If you have an educational idea that you would strongly like to share with students, you may feel motivated enough to start your own high school based on the aforementioned values. Like any other business, it is challenging to take the first step, but this is even more so because you will have to comply with many legislative requirements to ensure that you are giving an appropriate educational experience to the students attending your school. You will also have to decide if you want a physical or virtual place, where the latter is the cheapest option for lower overheads but requires more technical knowledge. Finding funds will be the biggest obstacle, the one you will have to consider from the beginning. If you still like this, here are some guidelines to help you determine if this is the right path to follow.
Steps
Part 1 of 6: Establishing the Purpose of a Higher Education School
Step 1. Establish your niche and create a manifesto with your goals
Think about the reasons for starting a high school. What are the current educational institutions missing in your area (or in the world) that you could add or improve? What do your idea of education, your course of study and your teaching method have to offer?
- Review existing higher education schools similar to the one you would like to start. What do they offer now that you would like to offer too? How would you build your offering to surpass that of existing schools? Paying students and their sponsors will want to understand perfectly what sets your course of study apart from others.
- Be careful if you are trying to charge less than other schools. It might seem like a good idea until you realize how expensive it is to provide education. Unless you are covered in money, avoid considering this as the first reason to open a higher education school.
Step 2. Establish solid reasons for your high school
The manifesto of intentions should include the reasons for starting a higher education school, the educational approach, the educational offer and the objectives.
Have friends and family read your intentions poster to analyze their thoughts and ideas. Ask them if you made your intentions clear enough. Ask them if it looks like a school they would like to go to or where they would send their children. Use their answers to make sure your purpose is clear and to create a summary that explains your idea of a high school to the people you ask for advice and funding
Step 3. Determine if your high school will have a physical location or will only be virtual
You can also offer virtual courses from real locations if you want to combine the two options. Keep the following in mind:
- A physical location can be expensive to manage, especially when you are starting a business. The physical location must be suitable for the number of students you believe will attend the courses, and you must obtain all the legislative certifications including those relating to safety, health, hygiene, insurance. The location of the venue is equally important: students prefer safe areas that they can reach on foot or by bike, which often means finding a location in an expensive area. Do a lot of research before determining the appropriate area.
- Virtual courses are a good option when you are starting out because the overhead is lower. That said, you'll need great technical expertise (or a good team of IT technicians), excellent security and privacy protocols, plenty of server space, and 24/7 student contacts to troubleshoot login issues or the like. Creating courses will require a knowledge of what works and what doesn't and you won't have much room for mistakes in an age where people expect technology to work properly and smoothly from the start.
Part 2 of 6: Getting Advice and Funds
Step 1. Seek the advice of professionals with experience in starting higher education schools
Find experts who can help you in business, finance management and education. Meet founders of other higher education schools for specific guidance and tips on how to deal with the obstacles you will encounter along the way.
Step 2. Look for funding methods to determine if you will be able to move forward
If you are starting a non-profit school, look for foundations or individuals who may be interested in making donations to fund the school. Make introductions to encourage community support.
- Look for non-repayable funding to start your school. These will vary by region and legal system, so do a very extensive search to find as many options as possible. Obviously, look for people who might find your idea of education in line with their way of conceiving the goals of education.
- Check with local and ministerial representatives the possibility of an interest in financing a new school of higher studies for economic or cultural benefits for the region.
- Look for financing or loan options if you will instead operate as a commercial institution.
Part 3 of 6: Prepare a Business Plan
Step 1. Write a business plan
Your business plan should include details on the educational idea, operational strategies, budgets, funding and training offer plans.
Part 4 of 6: Unraveling the Legal and Foundational Requirements
Step 1. Research the requirements of educational institutions in your region
It starts with the Ministry of Education. Most likely you will have to ask for authorization to operate. You may get provisional authorization to get started and then you will be asked for additional information for final approval. Once the authorization requirements have been established in your region, you will be able to know at what point you will have to send the approval applications to start the higher education school.
Step 2. Form a founding committee
You can form a founding committee with participating colleagues and supporters for advice and information. People with a variety of experience in areas such as law, education and economics should be on this committee.
You will need to hire a formal board of directors if you want to operate as a non-profit organization
Step 3. Add or submit non-profit status
Step 4. Finalize your funding options
- Start loans, funds or donations.
- Organize self-financing events to raise additional aid.
Step 5. Develop your infrastructure
Establishing the policy and procedures will be guided to a large extent by state regulations and the ministry that oversees the formation of universities and colleges of higher education. This is why researching before you start is so important.
- Your infrastructure will include operational, educational, educational, financial, legal, hiring, training, admission and enrollment procedures.
- Establish the venue. Will your secondary school be virtual, will it have a physical location or both?
- Determine the level of education and courses you will offer. Some of this will be determined by state requirements. Develop an educational path for your school based on state requirements in securing approved degrees.
- Begin networking and interviewing prospective teachers and hiring key staff members. You will be able to hire teachers based on enrollments, but you will need a team of qualified teachers to attract them.
Part 5 of 6: Promote the School of Higher Studies
Step 1. Promote your school
Promotion is key to attracting students. Word of mouth is an important form of initial promotion, so tell your friends to tell their friends and so on. Create great brochures and a website to spread the news quickly and easily.
- Create a website to network, share your teaching philosophy and inform students about programs. Make use of social networks, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, to reach a large audience.
- Offer information on admission and financial assistance. You could offer a scholarship to entice people to join. Make sure that such an offer fits your budget.
- Organize information occasions or events to attract attention.
- Advertise online and offline through newspapers, magazines, posts, blogs and flyers. The extent of advertising depends on the budget.
Part 6 of 6: Obtaining Accreditation
Step 1. Apply for accreditation
Accreditation is a fundamental step for higher education schools because it will distinguish your school from those "degree factories" that do not have appropriate educational programs and are not subject to training requirements such as to issue degrees or diplomas.
- You can apply for accreditation once you have students and have started courses. Accreditation is a process in which your school is checked by a group of examiners to determine the quality of the program you offer.
- There is a list of regional and national accredited higher education schools.
Warnings
- Running a high school is a competitive business. Many manage them on very low budgets. The more uncertain the budget, the more the school will be prone to failure, since any trace of economic problems can cause students not to enroll or unsubscribe.
- This article presents basic guidelines for the process of starting a higher education school. It will be important to ask for legal and financial advice to establish the suitability of the project to open a school with your goals and funding, the current climate and other challenges you may face. It is not an easy task and will require a lot of energy, perseverance and determination to be successful.
