Though the average person may not expect it, the education industry is one of the most stable sectors of business in times of economic recession. Much like food, the simple fact is that people need to educate their kids regardless of how the nation's economy is doing. In fact, recession may actually be a stimulant for the education market, because tough times remind people how essential an education really is to surviving in the working world, and that prompts them to invest in giving their kids that kind of advantage now.



That's good news for entrepreneurs who are both gifted businesspeople and natural educators, because nothing is more satisfying than getting to put talents to use in concert. And getting to use those talents to help children become something great when money is tight and the future looks iffy is even more rewarding.

If that kind of reward, coupled with a steady income, is the kind of business goal you have in mind, there are many business opportunities available to you. The following list includes just some of those opportunities.

Tutor Doctor

This home based business has an incredibly low initial franchise fee and practically no overhead costs, making it a great way to get into the industry without selling the shirt off your back. The reason it is such a low investment is that Tutor Doctor franchisees have no place of business to pay for, because they do all their tutoring where their students are the most comfortable: at home. Either single-handedly or with a small staff of other tutors, franchisees use local guerilla-marketing tactics to build a client base of students who want a tutor who will enter into their world (their home), help them learn in the best way for them, and ultimately watch them succeed.

Dyslexia Institutes of America

This franchise is the culmination of 7 intense years of research to find the most successful methods of helping people overcome dyslexia, a disorder that affects roughly 20% of the American population. Franchisees have a passion for seeing clients overcome what is often a completely demoralizing learning problem. However, the franchisees themselves are not responsible for anything more than overseeing the operation and performance of a Dyslexia Institutes of America clinic. Franchise owners need not be trained in any specific kinds of therapy for the disorder because each clinic is provided an office director. Lessons in marketing, operations, testing, and basic therapy are all provided as well.

CompuChild

For only $17,500, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to operate a business that helps put kids on the cutting edge of technology before they even reach grade school. Working with preschools in a protected territory, a CompuChild franchisee brings in up-to-date computer equipment and offers children a chance to get hands-on experience with the tools that they will ultimately be using for the rest of their lives. Franchisees are trained how to do bookkeeping, marketing, accounting, and employee recruiting so that when it comes time to interact with the kids, all the ducks are in a row on the business side of things.

Virtuoso Music

Some consider the arts an unnecessary part of education, but most professionals agree that training a child in a visual art or in music is not only enjoyable but vastly helpful to developing them as intelligent and well rounded human beings. Virtuoso Music franchisees take that claim seriously, focusing most of their business hours on giving kids (and adults) the opportunity to learn musical instruments and train their voices. Franchisees do most of their work from home, using specialized computer software to connect musical students with local music educators looking for work. Advertising their services online and in-person, around their protected territories, franchisees build networks of music students, musicians, and music teachers, becoming the hub of local music training and performance.

Kumon Education

This is by far the most prominent tutoring business in the world, helping kids of all ages learn at multiple locations around the globe. Started in Japan, by a father who wanted his son to get ahead in his studies, the business is built on the principle that all children have an unending potential for learning, and all a good tutor must do is tap into that potential. As far as systems go, the essence of the Kumon Education teaching method is constant practice. Tutees are not simply tutored for an hour and then sent away into the world for the rest of the week; instead, they receive 2-3 tutoring sessions a week and are given homework to be complete between sessions, ensuring that what they've been taught is being practiced on a regular basis, which is the best way to fully absorb a lesson. The franchisor provides a full business plan mimicking the successful method that has spanned the world over since its inception, help finding a location with the proper demographic, and all that is entailed in establishing the tutoring center, making this a small business that excels on global and local levels.

Purchasing franchises under usual fiscal circumstances can be difficult enough, so it's completely reasonable to be a little nervous about buying a business for sale during an economic downturn. However, if you're wise enough to do your homework and pursue a business that is recession-resistant and in a field that you are skilled at and passionate about, there is no real reason to fear. Entrepreneurial educators need to bypass unreasonable trepidation and simply do what they do best, and it will pay off in the end.