Recruiting Students & Marketing

Recruiting students is a key part of the ESL ministry process. Often, sites may start with a low attendence, so be sure to leave time in your preparation for you and your team to do some marketing and outreach. 

 Here are some suggested tips for letting the community know about your class: 

• Start by making flyers and/or having a website available so interested students can look up more information.  A very simple flyer and website that has the location, address, time and day along with contact information is the most important. 

  • If you can make your flyer in the languages spoken in your neighborhood, that would be most helpful.

    • • AI and Google Translate can make this very easy for you.  Just upload your flyer to a generative AI, and it will translate it for you while keeping your graphics the same.  

  • Refuge has a template flyer on Cavna that you can adapt for your site. Click on the link to edit it for your site details. 

• • Canvassing the neighborhood-- going door-to-door with flyers is the best way to get to know your local neighborhood and meet potential students.  

  • Local businesses- asking local businesses to post or leave some flyers for people is a great way to connect and reach more people in the area.  Start with international grocery stores or restaurants and offer bilingual flyers. 

  • Elementary Schools-  Schools are usually eager to have adult classes to direct parents and families. Ask your local public schools if you can leave flyers or at least make them aware of your class so they can share with parents who inquire. 

  • Public libraries - Often you can leave flyers or let the library know about classes, which they  can share with the community. 

  • Ethnic congregations -  Leave flyers with churches who may have international congregations meeting in their building; they might be a great gateway to drawing more students in. 

•  Word of mouth is the best means of recruiting students. Once you have a core group of students, they will often let their family and friends know, causing your attendance to grow.  

• Having clearly marked signs near the roadway and in the building helps newcomers to feel welcomed and make sure they are in the right location. 

• Offering transportation -- particularly during the colder months if your class is held during evening hours, offering transportation is a key to overcoming common absenteeism.