The development of language schools follows various paths. Some attract potential clients through "expansion," i.e., opening branches in new spaces, others "dig deeper" by increasing the range of programs, and still others invent unconventional teaching methods... Fortunately, language centers' concern for their own prosperity at the same time indeed brings considerable benefits to students, opening up opportunities that did not exist before.
Good Name
Probably, no one in the world can list all existing language schools. But everyone who has ever been interested in this matter knows some names. Berlitz, EF English First, inlingua, International House, Sprachcaffe - these names are known worldwide if only because each of these schools is a chain. That is, they have branches in many countries. The "pioneer" of creating such a chain was the Berlitz school, which emerged at the end of the 19th century in the USA on the initiative of the famous teacher and innovator methodologist M. Berlitz. Having gained huge popularity not only in the USA but also abroad, the school began its victorious march across the planet as early as the 1920s, and now you can study anywhere using the Berlitz method.
Other schools, although they emerged later, today are not far behind Berlitz in popularity and number of branches. International House, which recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, began as home courses opened in Cordoba by a young married couple, John and Brita Haycraft. Now it is a real "empire" that continues to expand its borders and has already reached Mongolia...
The founder of EF English First, Swede Bertil Hult, started by organizing group holiday trips to Britain for Swedes who wanted to learn English. His programs became so wildly popular that soon Hult opened branches in other regions of Scandinavia. Today the school has 75 branches in more than 40 countries, and the tireless Bertil Hult is still at the helm.
There are also younger chains. Take, for example, Study Group, a British educational group that literally became international in just a few years, opening branches in Australia, the USA, and Canada. Its "trump card" was pre-university preparation: with the growing number of people wanting to study in English-speaking countries, this type of course proved particularly attractive.
There are not many large chains for studying French, German, or Spanish in the world. Perhaps France can only boast Alliance Française, while Germany is represented internationally by the Goethe Institute, Carl Duisberg Centers, and DAAD. Europeans complain about many bureaucratic hurdles and obstacles preventing them from opening courses abroad, but, it seems, one needs not only the desire but also a certain talent for this.
What is the advantage of chain schools? At least that a loud name obliges. The quality of teaching, the equipment of branches, the development of programs - all of this is subject to careful control from the "headquarters," and any attempts to slack off, if they occur, are resolutely nipped in the bud. Moreover, such schools have significant funds that they do not spare on modern equipment and on hiring qualified teachers. In addition, the schools have methodological offices that create programs and textbooks - often innovative - for all branches.
Fight Not with Numbers...
Another type of chain school is more "chamber" in nature. They have few branches, located in different cities or different districts of one city, and only occasionally have representative offices abroad. For example, the British StGiles first opened its doors in London in 1955, a few years later opened branches in Brighton and Eastbourne, and two more schools appeared under its name in London. And the brand's success was cemented overseas - in San Francisco. True, in the last three years, StGiles has clearly been aiming for more, first conquering Brazil (a branch in São Paulo) and then China (a school in Nanning).
The number of such chains is growing in other countries as well. Let's mention, for example, the Spanish Estudio Nacional Sampere (Madrid, Salamanca, El Puerto, Alicante, the capital of Ecuador, Quito), the Italian Leonardo da Vinci, the German Horizonte, the French BLS.
Of course, they all differ, but nevertheless they have common principles of operation. The programs of different branches, as a rule, do not coincide. In the sense that specialized courses in them most often differ: one has courses for teachers, another "language of cooking," a third a youth camp... Take, for example, the well-known Maltese language school Elanguest, which is part of a consortium with its head office in Britain. So, it has developed a unique specialized program "English for Medical Professionals." The school holds a European Union grant for the development of this program.
But general language and, as a rule, business courses are taught everywhere. Moreover, these courses are completely identical in all centers of the chain. This gives students the opportunity to combine studies with traveling around the country. For example, after studying for a week in Madrid and getting acquainted with all the beauties of the Spanish capital, you can interrupt your studies and "head" to Alicante. At the Sampere school branch there, you resume classes from the exact point where you left off. And in your free time, you sunbathe on the beach... After getting enough warmth, you go to Salamanca, the cradle of Spanish university education... And so on.
Some schools, apparently not trusting the conscientiousness of students (what if they get lost along the way), organize language trips around the country themselves - "classes on wheels," or "migratory classes," whichever you prefer to call them. A group of students moves from city to city, from one branch to another, but in an organized manner and - importantly - together with the teacher. So the learning process does not stop even on the bus or train, and includes getting to know the country.
"We travel" without leaving the classroom
Above we did not mention one feature of large network schools. If they are located on foreign territory, you can learn not one language but two or more. As a rule, they teach English as a foreign language and the language of the country where the school is located. Courses of the first type will be preferred by locals, of the second by foreigners, who are also allowed to study English. It is understood that both are taught by native speakers of the respective language. Excellent saving of time and money! The only advice for potential polyglots: do not start learning both languages if you do not know at least one of them at an intermediate level or above.
"Polyglot schools" also exist among small language centers. But you should not look for them in Britain and other English-speaking countries (although they are there, of course). There the motto is "English above all"! But in Austria, Switzerland, Italy - countries that attract, let's say, not an excessive number of language travelers, English will be offered in addition to the local language. Classes can be structured in different ways: simultaneously (for example, German in the afternoon, English in the evening) or in stages (a week of English, a week of French, etc.). What else will language schools come up with for us?