From Overtired Languages Teacher to Business Owner: I Found Another Way

As a little girl, I dreamt of being a teacher. As soon as I got home from “real” school, I’d start playing schools, with my younger sister and her friends bearing the brunt of my enthusiasm for spellings and maths. My love of languages, sparked by family holidays in France, made my path clear early on.

I still remember filling in my application for my PGCE, so focused and happy that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was going to make a difference, open young people’s eyes to the wider world and inspire the next generation of linguists. That’s why, when the dream so often turned into a nightmare, it hurt so much.

When the dream became a nightmare

I’d heard that teachers were overworked, undervalued and underpaid, but until I experienced it myself I had no idea how soul-destroying it could be.

Most of the time, teaching wasn’t the problem. The children weren’t the problem. It was the workload and the pressure from above, a problem with the system that moving schools or changing roles couldn’t solve. And my subject, languages, was being pushed further and further down the list of priorities.

On the edge of burnout, I struggled to think clearly. I knew I couldn’t carry on this way, but inside I was still that little girl with a dream, and leaving felt like failing. I had a choice: take a risk and find another way, or take a risk and stay, putting my health on the line and settling for a life that no longer brought me joy. I began to wonder which was the bigger risk.

Finding another way

When my daughter was born in 2012, everything changed. I was no longer willing to compromise, and an idea I’d carried for years began to grow into something real.

I started a small music group with my baby girl and a few local mums: a sensory music class with a second language at its heart. I had no idea where it would go. What surprised me most was the demand. Parents saw it as more than a morning out; they saw it as an investment in their child’s future. Soon I was running several classes a week and being invited into nurseries and primary schools. And when I stepped into a classroom now, the dread had gone.

It felt as if I’d been given my life back. I was excited about work again, I had more balance, I knew I was making a difference, and within six months I was earning more than I had as a teacher. That business is BilinguaSing, which my sister Mel and I have since built into a franchise network across the UK, and still run together today.

What I learned about business

There were moments of doubt. Setting up a business on your own is tough. I’d been trained to follow rules, and now I had to make my own: website, branding, accounts, social media. It was a steep learning curve, and every day was a school day, even outside school.

Time stopped being the enemy. In teaching I was always fighting it and never winning. With three children and businesses to run, life is still busy, but it’s my life, and I decide how I spend my time.

Many teachers stay because of the fear of the unknown: the monthly salary, the career ladder, the security. When I left, I realised how much of that security was an illusion. It isn’t easy to build something of your own, and it takes real work, especially at the start. But for anyone who has worked in our education system, it can feel lighter than you’d expect.

If I could talk to my younger self

I’ll never regret my teaching career. I have wonderful memories and friends who are still important to me. The tough times built character, and much of it led me here.

But life shouldn’t be a continual endurance test. I wanted to be happier, calmer and less frantic. I wanted to be a better mum. I just had to dare to give my idea a chance.

If I could talk to that young woman filling in her PGCE application, I wouldn’t tell her to stop. I’d tell her to believe in herself more, and to have the courage to make a change sooner when things don’t feel right. There is always another way, and it’s never too late to turn a corner.

Today I share everything I learned building my own businesses with experienced teachers and tutors through The 2 Hour Tutor Programme. If you’re at your own crossroads, you might also like thinking of leaving teaching? exploring your options calmly.

Written byEllie BakerFounder, The Business of TutoringEllie is the founder of The Business of Tutoring. A former teacher and tutor, she has built two education businesses from scratch and authored The 2 Hour Tutor. Today she holds the vision for our school, shapes our programmes and coaches on our live calls. Meet the team

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