Whales English announces positive net cash flow and over 30 K Premium users

BEIJING, Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In mid-July, the online English teaching organization "Whales English" officially changed its name to "Whales English Elite Education". What progress has been made in Whales English Program "Cultivating Excellence From Scratch" in the past four months?

On November 23rd, CEO Tom Wu announced at the 2019 "WE Cup" Finals that the number of Premium users at Whales English has reached 30 to 40 K, and the number of students increased 4-5 times last year. Simultaneously, the renewal rate of students remains above 83%, and the proportion of referral students reaches 60% -70%. The Customer Acquisition Cost of Whales English is about 1700-2000 RMB per customer.

Tom Wu also stated that the company has achieved positive net cash flow, a 10% of net cash flow, and monthly revenue exceeding 54 million yuan. 

In this regard, Tom Wu did admit frankly that the Whales English marketing strategies are not extensive at all, they do not attract new users with discounts but mainly rely on getting new students by actual learning results and word-of-mouth marketing by the parents. 

Whales English does not spend money arbitrarily and does not seek celebrity endorsements. Instead, it invests in their student experience by introducing effective reading strategies from Original English textbooks and improving the service level.

Whales English is proudly representing the small class type of teaching, which means 2 to maximum 4 students per class. It follows "The 3-fixed model", which stands for having a fixed schedule with a fixed teacher and fixed classmates. That reflects in arranging a dedicated native English-speaking teacher assigned to the classes, having committed fellow students, and following a rigid schedule.

 Tom Wu revealed that:

• The current full class rate is up to 90%
• The course completion rate is 97%
• The renewal rate is maintained at 78% to 85%
• The referral rate is 60% to 70%.
• The number of students enrolled has increased fivefold.

Whales English maintains a very high student renewal rate and number of referrals, and this lies in the quality of teaching. This is one of the main reasons Whales English participated on the WE Cup "English Talent Show" to highlight this, and this year there are two great world-famous press organizations National Geographic Learning and the Oxford University Press Expert who are part of the judges, in order to bring International top English Academic guidance to the finale.

According to reports, the "2019 WE Cup" event is aimed at young children aged 3 to 16 in the country, and more than 30 K students participated in this session. Thirty contestants from all over the country were finalists. The finals were then divided into three groups: Infant group, Children group, and Youth group. Nine players finally won the highest award of the event and won the opportunity to show themselves at the Times Square in New York. Nine contestants will also receive scholarships from the organizers to help them further their studies.

So, how is excellence cultivated from scratch? It is reported that the two sets of major courses taught by Whales English insist on the development of "Intensive Reading" as the core logic. Students learn through high intensity reading and thinking, which can effectively improve their understanding and reading speed. The improvement of vocabulary has directly contributed to the balanced development of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Whales English Top students have the ability to think critically and express their ideas vividly. The latest version of Reach 2019, the textbook used by Whales English's "English Language Curriculum", contains a large number of famous Masterpieces and National Geographic's Exclusive non-fiction articles, which integrate broad topics on humanity, society, history, nature, and the universe. Children are encouraged to think continuously during the reading process. Over time, they will gradually form a foundation for critical thinking and create extra tools for themselves on how to express themselves.

In another set of Whales English's "Leveled Reading Curriculum", Oxford Reading Tree published by Oxford University Press, was used as the course teaching material. In the Leveled Reading Class of Whales English students will conduct "Intensive Reading" of the Oxford Reading Tree textbooks under the guidance of professional native English-speaking teachers, improve their critical thinking skills and analyze the reading ability of "in-depth articles" during the intensive reading process.

Tom Wu said that in standardized tests such as KET and PET, Whales English students also achieved outstanding results beyond their peers. This is also due to the "Intensive Reading" teaching method, which can directly affect the improvement of reading speed, comprehension and speculative ability, and help students to achieve rapid review, accurate understanding and efficient answers in competitions and examinations.

According to Jean Wang, Vice President of Teaching & Research at Whales English, in "Precise Reading" teaching, students need to read the learning text three times in-depth, and then follow the native English-speaking teachers to complete intensive reading. To preview the materials, the first reading must be completed, and there must be a thorough understanding of the content. 

Led by Foreign teachers in the class, learning reading strategies, thinking about the details of the article, and master the ability to read independently. After class, students need to do reading by themselves at least once more. It is also through this kind of learning that after leaving the classroom, students gradually form regular reading and thinking habits, and progressively cultivate the reading strategies and skills possessed by Whales Top students, laying a foundation for lifelong learning.

Speaking of the development plan for 2020, Tom Wu said that there are three main areas to focus on. Firstly, specializing in the products and improving user satisfaction; The second is broadening the sources of income and economizing on expenditures. In a relatively small volume, it actively optimizes the teaching workforce, customer acquisition, and management, bringing the economic model to the next level. Third and most importantly, focusing on the growth of employees and the introduction of new talents to enhance employee satisfaction. User and employee satisfaction are both fundamental to achieve more success and respect in the online education segment. Whales English is very ambitious and expects to achieve a cash income of 400 to 500 million RMB by the end of this year. 

Despite its fast growth, Whales English never stops enhancing its teacher welfare. Whales English considers its hard-working teachers are more than just numbers on a piece of paper. It values its teachers just as much as it values its customers. Unlike other "one fits all" companies, Whales English allows its teacher the freedom to select the best-suited methodology for each class. It trusts their motivation and dedication and expects them to put their creativity to use and turn each class into a unique learning experience for their students.

"We inspire real learning!", just as its slogan says, Whales English looks for true teachers to inspire real learning. Its native English-speaking teachers are hand-selected, and it's known to be the toughest online ESL program in China. However, this doesn't keep candidates away from them. Its unique brand culture has isolated itself from other companies that focus on quantity more than quality. Apart from its high-quality curriculum, Whales English's personal working environment is also a big reason that keeps its teachers staying. According to the results of a Whales English Teacher Survey in November, 59% teachers stated that Whales English's One Teacher One Support Staff service system convinced them to work at Whales English and they have benefitted a lot from having a designated support whom you can build a relationship with. 

SOURCE Whales English