I feel like teaching was something I always wanted to do. I remember wanting to help the people around me growing up, and being a leader came naturally to me.
In college I decided to start my career in education. I earned my teaching credentials to teach elementary school as well as Spanish and German, and the fieldwork and student teaching experience was intense but rewarding. I decided to earn my MA in Teaching right after that, and doing research related to gender, teacher perception of language ability, and classroom management was invaluable to learning how those dynamics play out in the classroom.
After working as a teacher in California and New Jersey public schools for 3 years, I decided to give my dream of teaching in Chile another try. (The first three times didn’t work out for various reasons.)
I arrived in Chile on February 18th, 2010 as a teaching assistant at a school. The program got me set up with a student visa and the job, but it quickly came apparent that it wasn’t going to work out. I left after the first semester and made the transition to working at an institute.
That then led to spending about 5 years trying to make things work with teaching in schools, institutes, and universities. While I gained valuable experience there and had some great colleagues and fantastic students, I wasn’t happy. I felt overworked, underpaid, and many times unappreciated. Luckily I had started teaching private classes on the side, and it gave me extra income, some freedom, and the job satisfaction that I was craving.
Things came to a head when I had a nervous breakdown at my university job after having been there for 3 months. It became clear to me that I had to quit for the sake of my mental health.
It was April 2015. At that point I had quit my previous position which provided a modest yet steady income and passed all my private classes on to other people, so I was starting from scratch. Fortunately the other teachers that I knew got me in contact with people that needed classes, and I built things up to the point of being full time freelance.
It didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t easy, but looking back I can see how all of my previous experiences (good and bad) have brought me to the point I’m at and made me the person I am today.
Going freelance has given me so much more than I thought it would. I can work with people on my own terms to help them achieve their dreams without a middleman telling me how to teach. I have the freedom to take time off when I’d like, and I can visit family and travel with a higher income and control over my schedule. I also have the time to pursue other projects such as the podcast, professional development, presenting at conferences, and I have free time for my hobbies. Most important of all, I feel happy and fulfilled.
When I was going through this process, there wasn’t really a “road map” or guide about how to go about navigating the English teaching world in Chile or how to go freelance. Over the past nearly 11 years, I learned through trial and error.
That’s why I’ve launched the Freelance Your Way to Freedom Workshop Series. I’m hoping that my story, experience, and knowledge can help other teachers take control of their professional future and live life on their own terms.
The workshops start in March, and there’s a free information session on Wednesday February 24th from 7 to 8 PM Chile time. If you’re interested in learning more you can click here or leave a comment below.
What has your journey been like to going freelance? Feel free to share a comment below or get in touch.
