4. Business Management in Language Education

Business Management in Language Education

The Business Management course is suitable for managers in language education who are interested in learning about the key components of marketing and finance. The material we cover on the Business Management course will enable you to become familiar with essential financial documents, and also to consider your organisation’s approach to marketing and promotion. With lots of practical ideas, this course will help both you and your school grow professionally.

Choose your dates and apply for this Business Management course now! >>

Who is it for?

This course is for you if:

  • You are a new manager, or a manager with some experience, who wishes to learn about marketing and finance;
  • You want a course that gives you a range of practical ideas as well as a theoretical grounding in the topic;
  • You want to discuss issues and solutions with other managers and with a course tutor, networking within a global community.

The course requires a minimum English language level of C1. The course can be taken by managers working in a language school context in any department e.g. DOS, Marketing Manager, Head of Reception or School Director. 

Content

This is a 6-module course, delivered asynchronously entirely online via our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) site.

  • Marketing Orientation – your schools marketing decisions and strategy (including who is responsible) and look at how to describe the marketing orientation of organizations.
  • The Marketing Mix. 7 Principles/issues related to marketing services rather than products.
  • Marketing Plan. How to tailor a marketing plan for your organization in your context.
  • Introduction to Financial Management. This will alleviate your stress about managing finance. Learn about financial terminology. Financial Responsibility discussion.
  • Budgeting, Business Plans, Budgeting/Financial Planning.
  • Break Even Analysis and Course Costing – different types of costing, how to establish a break-even point. Different factors to take into account when costing a new course.

Structure

The course is an asynchronous online course. It is designed this way so that you can access the material whenever it suits you. You don't have to log on at a certain time which means that wherever you are in the world the time difference is never an issue.

A new module is covered each week and the material for that module is provided over the course of the week. You are given tasks to do both in groups and individually. The discussion forums are a great opportunity to share ideas and learn from your peers on the course. It is advisable to log on regularly so that you keep up to date with the ongoing discussions. The tutors also log on frequently, monitor the discussions and give you guidance and support.

Read our IH OTTI FAQs >>

Assessment

Your tutor marks your tasks as the course progresses and there is the opportunity to resubmit if necessary. Participants are expected to submit a minimum of 70% of the tasks. At the end of the course there is a final assignment which pushes you to reflect on what you have learnt during the course. The assignment along with your tasks makes up the portfolio that is submitted electronically to the IHWO Assessment Unit. Your tutor is on hand for support throughout. The final grade is a pass or fail. Portfolios are submitted two weeks after course completion.

You can find out about the certificate you will receive here.

Course Tutor

The course is delivered by an expert tutor and the number of participants ranges from 8 to 12. Our tutors are all experienced managers with many years of experience working in language schools as well as online training experience.

Time commitment

It depends on the individual, but we recommend a minimum of 7 to 10 hours per week spent online and doing tasks. Your study hours are flexible, but some tasks require group input and have set deadlines. The more time you can devote to the course, the more you will gain from it.

What is special about this course?

What participants really value in this course is the online community, the opportunity to share best practice and discuss experiences they have had with peers from all over the world. Plus the expert input from their knowledgeable tutor.

Take this course as part of the IH Diploma in Academic Management

If you want to deep dive into fine-tuning a range of language education management skills and be a stand-out candidate for your next job application, consider taking the IH Diploma in Academic Management. The IH Diploma is 5 Courses in Academic Management + Action Research Project to be completed over two years.

It is a comprehensive programme designed to support and equip managers in language education to perform better, make more assured decisions and feel confident in approaching issues in their organisation. Learn more about the IH Diploma here.

Is there a reading list for the module?

The course reading is provided during the module, with additional resources provided by the tutor as required.

Course dates & fees

  • 1st November - 13th December 2025 (plus two weeks for the final assignment and to prepare your assessed portfolio) - £385 (£327 IH staff) 

*The course fees stated are exclusive of 20% VAT. VAT will be added to the fee if it is paid by a business or individual located in the UK.

Course fees must be paid in full prior to the start date. Discounts cannot be used in conjunction with each other.

How do you apply?

  1. Choose your dates and fill in the online application form, which is sent directly to us. You will have to answer some basic questions about your qualifications and experience, but there is no need to submit any documents or proof of language level.
  2. We will review your application and get in touch if we have any queries.
  3. Once your application is approved, we will send you a payment link to pay for the course via debit/credit card. 
  4. Once the payment fee is paid (by you or your employer) we will confirm your place on the course.
  5. A few weeks before the start date we will send your login details, and you can access the platform / VLE to familiarise yourself with how it works before the course starts. We will also send you any pre-module reading materials.

There is no deadline for applying, but once we have 12 people confirmed on a course, then it is full – so it is better to send your application form in as soon as you’re interested, to secure a place on the course!

We create each new course specially for the participants, and so we need to close applications on the Wednesday before the course begins to give us time for this.