Eye Level Franchise: Educate Yourself About Starting Your Own

If you want to run your own business and give something back to society, you should probably search the education sector. There are a growing number of education franchises to choose from and many are being tipped for great things over the coming years. Here, we take a look at one of the hottest franchise prospects to have emerged in the last decade, Eye Level.

A bit about Eye-Level

Eye Level is part of the Daekyo educational group. Eye Level was established in 1976, by Young Jonng Kang, and started life in South Korea. The organisation quickly became popular among Korean parents and children and spread to the United States in 1991. Over the next 10 years, the company's name and reputation continued to grow – at home and abroad – and by the turn of the century it was the largest education company in South Korea and looking to expand its global reach.

Daekyo Beijing was founded in 2002, followed by Shanghai in 2003, Malaysia in 2004, and the Philippines and Indonesia in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Since then, master franchise contracts have been awarded for Vietnam, Dubai, Sydney, India, Thailand, Kuwait, and the UK have also been granted.

Industry information

Historically, education franchises have been more successful in other nations, particularly those with a strong extra-curricular culture in which children are pushed to excel from a young age. However, in recent years, there has been a growing market for extra-curricular education providers in the UK. One of the early pioneers, Kumon, experienced an initial boom but never truly capitalised on the opportunity in the same way that Eye Level has. So, what makes Eye Level the best franchise opportunity in the education sector?

Eye Level basics

Eye Level is one of the most respected education providers in the world. It teaches various subjects to over 2.5 million students around the world. In the UK, it offers courses in Eye Level English and Eye Level Maths. All students are taught on a one-on-one basis and their academic baseline is established with a diagnostic test when they first join. Eye Level doesn't go off school grades and they create a tailored learning plan for every student that passes through the programme.

Eye Level has succeeded for a number of reasons. These include the fact that it uses pioneering educational tools and products, emphasises self-directed learning, has a strong and efficient organisational structure, and offers its students the opportunity to participate in a number of unique events, such as the Eye Level Math Olympiad or Eye Level Model UN Camp.

What level of investment is required?

In order to become an Eye Level franchisee you’ll need to raise an initial investment of somewhere between £35,000 and £60,000. The figure varies according to your business’ location, the size of your premises, and the amount of equipment you require. The franchise fee is £5,000 and it is necessary to pay a separate franchise deposit that also totals £5,000. Royalty fees fluctuate according to the number of Eye Level members you have on board. This ensures that your business isn’t being squeezed by large royalty payments as it attempts to grow and establish itself. As a reputable franchise, most franchisees will be able to secure funding to cover a large portion of the initial investment. If you approach a major lender, they may offer to cover as much as 70% of the initial investment.

What do you get in return for your investment?

In return for your investment, franchisees will be granted the rights to an exclusive territory, as well as the right to trade under the Eye Level name and brand image. All new franchisees are enrolled in a comprehensive training programme that will teach you everything you need to know about operating an Eye Level franchise. From running classes to marketing the business, you'll receive help with every aspect of education franchise management. In fact, knowledge exchange constitutes a large part of the Eye Level franchise package, with local, national, and international networking very much encouraged by the central franchisor management team. There are annual Eye Level Excellent Awards (with the winners awarded a free trip to South Korea), regular regional meetings, and the Eye Level Knowledge Community – where franchisees with innovative educational ideas enter a competition to win a ticket to the final round, held in South Korea.

As well as offering complete access to the Eye Level operations manual, the franchisor also offers on-going support in a number of different ways. A variety of marketing materials and promotional tools are provided, while franchisor representatives often visit centres to offer support and ensure the quality of service.

What kind of franchisee is Eye Level looking for?

Owning a franchise like Eye Level isn’t easy. Franchisees must meet certain criteria and display relevant characteristics and qualities if they’re to be accepted into the organisation. For instance, franchisees must be comfortable communicating with both parents and children – they need to make them feel welcome and be able to build long-term relationships with customers. Likewise, it’s useful for franchisees to have a good understanding of how to interact with students and how to relate to them in an academic setting. Finally, franchisees will also have to meet the financial criteria (i.e. have a credit check and be able to raise the necessary initial investment) and also pass a full DBS check.

Eye Level has been a success the world over and its arrival in the UK signals an impressive step towards fulfilling its ambitions. Those who are able to get into the franchise early on in its UK expansion are sure to enjoy a great deal of success. As more and more parents realise how competitive the contemporary jobs market is, there's going to be an increasing pressure on them to provide their children with additional opportunities. Eye Level is a provider of high-quality educational opportunities and is poised to be the first educational franchise to really take off in the UK.