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I was an elementary school teacher in the United States before switching to teaching ESL. I was teaching for roughly five years before my relocation to another state and my kid’s birth. Then I decided to become a stay-at-home mom.
I loved being a mom, but I always yearned to be a teacher. When my son started elementary school, I decided it was time to get back into teaching. I considered returning to an elementary school. Going back into the classroom gave me a lot of anxiety since I had been out of the classroom for so long.
That is when I discovered online ESL tutoring with a company in China. I spent 3 ½ years with that company and thoroughly enjoyed it. The connections I made and learning about Chinese culture were the icing on the cake. I was able to do what I loved and still be there for my son when needed.
Then, the online ESL industry then started to decline when the “double reduction policy” happened unexpectedly. The ability to tutor online was slipping away, and I was devastated, along with thousands of other ESL tutors.
After leaving the online ESL company, I could have just found another type of job in my community, but I didn’t want to give up on something that I loved.
Luckily, I had a student that was eager to continue learning English from me. I began considering the possibility of working as a private, independent ESL tutor, but I had no idea where to start.
I used my free time to study the payment, curriculum, and platform I would need. With the help and support of other teachers also starting out with private tutoring, and the help of the Chinese families, I was able to start my journey into becoming an Independent ESL tutor.
After a lot of trial and error, I found ClassIn. I tested every possible teaching platform I could find, and ClassIn had everything I wanted and more. I then needed a curriculum. I tried to create my own but found this more difficult than I could have imagined. That’s when I found Learnaling. Learnaling is an excellent curriculum designed specifically for online ESL teaching.
（Playing an online game with a student using the ClassIn Browser)
Once I started my private tutoring, I realized there needed to be more information to help other teachers get started. Since I got a head start in starting my tutoring business, many teachers have been coming to me with questions.
So I decided to start my own YouTube Channel (Online ESL Teacher Tutorials) to give those teachers a way to feel more confident in finding and using all the great resources available. I decided just to be myself and make videos the way I would want a tutorial video to look – no fancy animations, just the information people want and need.
ClassIn is becoming very popular as a teaching platform with many great features, but this can be overwhelming for some teachers just starting out. Many of my videos show teachers how to use all the great tools ClassIn offers, explaining it in a way that makes it easy for them to learn and use in their classrooms. One year later, my channel had over 900 subscribers. Just like I enjoy teaching my students, I enjoy making these videos to help other teachers.
Teaching is more than just a job. There are many moments that remind me why teaching is worth it. What inspires me most to become a teacher is to help unlock talents and improve people’s lives. Right now, I am happy with where I am and proud of what I have accomplished.
You may be interested in:
How to Setup a Successful Online Tutoring Business?
Tips for an Effective One-to-one Online Lesson with EDB Files
Teacher Sav Presents Ready-to-teach Online ESL Lessons and EDBs for ClassIn
