Sylvan Learning Centers was established in 1979 in Portland, Oregon, which is currently based in Baltimore, with the vision of providing modified instructional services to students of every ages and skill levels. They have qualified and caring tutors, prepare regular progress reports, and offer many learning arrangements for busy families like evening or weekend tutoring sessions at the local centers or live, online tutoring, which make their tutoring programs more convenient, flexible and affordable.
Sylvan Learning Center is a strong platform where the students effectively experience the thrill of learning. It is a publicly held company. It started franchising from the year 1980 and currently has hubs in Asia and North America. According to the data for the year 2009 the numbers of U.S. franchises are 851 and that of 92 in Canada. There are 85 more in various locations owned by the company itself.
Franchise Review Written By: faresh
I have spent many years teaching in our local High School. I love teaching, but my income was insufficient to provide for my growing family. I wanted to go into business for myself, but I couldn?t imagine what sort of a business a teacher could run successfully. Then I discovered Sylvan Learning Centers and their franchise offer. I just could not imagine anything more tailor-made to suit my needs.
Sylvan Learning provides in-center, online, and at home tutoring to students of all ages, grades, and skill levels. The fact that I could provide personalized tutoring to students, while running my own business was a major selling point for me. Another plus point of the franchise,is the speed with which they're growing and expanding.
There was a 150% growth in sales in 2008 and they are found in ten countries around the world. This showed me that the business had a lot of potential. They have been highly ranked by various franchise ranking enterprises. For example, they were at number 44 in 2010 in the Entrepreneur magazines rankings.
Sylvan Learning was very helpful when it came to setting up my business. The support team was friendly and eager to help. This was great because I had a lot of questions being a novice in the field. At times I would get frustrated with myself and my lack of knowledge, but their support team was always encouraging, supportive, and forthcoming with all my inquiries. Their system of training staff at corporate headquarters, combined with regional meetings and web-based training is most beneficial.
Advertising is a must if a business is to be a success. Sylvan Learning spends three times more on advertising than all of the other brands of learning centers in the market. I am very satisfied with my decision to get a Sylvan Learning Center franchise. I would gladly recommend it to others.
Franchise Review Written By: derekback
Having my own business is a matter of great pride and joy for me. I have been running my Sylvan Learning Center successfully for over a decade now and I am in a position to say that it is a very good enterprise.
This is one of the few businesses which is not significantly affected by the recession. Children are everyone?s priority and educating them is right up there with putting food on the table, in the list of necessities. The best part of this business is that as long as there are children, there will be customers available. Not being answerable to anyone is just an additional perk of the job.
There are some points that need to be considered carefully before running out and getting a Sylvan Learning Center franchise. First and foremost, it requires a large start-up investment. The start-up costs range from $160,000 - $200,000, with total costs running as high as $300,000. One needs to have a very strong desire to work with children and the temperament to handle them. Sylvan Learning Centers require long term commitments, so if you think you can just get up and quit after a couple of years of running the center, well think again if this is right for you. Finally, there is the reoccurring franchise fee of $42,000 - $48,000 above and beyond the costs of setting up the learning center in the first place.
So, if the dedication and the money for the initial investment is there, then all I can say is there is no business like it. It is highly satisfying to be able to get up in the morning and open the doors of your own enterprise, especially one that has the potential of providing a handsome return. No two days are alike, because working with children means you get new surprises every day.
