Below we’ve included some of the questions we’ve heard from others interested in owning a Kumon franchise. If you don't see an answer you need, please call us at 1-800-266-6681 or email us. We look forward to speaking with you.
To qualify as a potential Kumon Franchise owner, you'll need to have a net worth of $150,000 and liquid capital of $70,000. But the amount you need to open your Centre will depend heavily on where you plan to set up your business. From an initial investment perspective, the range you will need as stated in our Franchise Disclosure Document ranges from $59,585 to $154,985. It is recommended that your retail location for the centre be at least 1, 000 useable square feet, with a minimum lease term of 5 years. Upon comparing, you'll find that we provide our franchisees a much lower startup cost than other supplemental learning franchises. For more details please visit our Investment and Fees overview.
Our initial Franchise Fee is $2,000 plus applicable taxes. $1,000 of it is paid as your Training Agreement Deposit Fee and the balance is paid if you successfully complete the Instructor Development Program and sign a Franchise Agreement. There is an additional fee of $2,000 plus applicable taxes to purchase the materials you’ll need to operate your Centre, such as instruction answer books, student achievement tests, student placement tests and promotional posters. This entire, non-refundable fee must be paid when you sign the Franchise Agreement. For more details please visit our Investment and Fees overview.
While that can prove quite valuable, it is certainly not a requirement to becoming a Kumon Franchise owner (though you must have completed post-secondary education). However, what is very important is that you have a passion for working with children, and believe in our mission of helping them become independent, self-assured and confident leaders of tomorrow. Many of our current owners came to us with some kind of business background, and many have their own children currently or previously enrolled in Kumon.
No. Kumon is not a one-on-one tutoring program where most students are here for a “quick-fix” solution to a short-term academic problem. Instead, our success is built on a proven concept of helping students from age 3 through high school to actively build self-learning skills. Your students will work at their own pace, moving through individualized worksheets on a daily basis. You'll be there to help assess their starting point, answer their questions, and guide their ongoing progress by helping them if they struggle grasping a particular worksheet concept. Some of your younger students may require a bit more one-on-one attention at times, as they complete their early worksheets. You and your assistants will grade their worksheets and ensure they are progressing in their learning.
If you have completed post-secondary education (university degree), enjoy working with children and have some prior business experience, you're off to a very good start!
Here are the qualifications you must meet to be considered for a franchise opportunity:
Our presence across North America currently includes more than 2,000 local Kumon centres. We’re committed to continuing this growth, with a focus on more populated, commercial, metropolitan areas. To find out if there is an opportunity to open a new Kumon centre in your area, or to take over an existing one, simply check our Available Franchise Opportunities.
The path to becoming a Kumon Franchisee is an exciting journey. We will work with you to complete the multi-phased process once you’ve submitted your application. Here's an overview of what you can expect:
Once you qualify as a potential Kumon Franchise owner, you’ll participate in our Kumon Instructor Development Program. There will be two four-day sessions of training, held over a two-month period. You’ll also participate in a series of Centre visits for more hands-on training. Here we’ll train you in the Kumon Curriculum and the Kumon Method, as well as business strategies for owning and operating a Kumon Centre. As a Kumon Centre owner, you’ll also take part in our continuing education programs to refine your skills and further enhance your success.
For 22 years, Entrepreneur magazine has rated us the #1 tutoring services franchise, and one of the world's top global franchises, because we're committed to providing our owners with the training, resources and support to help them thrive. For example, through our Kumon branch offices, our staff takes an active role in supporting you in both the administration of your programs and the growth and development of your centre. The materials your students use are continually reviewed, updated and supplied to you. Both internal communications and customer communications are produced and disseminated regularly. You'll also have the opportunity to attend continuing training, meetings and seminars, which are widely attended by other Franchisees who can share their insights and experiences. In addition, Kumon North America is currently embarking on the most aggressive marketing and franchisee support program in its history.
Since each Kumon franchise is independently owned and does not report its total income to us, we cannot provide a hard number. However, as part of your franchisee training, you'll develop a business plan that can assist you in projecting your revenues and expenses.
No, it is critical to the success of Kumon and to your franchise that you remain directly involved in the day-to-day operations of your individual centre. You can decide how many assistants you will hire. However, you need to always remain the "face" of Kumon to prospective and existing students and parents. If you want to be an absentee owner, a Kumon Franchise simply isn’t for you.
The success you can achieve as a Kumon Franchisee is virtually limitless – especially if you have local connections and a strong comfort level with marketing to your area. As the administrator of your own centre, you will also determine how many students you’re willing to enroll, how often your centre is open to maximize convenience for parents, and how many assistants you will have on staff. In other words, you control your own destiny – a claim that few professionals can honestly make.
From as early as age 3 through high school, Kumon Math and Reading Programs are designed to advance a child's comprehension and appreciation for learning — and give them a measurable edge throughout their school years and beyond.
Unlike traditional tutoring or passive learning from teachers, our program is designed to advance a child's learning, step-by-logical-step, as they complete daily assignments that take about 30 minutes. That includes two sessions a week at your Kumon centre, and five more at home. Parents will be able to see and track their progress, staying constantly informed as their child advances and learns math and reading skills that often go far beyond their peers.
When each child first enrolls in Kumon, you'll help assess their abilities through our assessment process, to help determine the right starting level for them. And you'll be there to guide them as they build the skills and confidence that will help in the classroom, and throughout their lives.
Two of the biggest challenges parents face, are knowing how well their young child is prepared to enter school, and how well the child is actually learning and absorbing the material throughout school. If a child's ability is above his or her peers, the parents may not even know it. Similarly, if a child starts falling behind, the parents probably won’t know it until the frustrations and learning challenges start affecting the child’s attitude towards school. Either scenario can create friction and difficult moments at home.
Kumon gives parents the ability to monitor their child's daily progress. Our daily worksheets help students learn concepts in a logical, step-by-step way, so parents instantly know if their child is struggling with lessons — or, advancing ahead of classmates. Kumon helps arm parents with insights and information that will help them decide what’s best for their child, to keep them engaged and moving forward as they advance each year at school.
While Kumon can and does help students who have fallen a bit behind in school to catch up, and even surpass their peers, the greatest value of our unique approach is the impact it can make on a child’s success over time. Parents who view Kumon as a valuable, ongoing extracurricular activity — such as guitar lessons or sports, for example — often watch their child build an academic and confidence edge that helps them achieve more, year after year in school. It’s an advantage that propels many Kumon students into the colleges and careers of their choice. As a franchisee, your ability to convey this valuable advantage to parents of current students, as well as potential Kumon parents you encounter outside your centre — who may see Kumon exclusively as a quick-fix solution — will help you build the type of student population that can prove highly rewarding for you each day, and more profitable for your business over time.
For more information, please call us at 1-800-266-6681, or you can start the application process.
We encourage you to familiarize yourself with Kumon and our franchise opportunities by giving us a call at 1-800-266-6681 or sending us an email. If you think you would make a good Kumon Franchisee based on your interest, background and qualifications — and if there appears to be an opportunity in your area — we would love to hear from you!
We know that leaving your job, hitting the restart button on your career and opening a new business is a huge commitment. But our consistently high industry rankings mean you can partner with Kumon and take that step with confidence.
1.800.266.6681
