Language school fees: enrolment, monthly fees and summer courses

5 ways to charge, compared

You don't have to pick just one model: an enrolment fee plus a monthly fee covers the school year, and intensives and summer courses are sold apart. The table shows when each one fits.

There are no market prices here: they change too much by city and language. Each row explains how the model works and what it does to the money coming in each month.

Start from what a group costs you

Your lowest possible fee is what a group costs you each month divided by its students. Add your margin on top, then compare with schools nearby.

Add up what one group costs you a month: the teacher's pay for those hours plus a fair share of rent, utilities, software and materials. Divide it by the number of students in the group, then add your margin.

An example with round numbers, not market prices: if a group costs you €400 a month and has 8 students, each student must pay at least €50 a month before your margin.

Turn it around to know when a group can start: divide the group's monthly cost by your monthly fee and round up. At €400 a month and a €60 fee, you need 7 students.

For the whole first year, see our guide to how much it costs to open a language school.

The enrolment fee: what it covers and when to waive it

An enrolment fee pays for what a new student costs you once: the level test, materials and the admin of signing up. Say what it covers, so it doesn't look like an extra.

Use enrolment day for a level test, so each student starts in the right group.

You can waive or cut the fee for students who re-enrol by a set date, for siblings or during a campaign: it gives people a reason to sign up now.

Monthly, by term or the whole year?

Monthly fees are the easiest for families; term fees bring more commitment and fewer payments. Whatever you choose, explain how holidays and missed classes work before anyone pays.

Decide if the monthly fee is the same every month or follows the classes in that month. A fixed fee (the year's price split into equal months) is simpler to pay; charging by classes makes it change with Christmas and Easter. Say which one you use in the contract.

Discounts worth considering: paying the term or the year up front, siblings and a second course. Keep them few and in writing, so every family gets the same deal.

Explain what happens when a student misses a class: whether they can make it up in another group, and when. If you sell lesson packs instead, our lesson packages guide covers it.

Intensives and summer courses

Price intensives and summer courses as separate courses, paid up front, with a minimum number of students to go ahead. They shouldn't change your school-year fees.

Price them per week or per course and set a sign-up deadline. Your current students can get a discount or skip the enrolment fee: it rewards them and fills the first places. We plan the season month by month in our summer courses guide.

Put it in writing: contract, receipts and VAT

Spanish consumer services tell students to check that an academy contract shows every price, enrolment fee and taxes included, and the monthly payments. Write yours that way and give a receipt for every payment.

Consumo Responde, the consumer service of the Junta de Andalucía, advises students to read the contract carefully before signing: it should show all prices clearly, enrolment fee and taxes included, detail the monthly payments and any financing, and students should ask for a receipt for every payment.

Also write down what happens when a student leaves mid-year: how much notice they give, whether the enrolment fee is refunded and how the last month is charged. Clear rules now save arguments in March.

On VAT in Spain: the exemption for schools (article 20.Uno.9º of the VAT law) covers language teaching by public bodies or authorised private entities. Check your case in our guide to VAT on language lessons.