When the recession first hit London back in 2007, I had been working as an Executive Assistant with some of the big companies in the City of London for over ten years, in short-term contracts whilst I continued with my creative writing and art projects. Although I was a published writer and artist and had been broadcast my BBC TV and radio, won national and international awards I had always supported myself through my contract work as an Executive Assistant.
I was surprised when the recession hit London because I didn’t read the business pages very often and I was very busy with my personal life. I had moved house, and was enjoying redecorating my new little rental which I had waited for ten years to find, and I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting any contracts.
After I realised the recession might be around for a while, I thought long and hard about what I could do instead — I was getting into more and more debt and needed to find a solution.
I enjoyed teaching, and had been teaching workshops in schools, colleges and for adults since I was in my late teens, but this work was very sporadic. I also had had enough of England, and I had always wanted to live abroad.
So, I retrained as an English teacher! This was not easy; it was an intensive course which was challenging and fun. I got a job straight afterwards working for a company on Charing Cross Road. I spent a Summer teaching teenager from Japan, South American and France intensive English. It was fun but …………. the pay was awful, I was just not covering my bills.
So, I decided to work abroad, I got a job in Paris, but it fell through, then I got a job in Rome, but didn’t have enough money to rent a flat there. So, I had to find a job which came with accommodation.
The Middle East was not a place I would normally consider, as a trained musician and feminist, but it had a good rate of pay, a year long contract and all my rent and bills would be included. It had become impossible for me to remain in London and I did not have any other choice, so I put my stuff into storage and left!
So, my travels began, and there were a lot set backs and disasters along the way, as well as excitement and satisfaction at having my skills appreciated.
MY LEARNING OF LANGUAGES
I had always loved learning languages and made a point of studying the native language of wherever I was based — whether it was the Far East or the Middle East, but it was not easy!
I found I could reach a certain level of competence on my own — but what I really needed was conversation practice & What I really wanted was to learn in my own preferred style — not through a text book or someone else’s course!
And
I discovered that I really enjoyed working with adults rather than children or teenagers!
I still wanted to find a way to combine my experience in business, working with top Chief Executives, MD’s, and the experience I had of project managing my own independent projects with my teaching experience in a fun way.
Eventually, after being forced to return to the UK because of a heart attack, and a visa mess in China, I started working just with business learners online. However, I often got frustrated with the courses I was expected to teach, and my students also felt frustrated at times.
How could I offer them a better service, have more fun, make my time with my students more enjoyable, and earn something closer to what I thought I was worth?
So, this company was born, along with several other ventures, when I realized that I could return to my primary passion which was to communicate with other people and help them improve their communication skills.
Ultimately language learning was never just about learning a new language but about learning about a new way of being.
Also because of my health I don’t have the opportunity to speak with people from all over the world by living abroad, but can do that now from home. I really enjoy finding out about what is happening through conversations with people who are living and working in different sectors -it is much more interesting to me than watching the news!
I really enjoy working for myself and aim to make others experience of travelling and working abroad easier and more enjoyable.
It is not easy to start a new business, and things have a changed a lot from when I started out in the early 1990’s, with letters, and legwork as I made my name as an artist and writer.
