What’s it like to be a franchisee?

Julia Scott had taken a career break from her job as operations and account manager at an international manufacturing company after the birth of her daughter Lily two years ago. She was keen not to let her skills go to waste, particularly her knowledge of French, but she wanted the flexibility to fit her hours around her daughter.

She searched the net and hit upon workingmums.co.uk. She signed up and was emailed a list of job opportunities which matched her skills. One was from La Jolie Ronde, a French teaching franchise, set up in 1983 whose licensees run courses around the country at out-of-school centres. The courses are geared to children aged between 3 and 11 and La Jolie Ronde states that licensees can earn around £27,000 for 12 and a half hours’ work a week for 30 weeks.

Setting up your own business

The company offered Julia the opportunity to set up her own business teaching modern languages. In return for a relatively small sum of just £600 + VAT, plus a £150 refundable bond, to cover full marketing support to set up her own business, all the teaching materials, training and ongoing advice and support, Julia was put in touch with other local licensees in the South Shields area where she lives.

They, along with a dedicated member of their Head Office team, gave her advice about how to market herself to local schools, nurseries and other organisations as a French teacher. She has found the experience very rewarding. It gives her “the opportunity to use my language skills, the challenge of running my own business and the flexibility of working hours (for example, I do preparation in the evening when Lily has gone to bed)”. She says the support offered is “first class”. She works after school hours four days a week, covering four different classes. “All the preparation work is done during the evening or at a weekend.”

“The flexibility has been the key to my success,” she adds. “I couldn’t even have attempted this had it been a 9-5 type time structure.”

Flexible working

For La Jolie Ronde, Julia fitted their target market: high calibre working mums who are seeking flexible working conditions. Julie Wilson, marketing coordinator at La Jolie Ronde, says: “The Jolie Ronde licensee opportunity is all about flexible working and, whilst some licensees choose to work full time, many opt for part time to fit around their children so flexible working is a key usp of our licensee opportunity.”

For more information about how to be a franchisee, visit workingmums’ Franchise Opportunities page.

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