Even fancy British prep schools like Eton are getting in on China’s online education boom

Online education in China is hot right now. Lots of Chinese edtech startups are raising money, and even global online education companies like Coursera are starting to see some traction in the Middle Kingdom. The market has gotten so big, apparently, that even Eton College – the centuries-old independent prep school in England – wants to get in on the action.

Eton announced that its online education subsidiary has started a joint-venture together with Eighteen70, another online education company. The new venture, called EtonX, will “partner with leading schools in China to deliver courses built on Eton’s style of education,” according to a press release the new company issued Wednesday. Its efforts will begin in September, when it launches its “Modern Leadership Programme,” which will include an online platform, live 1-to-1 video tutoring, and in-class activities facilitated by the local Chinese schools.

Teachers from Eton will travel to China to help train the teachers at the company’s partner schools.

Eton hopes to use the profits generated by this program to offer better financial aid to its students. They clearly could use it – a single year at Eton can cost as much as £34,434 (US$54,665).

The historic British school is coming fairly late to the Chinese online education party, but it does have something most of the domestic startups operating in this area don’t: branding. A Western education is still highly valued by many Chinese parents, and Eton is one of the few Western independent schools that Chinese parents and schools have actually heard of. While China’s populace may be increasingly skeptical of the deluge of edtech startups on the market, Eton is a proven, known entity. Attaching its name to an online education program is likely to make that program far more attractive in China.

Even so, EtonX is probably in for some stiff competition, especially if its China play inspires other high-profile Western schools to make similar moves.