Get German classes going

[Posts from old Google group]

I know that Spanish is more popular than German. How long did you take
to build up to a class when you first start out? Any tips on
Advetisement from you German teachers?
I used newspaper, visit preschools, did flyers, word of mouth, called
parents, participate in our yearly parade, do free classes …so far
I have one paying student. Hopefully we get more. When do you start
advetising for the next session? Any input is highly welcomed. I love
teaching and want to make a go of it.
-Elke

[Posts from old Google group]

Hallo Elke,

I am Susanne and I teach German and French in Great Falls. You and I
are not only in a difficult situation because we are not teaching
Spanish, but also because we are teaching in parts of Montana where
not a lot of people are interested in languages or cannot afford to
pay for those classes. I am teaching in Great Falls for nearly two
years now and still don’t have as much enrollment as I would like, but
it is slowly getting better.

I started building a group with children of my friends who were
interested in learning German. I advertised in the paper and put up
flyers. Unfortunately the advertisement in the Great Falls Tribune is
so expensive, that I never earned any money with my classes. Also, it
never brought me a lot of students, but people got to know my
business. What newspaper do people in Hamilton buy? You could try to
ask the paper if they are interested in writing a newspaper article
about your classes. That is for free and will reach a lot of people. I
also started teaching free sample classes in story hours and
preschools. Everybody really liked the program, but it did not result
in more sign-ups. I finally decided last spring to offer my program to
preschools, because then I don’t have to advertise as much for my
classes. Also, the classes in a preschool are more affordable for the
families. I put together a folder for the preschools with a newspaper
article about my classes, the proposal letter for preschools and a
brochure with information about ML as well as rates for the classes.I
have the impression this helped my business. So far I am teaching in
only two preschools, but I will offer my program to more preschools
and it gives me some peace to know that I am not dependent on sign-ups
in these classes. It sounds like you are doing a great job advertising
and spreading the word about your Music Lingua classes. If I were you,
I would also try to offer your program to schools. You are welcome to
give me a call if you have any more questions. Good luck!

Susanne

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