If you own a franchise or are considering purchasing one, keep up with education and training franchise opportunities news and trends. This market is a booming one, with many opportunities for providing training to children and adults. There's a wide selection of franchises, from art and recreation classes for all ages, to tutoring for kids and adults, to business-related training.

Being aware of news and trends in this area as well as franchising in general is necessary for making the right choice and growing your franchise. Following industry news will ensure that you choose the right opportunity. Many opportunities are thriving even in periods of economic downturn. To keep up with what's new in the world of educational franchises:

1. Check out industry listings of education franchise opportunities, including new offerings and resales;

2. Read news about the companies that provide franchise opportunities that interest you;

3. Follow industry trends to find opportunities that provide stability and growth.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out listings of educational franchise opportunities

Keep up with listings of new franchise opportunities in training and education to get an idea of what's hot. It's also possible to get a deal on a franchise available for resale. Do your research before making a decision; a resale franchise could be an indication of a franchise that is not performing well.

I recommend: Check out the education section of Franchise Opportunities for new offerings and information about dozens of opportunities. Find existing franchises for sale at Business Nation.

Stay informed about training franchises news

Regular reading about franchise news and developments will help to get you more familiar with the industry and specific companies. If you already have some opportunities in mind, keep up with their news and developments before making a purchase.

I recommend: Check out Franchise Leader or The Franchise Update Media Group for news about companies that offer education and training franchise opportunities. They provide regular press releases and articles about companies including growth, staff changes and other news. Sign up for their free newsletter to get news delivered right to your mailbox. Eduventures provides research and news specifically tailored for providers of higher education and training.

Research trends in the education training franchise sector

Keep up with trends in franchising. Industry evaluation and research show what franchises are doing well and experiencing growth. When looking at trends, do some additional research to find out what opportunities are poised for long-term growth.

I recommend: Small Business Trends features and article about top franchise opportunities. Some recession proof opportunities include tutoring and exam preparation businesses and recreational instruction. Entrepreneur lists franchises that are growth oriented and explores the growth of enrichment programs for children.

Educational franchises provide their owners with a direct way to make a difference in people's lives. Education is a huge industry, and it’s phenomenal growth has contributed directly to the large number of franchises available.

Whether an education franchise focuses on adults or kids, you can find opportunities in just about any area that interests you. Art programs, gymnastics, cooking, leadership, fitness, academic education, personal growth, driver education and computers; whatever your passion, you can find educational franchise opportunities that excite you. When choosing from the many educational franchises available, consider the following:

1. Find an education and training franchise that gets your blood flowing when you think of it.

2. Get informed. A plethora of available online information will help you decide if you can be successful at a particular venture.

3. Know how much you can invest.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Be prepared to work in an educational franchise

You don't have to be a teacher to own a franchise in education, but you need to have an interest in the subject matter of your business. Select an educational franchise opportunity that you're passionate about and have business experience within the industry. If you love kids, think about an after school education franchise. Consider music education or a foreign language program.

I recommend: Check out Mathnasium, where you'll find an opportunity to help kids in 2nd through 12th grades hone their math skills. Virtuoso Music, a Better Business Bureau member, provides parents with music lessons for their children either at home or at school. If foreign language education is important to you, take a look at Language Leaders, a company that focuses on teaching young children.

Thoroughly research the educational franchise opportunities that interest you

Readily available information makes deciding to open an education franchise or training franchise less risky than starting your own business from scratch. You will find lots of information online, but talk to other franchise owners. Some may not want to talk to you, but others will leap at the chance to share the pros and cons they discovered when they opened their franchise, along with shortcuts and advice to help ensure success.

I recommend: FranChoice provides free consulting services to those interested in franchise opportunities. They will perform a needs assessment with you and then do the research to find the education franchise opportunities that best meet your criteria. Their services are free to you, because the franchises in their database pay the fee. Also check out FranchiseGator, a Microsoft subsidiary, for a quick look at liquid capitol required to start specific education franchises.

Understand your personal financial situation and learn about different financing opportunities

Some education franchise opportunities have relatively low startup costs, but others may unexpectedly astound you.

I recommend: A good place to start your franchise journey is with the Small Business Administration. Here, you'll find an assortment of free online courses that will prepare you for education franchise opportunities. Classes typically take 30 minutes and address starting a business, business plans, financing and other topics.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A definite plus to pursuing an education and training franchise is that so many customers and clients now demand these services.
• •  Make a point of developing a strong network with professionals and decision makers who can help you bring in more clients.

