How I started my own teaching business during lockdown
When news about COVID-19 came to light, few could have expected that it would become one of the most disruptive occurrences of the 21st century. Yet in a few short months it has become a defining event for the whole world and has directly or indirectly affected the lives of countless people.
When lockdown hit the UK, I was in my final year of university, about to complete a bachelor’s degree in Russian at the University of Leeds. It naturally caused significant disruption to my studies, with the university moving lectures and exams online and closing the library, the latter meaning that I had access to much fewer resources than I otherwise would have. Luckily the university accounted for this, and by July I had achieved a first class degree.
Naturally, I was apprehensive of what this would mean for my future career, my original plan to move to Russia and teach English was unrealistic for the time being, but I didn’t want to just stay at home with my parents, I knew it was high time I spread my wings and prepared to advance my career, knowing that I still wanted to teach English as a profession.
As soon as I had handed in my last piece of coursework, I gave myself a well deserved break for a few weeks before starting work on a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate. The online course helped me understand my own language as well as providing ample information and support to help me develop my teaching skills and even gave me the opportunity to practice teaching to a qualified teacher and receive constructive feedback.
Having finished my course, I realised that many online TEFL companies didn’t pay particularly well for the workload I was expected to undertake, and, as a result I decided instead to launch my own teaching business instead. Following tips from seasoned professionals, I set about establishing my presence online. I got to grips with creating a website and launching social media pages, and even teaching myself how to use Facebook and Instagram’s advertising services effectively, as well as using my existing connections with friends in Russia to help find new students and now I work 5–7 hours a day teaching people using Zoom and Skype.
Of course, all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of fellow teachers, who have supported me and given me advice to help me improve my teaching skills and understand students of different ages and backgrounds and have directed me to resources I can use in lessons. Not only that, but I’m also tremendously grateful to my parents, who have been incredibly supportive during this time, and without whom I would most definitely have not been able to spend so much time investing in my own career.
What can I take away from this?
While the pandemic has no doubt had a huge effect on everyone, there are different ways you can respond to it. There is by no means a correct way, you can use it to work on yourself, develop a new hobby, advance your career or even just rest and take care of yourself. There is no wrong answer here. But by no means do I regret any step of my journey. As many people know, when you start a new business, it’s important to be prepared for the fact that you might not see immediate results, however, this has allowed me to grow and blossom into my role better than if I’d been working several hours a day from day one, like I might have done if I had started working for another company. Now more than ever, it’s important to approach things at your own pace.
