ManabiLight seeks franchisees for centres without on-site tutors as 88% of tutor–student pairings cross prefectural borders

Arikano Co., Ltd., which operates the university entrance preparation service ManabiLight, announced on 4 November 2026 that 88% of its active student–tutor pairings span prefectural borders in Japan. In October, the company began recruiting franchisees for centres that have no on-site tutors, instead providing online tuition from tutors across the country. The model offers the education franchise sector a combination of local learning centres and remote teaching.

Students and tutors live in different prefectures in 88% of active pairings

The announcement draws on data covering active student–tutor pairings at ManabiLight and its registered tutors. In 88% of current pairings, the tutor lived in a different prefecture from the student.

Behind this pattern is the relationship between tutors’ specialist knowledge and preparation for Japan’s comprehensive selection and school-recommendation university admissions routes. The company explains that preparation for these routes varies according to the subject a student wishes to study, and a tutor who studied that subject at university may not live in the same prefecture. Selecting tutors from beyond the local area is therefore a fundamental part of the franchise model.

The published subject-level figures show the proportion of students with at least one registered tutor in their prefecture who had studied their intended subject at university: 8% for film and video, 18% for marine and fisheries studies, 28% for music, and 51% for earth sciences and geology. The availability of a suitable tutor within the same prefecture varies by subject.

These figures relate only to the service’s own students and registered tutors; they are not based on a nationwide survey of university applicants or the wider private tuition sector. The 88% figure also measures differences in where students and tutors live, not admission success rates or teaching effectiveness. Prospective franchisees should distinguish information about tutors’ geographical distribution from evidence of learning outcomes.

One-to-one tuition from tutors nationwide at a local centre

The franchise concept is summed up as “Tutors from across the country, classrooms in your town”. Students attend a small local centre, where they use computers to receive live, one-to-one tuition from tutors selected nationwide by head office. Rather than placing tutors in each centre, the model delivers teaching online.

This means students and tutors do not need to be in the same location. Students have a local base for learning, while their tutors are selected from across Japan. The company says it aims to increase the number of places offering preparation for comprehensive selection and other admissions routes, regardless of where students live.

For the franchise sector, the notable feature is the separation of local tutor recruitment from centre management. Understanding the franchisee’s role requires more than describing the business as a centre offering online tuition: it is important to establish who selects tutors and who deals with students and their families.

Having no on-site tutors does not, however, remove the need for local support. The announced division of responsibilities explicitly assigns franchise owners a customer-facing role before and after enrolment. Teaching and family liaison are handled by different parties.

Head office manages tuition; owners handle consultations and family liaison

Head office is responsible for tutor selection, a curriculum comprising 709 units, and reviewing every lesson. It says recordings and student records are used for these reviews. Its role therefore extends beyond introducing tutors to include a system for checking lesson content.

Franchise owners conduct consultations leading up to enrolment and deal with families once students have joined. Subject teaching is entrusted to tutors selected by head office, while the local centre maintains contact with families. Prospective franchisees need to consider not only whether they will teach, but also how they will organise consultations and ongoing family support.

In putting this division of responsibilities into practice, points to clarify include how concerns raised by families are passed to head office and how centres receive information about tuition. Head office’s responsibility for reviewing recordings and student records should be considered separately from franchise owners’ access rights and the procedures for using those materials.

Nor does the tutor staffing model alone establish the overall workload or profitability of running a centre. Prospective franchisees should define the scope of their responsibilities, the preparations needed to open, and day-to-day operating procedures, then compare these with the support offered by head office.

Nationwide enquiries are not the same as evidence for a local opening

According to ManabiLight, the service received 10,028 enquiries over one year, covering all 47 of Japan’s prefectures. This indicates nationwide interest in the service, but the figure counts enquiries, not enrolments or prospective franchisees.

Nationwide enquiries do not necessarily mean that an individual local centre will be viable. Anyone considering an opening needs to assess the target student group, how to reach families, an accessible location, and arrangements for conducting consultations in each area. Access to a nationwide tuition network should be weighed alongside the work involved in building local relationships with students and families.

The recruitment initiative combines nationwide tutor selection based on specialist subjects with local premises where students can receive that tuition. By assigning different roles to local centres and head office, the company is extending its online teaching infrastructure to franchise locations.

Key points for prospective franchisees: Do not base a decision solely on head office taking responsibility for sourcing tutors. Check the owner’s consultation and family liaison duties, how teaching information is shared, and the contractual terms and costs. The starting point is to assess the nationwide tutor network alongside the work you will be responsible for locally.