Steve Jones from Distinction Language Centre in Gdańsk talks about the future of the private language schools sector.

1. The 21st Century
Language Trainer
The Future of Private Sector Foreign Language Training
in Poland
Steve Jones

4. Who am I?

6. September
1994

10. “While looking towards the
future, bear in mind both what
will change and what will
remain the same”

11. Product Life-Cycle

13. 1989 2010

14. 1989 2010
1994 - I arrived in Poland

15. 1989 2010
1999 - I opened a language school

16. 1989 2010
2009 - Everyone has opened a language school

17. What happened?

18. The party’s packed and the beer’s running out!

19. Other Factors
• Better (more) state education
• Declining interest in exam courses
• A faster world with more technology
• Financial worries

20. A brief technological
history of EFL in Poland

21. 1994

25. 2000

28. 2007

33. Tools of the trade

34. The resources of the 21st
Century Language Trainer

36. Remember the party?

37. How to be different?

38. Differentiation

39. Terminology

40. Teacher or Trainer?

41. Teacher

42. Trainer

43. Remember the party?

44. How (not) to compete?

45. 8 x 45 = 16 zl per 90
minute class
5 in a group = 80 zl
income per 90 minute
class
RENT?
SALARIES?
HUH?

47. How to be different?

48. The road ahead

49. 2 aspects
• What changes
• What remains the same

50. Change driven by
technology

52. e-learning

53. kype

54. Multi-media bonanzas

57. How Groupon works
• Discount a minimum of 50%
• Groupon takes 50% of the remaining 50%
• The service provider takes 50% too (=25%
of the original price of the product)

58. The service provider gets 1,5 zl per student per 45 minute
class

61. Remember the party?

62. How to be different?

63. “Price is the last
bastion of the mediocre
and the desperate”

64. What stays the same?

65. Universal truths

66. here we go ...
• Poles need to learn foreign languages
• People learn languages in order to SPEAK
• Ability in a foreign language improves career
options and enhances life quality
• Humans enjoy interacting with other humans
• Language learners like a competent and
personable trainer to guide them

67. Universal Truths

68. Laptops Wi-Fi
Authentic Universal Truths YouTube
Internet Projectors

69. The 21st Century Language
Trainer will...
• Be a trainer
• Help learners develop practical communication
skills
• Interact with learners face to face
• Be competent with a little “je ne sais quoi”
• Use elements of technology
• Be less focused on course books and more
interested in authentic material

70. But where will we
work?

71. Big players?

72. How to be different?

73. Specialization?

75. Franchising?

76. Product

78. INNOVATION

79. steve.jones@dlc.com.pl