Running an intensive revision course
An intensive revision course turns a quiet holiday week into revenue. Set the format, price a package, fill the seats and run the days.
An intensive revision course is a short programme, usually two to five days during a school holiday, where a student covers a subject in longer daily blocks than a weekly lesson allows. For a tutoring business, it is one of the few ways to turn a quiet holiday week into real revenue while giving families something a single weekly hour cannot.
Why holiday courses are worth running
French school holidays fall roughly every six to seven weeks: Toussaint, Christmas, February, spring, and the long summer break. The official school calendar sets the exact dates by zone, and the weeks before the brevet and the baccalauréat in June are when demand peaks.
Three things make these courses pay:
- Concentrated hours. A student who books one hour a week gets 4 hours in a month. A five-day course at 2 hours a day is 10 hours in one week, so progress is visible and parents see the value.
- Group economics. Four students in a room at 15 euros each per hour brings in 60 euros an hour, against 30 to 35 for a single private lesson.
- A natural sales moment. A course that ends well is the easiest way to sign a family up for weekly lessons in September.
Choosing the format and the price
Decide three things before you advertise anything: the length, the group size, and the price.
A common shape is 5 days, 2 hours a day, so 10 hours total, for a group of 3 to 6 students of the same level. Price it as a flat package rather than per hour, because parents commit more easily to a single number.
A worked example
Say you run a maths course for four students preparing the brevet:
- 5 days at 2 hours = 10 hours of teaching
- Package price: 190 euros per student
- Revenue: 760 euros for the week
- Your cost: a room for 10 hours, printing, and your time
At 190 euros for 10 hours, the family pays 19 euros an hour for small-group teaching, well below a private rate, and you earn far more per hour than you would one to one. If the course runs at the home of a single family, the fee can be eligible for the tax credit for home-based services, which effectively halves the real cost for the parent.
Filling the seats
You do not need many students, but you do need them booked two to three weeks ahead so families can plan the holiday.
- Message your current families first. A parent who already trusts you is the easiest sale, and their child sits at a level you already know.
- Set a clear cap (say 6) and mention it. A limit that is real makes people book instead of waiting.
- Ask for a deposit to hold a place. A 50 euro deposit cuts last-minute drop-outs to almost nothing.
Keep one list of who has paid, who has a deposit down, and who is still deciding. Running that from memory or a group chat is where places get double-booked. A tool that tracks students and payments in one place takes out the guesswork.
Running the days
Plan each day before the course starts, not the night before.
- Split the 2 hours into two 50-minute blocks with a break, so attention holds.
- Start day one with a short diagnostic so you teach what the group actually needs.
- End each day with 20 minutes of exam-style practice against the clock.
A revision course is judged on the last day, not the first. Leave 30 minutes at the end for a mock question and a short written note to each parent on what their child should keep practising. That note is what earns you the September booking.
Block the whole course in your calendar as one recurring set of slots so it does not collide with your normal lessons. If you already organise your week in a planning tool, add the course as its own recurring block.
Handling the admin
A group course means several invoices, several deposits, and one attendance list. Decide up front:
- One invoice per family, issued when the deposit is paid, balance due on day one.
- A single sheet marking attendance each day, in case a parent asks or a place opens up.
- A receipt or attestation at the end if a family needs it for the tax credit.
Doing this by hand for six families is fine once. Across three courses a year plus weekly lessons, it is worth having the invoices and reminders come out of the same system you already use.
Sources
A senior software engineer, he founds and runs several tech companies. He builds products around messaging APIs, automation and AI integration, and shares here what he learns while building.
- stage de révision
- vacances scolaires
- planning
- cours en groupe