Education and training franchise opportunities for beginners abound. Many new entrepreneurs think working with a franchise increases their chances of success; while this is true, franchise businesses still have a 20% failure rate. Therefore, as a beginner, it is especially important that you make sure the franchise shows you what typical earnings are like. Make sure it's also easy to withdraw from the franchise, and try to obtain information about how many franchises have disbanded within the past two years.
Next, consider the cost of buying into the franchise and what your ongoing expenses will be (including the cost of continuing to use the franchise name and the cost of buying any required products or materials). Franchise training should also be thorough, and ongoing support is essential. Finally, choose an education franchise you're passionate about. Experts say passion is the true key to making any business successful. Among the many educational franchise opportunities out there, consider those in the following categories:
1. Education training franchise for math or science
2. Foreign language education franchise
3. Education franchise opportunities for the arts

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select science and math educational franchises

Some reports say American children scored higher in math and science in 2008 than in years past, yet the United States is still not a leader in these important subjects. This makes franchise opportunities in math and science particularly appealing to many parents.

I recommend: Mathnasium thoroughly trains all franchise owners to help strengthen children's math skills. Franchise Direct allows you to connect with Made Science, a franchise that makes science fun for kids, which offers an in-person, one-week training program.

Look for language educational franchises

According to a 2007 U.S.A. Today story, more American children are learning foreign languages than ever before. Spanish tops the list, but European languages follow closely behind. Of course, to properly run a foreign language franchise, you need an intermediate or expert grasp of the language you'll be teaching.

I recommend: Language Leaders Franchising offers full training, so you can help children learn Spanish, French and German. Futura Language Professionals allows you to teach children Spanish and offers complete training.

Consider arts educational franchises

As the arts are covered less and less in American schools, parents are turning to after-school education franchises to fill in the gaps. Arts franchises cover topics such as music, dance, drama, painting, sculpting, and even culinary classes. Choose a topic you have some experience in, then let your contagious enthusiasm for the topic enrich children's lives.

I recommend: Entrepreneur lists Abrakadoodle as one of the top children's art franchises; it offers 20 to 60 hours of training, plus ongoing support. The International Franchise Association lists many great franchises, including Kinderdance, offering all supplies and training.

An education and training franchise may be a smart investment move. Both kids and adults are in need of further education, whether to do well in school or to advance their career. Furthermore, many education and training franchises have a small startup cost when compared to other types of franchises. Kumon, Mathnasium and Berlitz, for example, are all popular franchises. Learn these key terms associated with education and training franchises to help you make your decision.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Kumon

Kumon is an after school program for children designed to improve reading and math skills. In addition to teaching the basics, Kumon aims to help students improve general study skills and foster a love of learning. Students come to the Kumon center for classes.

I recommend: Visit the Kumon site to learn more about their franchise opportunities.

Mathnasium

Mathnasium focuses on building math skills in students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. For a monthly fee, students can attend the learning center, where they play games to help reinforce mathematical concepts.

I recommend: Look at the frequently asked questions about opening a Mathnasium franchise to learn more.

Berlitz

Berlitz offers language learning programs, primarily for adults. The program teaches languages in situations that apply to real life, such as shopping or asking for directions. It is ideal for those that like to travel or who have to travel for business.

I recommend: Berlitz also offers franchising opportunities and you can learn more about it through their website.

In-home tutoring

Some education and training franchises offer 'in-home tutoring', or tutoring directly in the student's home. This allows franchisees to run the business from their own home, thus reducing overhead costs. Subjects can be anything from basic school subjects to music lessons.

I recommend: ABC Tutors is an example of an educational franchise that offers in-home lessons.

No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind Act aims to improve student performance. Organizations that help to achieve this, primarily through math, reading and writing programs, may be eligible for federal funds. To get these funds, the company must be an approved supplementary educational services provider.

I recommend: Learn more about the No Child Left Behind Act from the U.S. Department of Education. Some franchises, such as Club Z! are SES approved. This means that students can receive tutoring for free and the franchisee receives payment directly from the government.

Early learning

Early learning programs focus on teaching children that are under 5. These programs aim to prepare students for kindergarten. There are many early learning franchise programs available.

I recommend: Franchise.com discusses the Star Kids early learning program.