Which summer courses can a language school offer?
Pick one or two formats you can staff well: an intensive course for teens and adults, a half-day English camp for kids or an online intensive for students who are away.
- Intensive course: a class every day for two to four weeks, to move up a level or prepare an autumn exam.
- Half-day English camp: games, projects and outdoor activities in English for kids, sold by the week.
- Online intensive: short daily sessions for students who spend the summer away.
- Exam bootcamp: a few weeks focused on one exam's tasks and timing.
A few formats done well beat a long menu: each format needs its own teachers, rooms and marketing.
Summer course planning calendar, month by month
Start in January, sell from March, confirm groups in June and convert summer students in September. Each month has one job, so nothing piles up in the last week of term.
| Month | Task | Why now |
|---|---|---|
| January | Choose formats, weeks and timetables. Check which rooms and teachers are free. | Everything else depends on dates and staff. |
| February | Set prices, deposits, discounts, minimum group size and refund terms. | You need a price before you can sell a single place. |
| March | Open enrolment for current students, with an early-booking price. | They already trust you, so they fill the first places. |
| April | Reach new families: schools, AMPAs, local groups and your Google profile. Hire extra teachers and ask for their certificates. | New families need time to hear about you. |
| May | Close the early-booking price. Plan the content week by week and order materials. | A deadline moves the families who are still thinking about it. |
| June | Confirm or merge groups, send a welcome message with first-day details and check levels. | Last chance to cancel a small group without losing money. |
| July | Run the first weeks. Send families a short update each week. | Happy parents book another week and tell other parents. |
| August | Run the last weeks or close. Write each student's end-of-course report. | The report is your pitch for September. |
| September | Offer every summer student a place in a term course, with a date to reply. | This is where the summer pays twice. |
How to price a summer intensive
Price per week or per full course, take a deposit to hold each place and set a minimum per group. Early-booking and sibling discounts fill groups without cutting the full price.
- Per week: easy for families to fit around their holidays, harder for you to plan groups.
- Full course: stable groups and one payment, but a bigger decision for families.
- Deposit: holds the place and cuts last-minute drop-outs. Say in writing when it's refundable.
- Discounts: early booking and siblings, each with an end date.
For the numbers, see how academies set enrolment, monthly and summer fees and our guide to lesson packages.
Teachers, monitors and the rules for working with kids
Every adult who works with the kids needs a negative sexual offences certificate. Hire summer staff early, and check your region's rules before you add overnight stays or trips.
Anyone whose work involves regular contact with minors, paid or not, needs a negative certificate from the Central Register of Sex Offenders (LOPIVI art. 57). Teachers and monitors can request it online.
Overnight stays, excursions and outdoor camps can bring extra rules from your comunidad autónoma. Ask your regional youth office before you sell a camp.
Hiring someone for the summer? See hiring your first teacher and the legal requirements for a language school.
Where to sell summer places
Sell to the families you already have, then to schools, AMPAs and local groups. One page with dates, prices and a booking link does most of the work.
- Current students and their siblings: a message in March, before anyone else hears.
- Schools and AMPAs: if you teach after-school classes there, the summer is the natural next step.
- Local groups and your Google Business Profile: post the dates and the booking link.
- Referrals: a discount for families who bring another family.
More channels in how to get students for a language school, and the school side in after-school English classes.
After the summer: turn summer students into term students
Send each student their report with a place in a September group and a date to reply. Families decide while the summer progress is still fresh.
Keep it simple: what the student can do now, which group fits them, the day and time, and the price. Ask for an answer by a fixed date so you can plan groups.
Summer groups and September, in one place
Run your summer groups, attendance and payments in SmartCookie, then move each student into a September course without starting again. Try it for 14 days, no card needed.