The Klario model
Your teachers run their own business. You stay in charge of your school.
Most Dutch schools work with freelance teachers in a way that is getting harder to explain legally. Klario replaces that setup with a franchise model. Every teacher becomes an independent business owner under your school's brand, with your system behind them.
- Based on the Dutch Franchise Act, not on a one-off freelance agreement.
- Set up with the franchise lawyers and consultants of Koelewijn & Partners.
- Designed to prevent false self-employment.
The problem
Why the usual freelance setup doesn't hold
A school often sets the timetable, the rate, the teaching method and the look and feel. The teacher invoices as a freelancer. Independent on paper, close to employment in practice. That is exactly what the Dutch tax authority looks at.
Since 1 January 2025 the tax authority is enforcing the rules on false self-employment again. A better contract alone doesn't solve that. What counts is how the working relationship works in practice.
How it works
Three parties, each with a clear role
Your school
Is the franchisor. You guard the brand, the quality and the vision. You provide the formula: the name, the way of working and the system.
Your teachers
Are franchisees. They run their own practice inside your school, as independent business owners with their own business risk.
Klario
Provides the model and the system underneath: contracts, timetable, invoicing and direct debit. So practice matches what is on paper.
Paper and practice match
Why a model stands stronger than a contract
A franchise works the way you know it from other sectors. The franchisee gets the brand and the system, but runs their own business and carries their own risk. That makes them an entrepreneur.
A legal basis
The model is based on the Dutch Franchise Act. Roles, rights and duties are set out, for you and for your teachers.
The system follows the model
Klario is designed around this structure. Timetable, invoicing and messaging run the way the model prescribes.
Explainable when asked
You can show how the working relationship works, on paper and in the system. That makes your case stronger when the tax authority looks.
Frequently asked questions about the model
Who is the franchisor and who is the franchisee?
Your school is the franchisor. Your teachers are franchisees. Klario provides the model, the contracts and the system.
Isn't this just freelancing with another name?
No. A freelance agreement covers a single assignment. A franchise covers a partnership between two businesses, with a formula, a brand and clear roles. In the Netherlands, franchising is governed by its own law (the Wet franchise), so it has a different legal basis.
Do my teachers have to pay anything?
How fees flow between school and teacher depends on your school. We work that out with you during the switch.
Has the model been legally reviewed?
The model was set up with the franchise lawyers and consultants of Koelewijn & Partners. Always have your own adviser review it for your specific situation as well.
Does the model work outside the Netherlands?
The model is built on Dutch law. Klario runs in the Netherlands today. If you run a school elsewhere, talk to us about what would be needed.
Curious how the model works for your school?
In thirty minutes we show how school, teachers and system work together. With your situation as the example.