Q&A: Does Waterbabies Franchise in the UK?

Alice Tuffery, writer

Published at 04/01/2018, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 5 min

Q&A: Does Waterbabies Franchise in the UK? — Photo © water-babies-franchise.jpg

If you love the idea of working with children and supporting families in the local community, it might make sense to start a swim school. There’s a variety of investment opportunities out there giving entrepreneurs the chance to launch their own business in the education sector. Here, we’re asking: Does Waterbabies franchise?

For some, teaching babies to swim sounds like a dream come true. If you’ve got a natural affinity with children and want to start a business involving early education, running a swim school for babies could be ideal for you.

Let’s find out more about one particular business - are there any Waterbabies franchise opportunities for savvy investors in the UK?

Does Waterbabies franchise?

Yes! Waterbabies supports investors to set up and run their very own swim school. Keep reading to find out more about setting up your own branch of the successful chain.

History of Waterbabies

Waterbabies is special because it puts family first. The swim school believes support is vital, so it always encourages parents to get into the pool with their children during lessons.

For this franchise, swimming is about more than just moving through water; learning helps nurture self-esteem and social skills. When children graduate from the Waterbabies franchise, they should be confident and independent swimmers, unafraid of the water.

Waterbabies was first established in 2002 by an entrepreneur called Paul Thompson. He had taken his own children, Imani and Jai, to swimming classes, and decided to set up his very own swim school for babies. As part of his business model, Paul was passionate about helping kids master the skill at an early stage.

Today, Waterbabies has more than 50 branches up and running in the UK and Ireland, and a total of 64 sites worldwide. The franchise has seen success in a number of different countries, from the Netherlands and Canada to China and New Zealand.

In a typical week, the Waterbabies franchise network delivers lessons for more than 60,000 children across 560 pools. It also offers a high-resolution photography service, so parents can record their baby or toddler mastering their swimming skills. There’s even a professional studio with special ‘dipographers’ who can capture perfect underwater shots of pupils.

The Waterbabies online shop provides more sales opportunities, with products ranging from swimwear to accessories and waterproof toys.

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Starting a Waterbabies franchise unit

The Waterbabies franchise team is on the lookout for investors who are interested in setting up their own swim school. You can either launch a business here in the UK or abroad. The brand is expanding year on year, and now provides Master Franchise and Country Developer Partnerships for people setting up franchise units in the Middle East.

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Becoming a Waterbabies franchisee:

Waterbabies already has many franchise locations here in the UK, and there aren’t many territories still available. However, it’s worth getting in touch with the brand if you are passionate about joining the franchise.

If you’ve got initiative, high levels of motivation and strong interpersonal skills, you could make a fantastic Waterbabies franchisee. You can kick off the joining process by contacting the business’s franchise team via its website.

How much you need to invest:

If you’d like to become a franchisee with the Waterbabies franchise brand, you’ll need to make a minimum personal investment of £5,000. But in total, the business states investors must be prepared to part with £25,000, plus VAT and working capital.

We recommend you also have enough funds to cover the cost of accessing independent advice from an accountant and a solicitor specialising in the franchise system.

What you get for your investment:

Waterbabies is committed to making sure its franchisees have the opportunity to grow their locations over time and develop large, loyal customer bases. So, when you invest in one of its franchise units, you’ll be given a territory with a catchment area of around 500,000 people.

The swim school franchise has built a comprehensive training programme. Each investor has access to 300 hours of teacher training both in and out of the pool to give them the skills to instruct babies and their parents safely. At the end of the coaching scheme, franchisees earn a nationally recognised diploma in baby swimming.

The franchise also provides in-depth training in many aspects of business ownership. As a franchisee, you’ll be taught how to find suitable pools for your unit and launch an effective marketing campaign. Throughout your time with Waterbabies, you’ll also be able to rely on support from the franchise’s head office.

Once your Waterbabies franchise branch is ready to get up and running, you can start teaching your first classes. Representatives from the business will visit you on your first day to offer their congratulations and support as you start your exciting journey as a franchisee.

Start a new baby business

Working with babies can be incredibly rewarding as well as fun, and there are plenty of different opportunities to launch a children’s business in the franchise industry. So, if Waterbabies doesn’t quite tick all your boxes, there’s no need to worry. Take a look at our best investment options in this sector to kickstart your franchisee journey.

Alternatively, why not brush up on your knowledge by reading our daily franchise articles? We write informative articles on every aspect of becoming an entrepreneur and developing a thriving business. From raising finance to retirement, we cover all the key stages in the life of a franchisee.

Here at Point Franchise, we also publish regular news articles, so you can always stay up to date with events in the franchise world. See our news section to read posts from the last few days.