Stagecoach English Theatre Schools

Stagecoach English Theatre Schools are available in many, but not all countries.
Please click one of the links below if you wish to open a school in that country;
Franchise Information page for
United Kingdom
Ireland
Germany
United States of America

Stagecoach is a simple idea that provides dance, drama and singing tuition for children and teenagers for 3 hours outside school-time.

If you are passionate about the performing arts you may already know how much children can benefit from classes in the performing arts. Running a Stagecoach English Theatre School in your area would combine your passion with a business that is financially rewarding.

Stagecoach is accepted and valued by children and parents in every country where it is established. Founded in 1988, the organisation has grown from a tiny business into the largest network of part-time theatre arts schools in the world. Stagecoach Theatre Arts plc has schools across three continents with over 35,000 students. Since 2001 Stagecoach has been listed on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange.

Stagecoach’s programme of singing, dance and drama has brought enjoyment and education to hundreds of thousands of children in many areas of the world. The classes develop skills and creativity but also help towards self confidence, communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team.

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What is a Stagecoach school?

To set up a Stagecoach school you need 4 things:

Each Stagecoach school takes a maximum of 45 students, 15 in each class. In addition, most schools have a junior class called Early Stages for children between 4 and 6. This runs for 90 minutes each week and has a maximum of 15 students.

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Must the teaching be in English?

• To teach in English;
• To teach in your local language; or
• To teach in your local language and add songs in English in the singing and dance classes

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What does it cost?

£8,000 for your first school and £4,000 for any additional schools.

You will also pay to us 12.5% of all the student fees you receive each academic term as a licence fee for your Stagecoach school(s).

You will also need money for:

• Marketing and advertising
• Printing and postage
• Travel and accommodation for your initial interview and your training course in the UK
• Other expenses

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What do you get?

Stagecoach provides all Principals of Stagecoach English Theatre Schools with:

• The right to operate one school
• An initial eight day training course at Stagecoach Head Office, just outside London
• Continuing advice from the Stagecoach Head Office team by telephone and email. Their experience in all aspects of running the schools – from curriculum to problem solving to promotion – is unparalleled
• Manuals describing in detail how to set up and run your school, including finding a suitable venue, recruiting staff, marketing, child protection and dealing with problem solving etc.
• Your own Stagecoach English Theatre Schools Website, advertising the fact that you are part of the largest network of part-time performing arts schools in the world. We will create your website, and we have made it very easy for you to add your own text and photographs
• Your own Stagecoach email
• A library of advertisement, leaflets and forms for you to change to suit your local needs without having to do everything from the beginning
• Stagecoach online training videos – available at the click of a mouse button
• Stagecoach publications offering advice on classroom management, teaching strategies, identifying “problem” children, etc.
• Participation in International Stagecoach events such as Guinness World Record attempts (Stagecoach broke its own Guinness World Record in 2008)
• Samples of Stagecoach uniform to show local suppliers
• The use of “Global”, Stagecoach’s online school and student management software, which supports you in the administration of your school and to make the running of your business more straightforward and enjoyable.

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Do you qualify as a Stagecoach Principal?

• You must be at least 25 years old
  
• You must have a background either in the performing arts or in teaching children.
  
• You must be fluent in English so that we can train and support you effectively. Your school may operate using English or another language. That is your choice.
  
• You do not have to have a background in business.

The school is straightforward to run and we make the administration as simple and easy as possible. You should be able to handle both the running of the school and the administration by yourself but, if you have more than one school, you may need the part-time support of your spouse or another family member to help with the administration.

Because of the need for local knowledge and language, we do not anticipate that Stagecoach English Theatre Schools will generally be suitable for British people wishing to relocate outside the UK.

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What am I not allowed to do?

Please read this section carefully. The following two golden Stagecoach rules cannot be changed.

• You are not allowed to teach at your Stagecoach school. Your role is that of a caring Headteacher.
  
  This is a very important part of Stagecoach’s quality control and is one of the reasons that Stagecoach has grown and flourished for over twenty years.
  
  
• You must always be present at your School unless you are prevented by serious illness or an emergency. You are the Principal and you run the school each week, without exception.
  
  We do not permit a school to be run by a manager.

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Can I sell my school?

Yes. The price will be what you are willing to accept and what the buyer is willing to pay.