives and transform their prospects for the better.
We’re committed to supporting our franchisees to grow confidently through new product development and by giving them a unique ‘business in a box’ approach that offers a quick path to success.
If you are interested in finding out more about franchise opportunities at Wall Street English, contact Lex Baker, Franchise Development Director, Wall Street English, at lex.baker@wallstreetenglish.com.
AT A GLANCE
Name of franchise: Wall Street English
Established: 1972
Number of franchised outlets: 327 (of 415 total)
Location of units: 27 countries across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa
Investment range: US$ 250.000 upwards
Minimum required capital: US$ 250.000
URL: lex.baker@wallstreetenglish.com
Contact: Lex Baker, +4915158262459
