From the struggles of home learning for primary school children to mishaps during online meetings, it has become apparent that home and work life are interwoven and can affect one another. However, this aspect isn’t often acknowledged by employers, who expect their workforce to be constantly on the ball, leaving their personal worries behind. Similarly, personal commitments require most individuals to be fully focused on family life when they aren’t at work.
In these conditions, finding a balance between personal and professional life while looking after your own well-being has been an unachievable task for most. For this reason, and since technology has allowed it, employees across the globe have taken a stand en masse for what they hold dearest: a more flexible work environment.
From content writing to e-commerce, there is a wide range of new and exciting career paths. For example, you can develop your tech skills to become a digital creator or explore online teaching for a career change: the choice is yours.
Leaving the known for the unknown
Famously known, necessity is the mother of invention, and people have been very creative in coming up with remote jobs that allow a more flexible approach to work: it’s just about finding what’s the right job for you depending on your skills, personality, and interests.
Shifting from a traditional work environment to a different one, like freelance for example, can be challenging. Just like navigating in unchartered territories, it comes with its own set of risks. However, breaking free from an office-based, strictly-scheduled work pattern can be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. It’s important that new business ventures require passion, hard work, and dedication but also, most importantly, a good plan.
Life beyond remote work
Some people swear by it, others not so much. For many, remote work is a great fit for career changers because it offers flexibility in where and when you work, making it easier to balance personal life and career goals. With more and more remote jobs popping up in all kinds of industries, you’re not stuck looking for opportunities just in your local area.
Plus, remote work often focuses more on your skills and what you can do rather than your past job titles or career path, which is perfect if you’re trying to switch fields. And for roles like customer support, content creation, or virtual assistance, the bar to get started is often lower, so you can break into a new career without jumping through many hoops.
For some, however, working from home isn’t as good as it might seem. If you have been used to working in an office for many years and enjoyed the interaction with your colleagues, remote working can feel pretty lonely. Another issue is the distraction that working from home may bring. Unless you have a dedicated quiet area, family, TV, household chores are only some of the aspects that might make you lose your focus.
The biggest challenge, however, is the difficulty in keeping work and personal life separate. These blurred lines mean that you are likely to find yourself emailing a client at midnight or finishing your project at 5 am, before anyone in your household wakes up.
TEFL: the golden opportunity for career changers
Given the importance of the English language in business, technology, and tourism worldwide, TEFL has been around for many years. But the real strength of this industry is that it has never stopped challenging itself, improving, and evolving over time. As a testament to this, the online segment boomed around five years ago, when the world had no option but to learn everything online from home.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) online can really offer the best of both worlds. On the one hand, learning about different cultures through the eyes of your students and making a positive impact on their lives. On the other hand, earning a living from the comfort of your own home while avoiding the stress and the cost of commuting.
One of the first things to figure out is whether you want to start your own online teaching business alone, or team up with an existing online language school and teach through their platform. Both options can work really well—it just depends on what you’re looking for and how much time and energy you’re willing to invest.
If you’re thinking about doing your own thing, be ready to handle the behind-the-scenes work: you’ll need a simple website, a basic contract to cover payments and policies, and a way to promote yourself online. You’ll also be responsible for finding your students, keeping them happy, and creating fun, effective lessons. The upside? You get to set your own prices and work directly with your clients—no middlemen involved.
However, attracting your first students/clients can be challenging and you need to have some basic business skills to get the ball rolling. It’s a huge commitment and no one could blame you if you felt overwhelmed by it all. If that’s the case, working for an established online school is a great option to get you started.
They’ll handle things like marketing, contracts, and even finding students for you. Most will also offer you a teaching schedule that suits your availability, and some even provide lesson plans—so you just review them and teach! Of course, there are always compromises to be made.
You might not have full control over your hourly rate, since the school often decides your pay or takes a cut if you set your own price. And most schools will ask you to commit to a certain number of hours per week or month. Still, if you’re looking for a simpler way to get started, this route can be a great stepping stone.
How to take your first steps into your TEFL career? You should successfully complete a 120-hour TEFL qualification course. This is the minimum requirement whether you want to teach online or abroad.
Change your career without fear
Starting afresh is always scary but, as a popular quote of these modern times states “change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” Sometimes, staying in your comfort zone is too comfortable for your own good. Give yourself a chance and challenge yourself to embrace the change of a new career as a TEFL teacher.
