Simone, Experienced EFL Educator, Stepping Up to Teacherpreneurship

Drawing from her vast experience teaching English to adults, Bridge Teacherpreneur Academy member Simone N. Webb plans to step up her TEFL career by starting her own online English teaching venture. As she prepares for the launch of her business, Honed English, she gives us a glimpse of the programs she will offer, some of her marketing strategies, and the tools and resources from the Succeeding as an English Teacherpreneur Specialized Certification course she’s using as she builds her online English teaching business.

Can you share a bit about yourself, Simone?

I was born in Kingston, Jamaica. I immigrated to the United States as a child and was raised in Central Florida, where I currently live.

I have been teaching English for over ten years. I started out as a volunteer English tutor for an adult literacy league while I was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English. During those years I developed a passion for teaching ESL classes to adults. That zeal led me to pursue a Master of Science degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Can you tell us about your current teaching work?

Currently, I tutor children in English for a school that provides individual paces for students. They work in individual pace books, so each student is at an individual level within their book. This means that all the students are working on different topics at different times, so I help them with their individual studies.

What motivated you to transition from a traditional teaching role to an independent teacher and start Honed English?

I personally feel that there are not enough full-time positions for ESL teachers, although there are numerous part-time positions. I wanted to be able to build my career in the field that I’m most passionate about, create my own ESL learning environment, and most of all, impact the growing population of adult English language learners that I would be serving.

Right now, I’m in the pre-launch or branding phase wherein I’m creating brand awareness. I’m getting the word out about my services, doing some marketing on social media, going to networking events, and meeting people in the community. 

Read about online ESL teachers sharing their favorite tech tools.

What is your niche?

My niche is adult ESL. I have been teaching adults for a long time and I enjoy teaching relevant topics that adults encounter on a day-to-day basis. Adults take ESL classes to improve their lives, and I enjoy being a part of that process.

What types of classes do you plan to give?

We’re going to offer live online General English classes in five levels and English classes for nurses and other health care workers. So, Honed English’s prospective students are adults who speak English as a second language and would like to improve their general English, and adults who are nurses and in other health care fields who would like to improve their English skills to feel more confident on the job.

Read about motivating Business English students by aligning language learning with career advancement.

Why did you choose to specialize in teaching healthcare professionals?

My mom has a background in nursing, so that encouraged me. I also see there’s a need for it within the industry. There are a lot of adult ESL learners within that group and I feel they would benefit from the courses. 

What platforms or methods do you use to connect with students?

Honed English uses video conferencing and learning management systems to connect with students.

Find out how to choose an LMS or learning platform for your online English teaching business.

What challenges have you encountered in your independent teaching journey, and how have you overcome them?

The challenges I have encountered involve learning effective marketing strategies. There are so many marketing approaches, but they do not all yield the same results. With some marketing techniques, you’ll get more brand awareness and people will learn more about your company and the services you provide but you would not necessarily attract anybody who is, let’s say, a prospective student. So, it’s just a matter of finding the right marketing strategy. I feel the most effective approaches would be word-of-mouth and networking online and face-to-face.

Another challenge I’ve encountered is funding. When starting out, you have to use your personal money to fund your business or have family and friends to help you fund your business if you don’t want to take out any loans.

Which marketing strategies do you plan to use to promote Honed English?

Honed English currently uses social media, networking, and vendor events to market our services. For example, there’s an upcoming vendor event, a Latino market festival, that I’ll be attending within my community to meet people and educate them about my services.

Read advice from independent teachers on finding ESL students.

In your opinion, what qualities or skills are essential for someone considering a career as an independent teacher?

I feel it is essential that someone considering a career as an independent teacher have patience, resilience, a desire to develop their skills, and a caring attitude.

What is most exciting about launching your own business?

The most exciting thing about launching my own business is being creative in building a unique brand, building brand awareness, impacting my community, and sharing my passionate reasons for creating the business.

What do you hope to achieve in your future endeavors in this field?

I hope to empower adults to accomplish their personal and professional goals because I know that once they improve their English skills, they’re going to feel more confident. I hope to instill the confidence they need to accomplish what they want to accomplish.

Why did you decide to join Bridge’s Teacherpreneur Academy?

I decided to join Bridge’s Teacherpreneur Academy because I wanted to learn the skills that I would need to become successful as an English teacher transitioning into entrepreneurship. As I know the importance of preparing myself, I wanted to be as prepared as possible

How was your experience with the Specialized Certificate in Succeeding as an English Teacherpreneur course?

I had a great experience taking the course because it was very engaging and interactive. This is especially true in the video components and the articles related to the topics that you can save and re-read.

Additionally, each module contains interactive learning activities that break each concept down so that they are easy to remember and apply to my business plan. The opportunity to engage in discussions with other teachers who are also taking the course was very beneficial.

Explore Bridge’s suite of Teaching English Online Specialized Certification courses.

What was the most interesting thing learned in the course?

The most interesting thing I learned in the course was how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. There are so many roles that you have to take on as an entrepreneur, and you must have the right mindset to be successful when switching from just being a teacher to being an entrepreneur as well.

I also attended the Educator to Entrepreneur webinar for Academy members. It was interactive too, and it broke down the main points within the Succeeding as a Teacherpreneur course but in a small group setting. This also helped me put the concepts from the course into practice.

Learn more about how to monetize your independent teaching business.

What advice would you give to other educators who are considering launching their own independent teaching career?

Educate yourself as much as possible on entrepreneurship. Read books about business and develop a strong support group made up of people who are on the same journey as you are. Most of all, be resilient. It will take time to accomplish your goals.

Ready to get started on your own independent teaching journey? Learn more about Teacherpreneur Academy’s workshops, webinars, and networking events, as well as the Specialized Certification in Succeeding as an English Teacherpreneur course.