Callan Method Commercial Guide

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What is the Callan Method?

The Callan Method is a unique method of teaching English as a Foreign Language. It can teach English four times faster than any other method. Hence our slogan "English in a Quarter of the Time!".

Further details regarding the Callan Method itself, how it works, and evidence of its seemingly impossible results can be found on the 'About the Callan Method' page.

What is the aim of this Page?

To answer the questions regarding the use of the Callan Method and the opening of "Callan Method" schools.

What is the Organisation and who's who?

The Organisation referred to throughout this page consists of two companies, both solely owned by Robin Callan, the author of the Callan Method.

Orchard Publishing Ltd. (OPL), based in Cambridge, acts as publisher and distributor. All enquiries with regard to the use of the Method should be directed to Orchard Publishing,

Callan Method Organisation Ltd. (CMO), also known as The Callan School of English, is our language school located at Berwick House, 139 Oxford Street, London. The school's Principal is Josie Sayer. The CMO Head Office is based in Cambridge. See the About Us page for contact details.

Do I need any qualifications to open a school?

No. It is a popular misconception that to open a language school one needs professional qualifications in teaching. This is generally untrue, although, in certain countries, the authorities may require that teachers have a degree or some kind of teaching qualifications. It would be prudent to investigate this before embarking upon the venture, as it may create a problem at a later stage.

In some cases our Callan Method Training Course Certificate and a covering letter from the Organisation can satisfy the authorities.

Do I need qualified TEFL teachers?

No. One of the many advantages of the Callan Method is that a previously inexperienced person can be trained to teach with the Method in five days. This is extremely attractive to non-academic business people, and recruitment is made easier.

What support do you offer?

At the time of writing, there are no formal support services, other than the supply of teaching materials.

We can advertise overseas vacancies to our teachers in London, if you send an A4 sized job description to Cambridge. Please note, a response is not always forthcoming. Alternatively, we can train new teachers on our internal training courses, which are run from time to time. At the end of such a course, we assess the teacher's ability to use the Callan Method, but we cannot, however, assess his personality or character, as he can easily give a false impression of himself. We cannot, therefore, guarantee the personal behaviour of teachers that we introduce or train. The fee for introducing a teacher is £300 plus VAT.

Please note, any contract of employment is strictly between the teacher and the school using the Callan Method.

Can I see the Callan Method in use?

Yes. By sitting in on lessons at the Callan School in London.

It is not usually necessary to make an appointment to do this, as lessons are given each day continuously from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm, 5 days a week, all the year round, except on the 8 UK Public Holidays (Christmas Day, Good Friday etc.). You can turn up at any time, as there will always be someone at the School who can arrange lessons for you to sit in on, and for you to wander round the School. The staff, however, will not be able to answer questions about the Method or the School. These can be answered by contacting Grantchester.

When sitting in on lessons it is extremely important to understand that the Callan Method was not written for schools in England which have mixed-nationality classes of students studying 1, 2 or 3 hours a day for anything from one month to a year and a half. It was written for single-nationality classes abroad where students usually study an hour a day, 2 to 5 times a week, over an academic year, with a teacher who knows something of their language and so understands their problems. This makes the teaching very much easier and enables the student to learn in 20% less time. The purpose of sitting in on the lessons at the London School, therefore, is purely to get an idea of how the Callan Method works. Because of mixed-nationality classes, the students in London need to revise more than the students abroad and sometimes to do the Readings and Dictations twice, whereas abroad they need only be done once - as they come up in the book. For this reason, when using the Callan Method abroad you must not copy the London School in any way - you must follow the instructions in the Callan Method handbooks. If possible, you should visit a "Callan Method" school already established in the country where you wish to open your own school.

Do I need a licence to use the Callan Method?

No. The Callan Method is available to everybody. The only price you have to pay is the cost of the students' books and other teaching materials (see price list).

Do you offer a franchise or exclusive rights?

No. There is no franchise option, and exclusive rights are not available. It is our policy not to restrict the use of the Callan Method, and to encourage free market competition. See The Impossibility of Exclusivity for more details.

Can I use the word "Callan" in the name of my school?

No. The word "Callan" is a registered Trade Mark and may not be used in the name of a school.

This policy is in the interests of both the Organisation and the school using the Callan Method. For the school, it means there is no danger of the public associating two schools in one town with each other.

The benefits of this are most apparent should one school acquire a bad reputation or when an established school finds a new competitor in the same area trading on its good name.

As the Organisation does not own or control the schools, it naturally cannot allow the schools to use its name. The schools are independent, privately owned businesses and are not associated with the Organisation.

You can advertise that you teach with the Callan Method, but you should not give the impression that they are called Callan School.

Is there an association of schools using the Callan Method?

No. There is no formal connection financial or otherwise between any of the schools and the Organisation. The only common link is that they teach English with the Callan Method.

The Callan School of English in Kraków - Poland, founded in 1995 is the only Callan School affiliated to the Callan School in London and the Callan Method Organisation.  The director of this school, Joanna Piotrowska, has been appointed by CMO to be the official consultant for the establishment of Callan Method schools in Poland.

Why is the use of the Callan Method so unrestricted?

It is the policy of the Organisation to make the Callan Method as widely available as possible.

Copyright

All Callan Method Teaching Materials are protected by international copyright.

The cost of the teaching materials is the only cost the commercial user has to pay for using the Callan Method, and even this is ultimately paid for by the students. It will be agreed, therefore, that, as there are no royalties or franchise percentages to pay on the use of the Callan Method, any unauthorised copying would be highly immoral, and, as it is not even cost effective, would be extremely short-sighted. The Organisation will not, therefore, hesitate to prosecute offenders. It should be noted that there have been several successful prosecutions resulting in serious penalties for illegal reproduction of Callan Method materials.

The next step

Although there is nothing stopping you ordering books straightaway and using the Callan Method, we strongly recommend that you order all the handbooks (see handbook pack in price list) and study them carefully before you start operating.

The key to success with the Callan Method is in the handbooks. The handbook pack includes all three handbooks, a Student's Book One and additional demonstration material.

If you decide not to use the Callan Method, we promise to refund you the full cost of the handbook pack, providing it is returned in good condition.