Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in courses for foreigners begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In courses for foreigners: Newcomers need housing, work, banking and health vocabulary first.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a newcomer worker or student. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many learners could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs Portuguese and settling-in lessons.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a newcomer worker or student within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 462 per learner and complains about delay. We target 48 learners a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for courses for foreigners. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the learner price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In courses for foreigners: Courses about residency should cite official sources and avoid legal advice.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for courses for foreigners: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new courses for foreigners trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 2.100 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For Portuguese and settling-in lessons, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In courses for foreigners: Build scenarios: bank, clinic, rental, workplace, transport.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (Portuguese and settling-in lessons), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'Portuguese and settling-in lessons, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 420 per learner. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 420 to R$ 378 per learner. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 220 to R$ 178 per learner; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Pick the learner group first: workers who need Portuguese for the job, students preparing for a university test, or families settling in. Interview three people from the group and list the situations they fear, such as the bank, the clinic or a rental contract. Write six lesson goals that begin with 'The learner can'. Choose materials in simple Portuguese with pictures and real forms. Plan a trial class and gather written feedback. Calculate the price from teaching and preparation hours. Never tell a learner what a visa or study permit allows; point them to a migration support desk for that.
Extra worked example. A new group has 30 learners, a worked-example size, not market data. At R$ 420 per learner the income is 30 x R$ 420 = R$ 12.600. Teacher hours and materials cost R$ 200 per learner, or R$ 6.000, which leaves R$ 6.600, or R$ 220 per learner. Against R$ 12.000 of fixed cost a month, break-even for the school is R$ 12.000 / R$ 220 = 54,5, so 55 learners. Compare these figures with what similar courses in your city charge before you set your own price.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For courses for foreigners, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In courses for foreigners: Run short blocks with role-play and local field visits.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the learner, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a level test and local scenarios. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 20 learners last week; cause: missing check on a level test and local scenarios; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 80 learners last month, 5 had a defect traced to a level test and local scenarios. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 6 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is content that ignores daily needs. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In courses for foreigners: Risk of outdated rules; date every fact and link to official pages.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: content that ignores daily needs. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each learner, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: content that ignores daily needs nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In courses for foreigners: Train teachers in plain language and cultural sensitivity.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Form a small team: a teacher, a helper who speaks the learners' first language, and a person who handles documents and enrolment. Write a welcome sheet in plain Portuguese and in the learner's language giving the room, times and a phone number. Run a placement chat in pairs, scoring listening, speaking and reading from 0 to 3. Mix levels in groups of four and give each group one real task, such as booking a doctor's visit by phone. Watch for isolation by asking quiet learners how they travelled and whom they know in the city. Keep a register with attendance and each learner's next step.
Extra worked example. Suppose a helper who speaks the learners' first language costs R$ 1.600 a month (a worked-example figure), so fixed cost rises from R$ 12.000 to R$ 13.600. Break-even moves from 55 to 62 learners. If the helper keeps 8 more learners from dropping out, the extra margin is 8 x R$ 220 = R$ 1.760, which beats R$ 1.600 by R$ 160. With only 6 learners kept, it is R$ 1.320, which does not. Decide by watching attendance in the first month.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In courses for foreigners: Cost per learner and seats; discounts for groups from employers.
- Contribution per learner = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 420, variable cost R$ 200, contribution R$ 220 per learner. Fixed cost R$ 12.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 12.000 / R$ 220 = 54,55, so 55 learners a month. At 80 learners a month, profit = R$ 220 x 80 - R$ 12.000 = R$ 5.600. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 60 learners a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 220 x 60 - R$ 12.000 = R$ 1.200; compare with break-even of 55 learners and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In courses for foreigners: Grow through employer and community partnerships.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every learner. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 16 learners a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 42 to R$ 462. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Follow three numbers: how many enrolled, how many finished, and how many used Portuguese for a real task afterwards, such as renting a room or opening an account. Send a three-question message two weeks after the last class. Compare dropout points across the term to see which week loses people, then test one change, for example moving the class time. Build partnerships with employers, shelters and community groups by offering one open lesson. Judge each partner by enrolments gained per hour spent. Update the syllabus each term from the most common real-life problems. Keep testimonies short and ask permission.
Extra worked example. In this worked example, 64 of 80 learners finish term one, a completion rate of 80%. After moving the class time, 72 finish, or 90%. Assume every finisher buys a second-level course at R$ 420, so term one feeds 64 x R$ 420 = R$ 26.880 and term two 72 x R$ 420 = R$ 30.240, R$ 3.360 more. After R$ 200 of variable cost per learner, the margin difference is 8 x R$ 220 = R$ 1.760. Tell the employer partner that 8 more people finished, not that the next term will repeat it.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.
