Novakid is the European leader in online English language teaching for children

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The results of a study by the international consulting company J’son & Partners Consulting “Online Education Market in Russia and the World. Trends and Online English Language Teaching Schools (ESL) for Children in Europe, 2021” have been announced. According to experts, Novakid Online School has become the leader in teaching English to children aged 4-14 in Europe (in the B2C segment of teaching with a teacher).

The study’s objectives included assessing the online English language teaching market worldwide, overviewing the main trends and barriers, and identifying the largest online English language schools for children (in the “learning with a teacher” segment) in Europe. In total, the study covered an audience from 36 countries and more than 80 online schools.

Europe is the region with the highest level of English proficiency, with approximately 97% of high school children learning English. This results from many years of efforts by the Ministries of Education of European countries and the European Commission for the development of multilingualism. The largest markets for teaching English as a second language are Germany, France, and Russia. The countries with the highest level of English proficiency (more than 80%) are Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Russia, Turkey and Ukraine have the smallest share of the English-speaking population (12-16%).

J’son & Partners estimate the total online English language teaching market worldwide (ESL) at $10 billion in 2021, and the segment of this market for schoolchildren of all ages at $3 billion. The number of English language learners in 2021 (offline and online learning) reached a record of 1.7 billion students.

In the teaching English with a teacher market segment, Novakid took a leading position according to the results of a weighted average assessment of various parameters. The Novakid complex rank was 1.2 points (with the best possible result of 1.0). The main evaluation criteria were quantitative and qualitative indicators such as the number of students, their satisfaction, the rating of teachers, their level of training and work experience, prices, etc. Novakid also led in customer reviews in app stores (among 21 competitors), and ranked second in Google Trends and first in changing the position in Google Trends in 2020-2021 (among 40 competitors).

The global popularity of online learning is no accident — it is an inexpensive and effective alternative to traditional English tutors and schools, making education accessible to a wide range of people. According to J’son & Partners, up to 50% of all online school revenues in 2021 will go to teachers’ salaries, which means that this segment will attract qualified teaching staff.

“One of the main factors of the growth of the English learning market is its adoption as a global language, it is spoken by almost 20% of the world’s population,” said Maxim Azaroff, the founder of Novakid. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, the popularity of online English language teaching for children has grown noticeably and, apparently, will continue to grow. We believe this is due to the wider availability of high-quality online learning platforms, and the new career opportunities for English-speaking experts.”

“Remote working and a request for STEM professions stimulate the growth of the foreign language teaching market. English is an absolute favorite in cross-border communication. We have seen that parents (including countries in Europe, China, India, Mexico, Brazil, etc., where English is not a national language) prefer distance learning services in English with a teacher (tutor). That is, out of several dozen rapidly growing segments of digital education, the segment of children’s education has remained, perhaps, the only one that will not be completely replaced by digital programs and services (which would entail the abolition of the role of a teacher). At the same time, modern technologies based on artificial intelligence, gamification and personal analytics of the educational process (EdTech) can serve as an effective help,” said staff members at J’son & Partners Consulting.