I’ve always said that a surefire way to profit from web video is by using web video to provide educational services.\u00a0 Today we’ll look at a site doing just that.<\/p>\n
The site is MyChinese360.com<\/strong>.\u00a0 It’s a startup based in Austin, Texas that teaches students Mandarin Chinese.\u00a0 Specifically U.S. students grades kindergarten through 12.\u00a0 Why would young students in the U.S. want to learn Mandarin Chinese?\u00a0 Easy.\u00a0 Because China is becoming a world leader in business and students who know the culture and can speak the language will have a huge advantage once the join the business world.<\/p>\n What makes this site unique is that all of the teachers are literally based in Beijing, China (and certified to teach in the U.S.).\u00a0 They also happen to be the best of the bunch when it comes to Chinese teachers…they are paid $18,000 a year by MyChinese360, vs. $3,000 a year, which is the average wage for a high school teacher in China.<\/p>\n All the teaching is done in an animated, virtual environment…where students can take virtual field trips and even create avatars of themselves.\u00a0 Students, in classes of 10 to 20, meet once a week with their instructor where they are guided through interactive audio and video sessions.\u00a0 Additionally, live interaction with teachers through video chat is included.<\/p>\n MyChinese360 was started with $500,000 in private investor money.\u00a0 The courses cost $600 per semester.\u00a0 It officially launched in September with 25 students.\u00a0 1,000 more are scheduled to start classes in January.\u00a0 They expect 3,000 students by next September…and…20,000 in the following year.<\/p>\n And who said you can’t profit from web video?<\/p>\n