LCF began as Le Club Français in 1985 as French language clubs for children in Hampshire, UK. The clubs became very popular, both with the children attending the clubs and their parents who recognised the quality of the teaching methods. Following this success, Spanish and English language clubs were then set up. Children are taught languages through a combination of drama, storytelling, songs, crafts and games. Now almost 40,000 children learn Spanish and French each week and there are weekend and after school clubs in the UK. LCF master franchises are operating in Spain, Brazil, Hungary, Ireland, France, Belgium, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Macedonia, China and Turkey.
| Year established | 1985 |
| Year franchise established | 1990 |
| Number of units worldwide | 5,000 |
Training and support
LCF franchisees receive set-up support, initial and ongoing marketing support, and business support. Head office provide franchisees with regular business leads and enquiries generated by national marketing campaigns. Teachers are provided with ongoing training, including an online collection of training videos, and also full day group workshops. Franchisees receive all marketing materials free of charge, including online editable templates of flyers, plus a personal LCF club website free of charge. One-to-one mentor training is also included, which provides advice from experienced franchisees. LCF franchisees are provided with all teaching material, which includes lesson plans, flashcards, worksheets, games and CDs. Babelzone is LCF's online interactive teaching resource, with all franchisees and club teachers receiving full access to it.
