Inspired: Interview with - Jody Bryant!

Hey mamas! 

As many of you may now realize, I'm all about empowering one another, growing and truly viewing your online teaching career as your very own business. Sometimes we may have a brilliant idea when it comes to our online business but life keeps getting in the way of us getting it done. It's important to note that there are other women in our industry who are just as busy and have just as many responsibilities as we do but they had a goal in mind for themselves and their careers, and they made it happen! 

Today, I am so proud to be interviewing Jody Bryant. Jody is a teacher, businesswoman, and moderator of the Facebook support group of well over 20,000 members called "Hired Online Teachers and Job Reviews". I hope this interview can inspire all of you to keep on working hard to reach your goals.

Jody Bryant

Let's begin!

• How long have you been a teacher and were you a teacher in a brick and mortar school before teaching ESL? 

I have been a teacher for over 20 years. I was a brick and mortar ESL teacher for 11 years before venturing into the online field so I have the educational background in ESL theory and practice.

• How long have you been teaching ESL online specifically? 

I've been an online teacher since 2012.  I've worked with several different companies that have a different focus.

• What companies are you currently working for? 

I teach for Preply and Wyzant, TEHESO, NeuABC, V-Yang, and occasionally GoGo Kid and once in a blue moon, I work for VipKid.

• What motivated you to start teaching English online?

It's a rather interesting story. I was working as an ESL teacher in a traditional school district. Budget cuts happened and my job was eliminated. I had started working on my Master's degree so I just continued working on that full-time. My Master's program was conducted entirely online so I became very used to working online as a student. After I graduated from my Master's program in December of 2012, I found work teaching online for Tutor ABC or iTutor Group. It was scary at first but I certainly learned many new skills.

• What were some hurdles you had to overcome at the beginning of your ESL journey? 

When I first started teaching online, I had to get used to very different expectations from the students. As I stated before, I worked for iTutor Group and each student ranks you on a scale of 1-10 on how they perceive your teaching ability. This was very different for me. I still remember the first 5 rating that I received and the remark from the student, "Did not provide instant correction!" As I learned more about what the students and the company were expecting, I modified my teaching and started to improve tremendously in my rating. Another hurdle was finding a quiet space to work. I'm very lucky that I do have a dedicated workspace to teach online. I also had to get over my nervousness and make introductory videos. That was a little odd, looking at myself after I'd made a video! Now, it's old hat to do an introductory video and work on pleasing customers as a teacher.

• At what point were you able to make teaching online your full-time job? 

I don't teach full-time quite yet. I work about 11 hours a week teaching and then another 10 hours a week as a paid recruiter for NeuABC. I'm working on getting my own business set up so I need to learn how to market my skill set to bring in private pay students. I'm working with a few tutor marketplaces such as Preply and Wyzant so I do have to do some marketing such as making videos to showcase my teaching style.

• What were some of your fears in making the transition to online teaching? 

No real fears because I still work teaching in a traditional school as a substitute teacher periodically through the month.

• What helped you to overcome your fears and alleviate your concerns?

I think becoming a part of an online community really helps me to feel at home teaching online. There are very few online teachers where I live so I don't have a support group here. My online community gives me advice, tips, and pointers on all aspects of teaching online.

• What keeps you motivated every day?

Seeing my students smile and talk. 

• How would you measure "success" in the ESL industry? 

I don't really think in terms of success. That's not my style or philosophy to be "successful". I just take each day as they come and learn from that day. My signature line is "ever learning" and I try to learn each day. I also like connecting with other people. That gives me a feeling of satisfaction. I'm not too worried about success in the traditional sense of the word. I'm probably a bit different than most. What motivated me is to be "ever learning".

•  What advice would you give to busy mothers and wives starting in the ESL industry?

 I would shop around for a company that suits your teaching style. I've worked with many different companies and found that I prefer to teach in a very traditional way. I like using flashcards and games. I like to see how students can write sentences. I love to hear them read. What really is precious to you as a teacher? I would hone in on that and try to find a company that suits your teaching style. I've also written an article called Ready, Get, Go!  A Primer for Online teachers where I delineate several key steps to do before looking for a job. The first step is to update your resume! Please find that article over on Linked In. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ready-set-go-primer-getting-hired-online-teaching-job-jody-bryant/

• How do you think we can manage discouragement and rejection? 

For me, I like to talk over different circumstances with my husband and my family. I also am a part of a ladies Bible study/prayer group and I find encouragement from that source when I'm done. 

• How has teaching ESL online benefited you and your life? 

I like to work from home. I enjoy teaching without the pressure. I feel that I'm far more reflective as a teacher since I've started teaching online. I've also grown and accepted more responsibilities. I work as a recruiter for NeuABC and moderate a group of over 23,000 online teachers! Many new experiences and relationships have come my way as a result of my online teaching experiences.

Thank you so much Jody for doing this interview with me and keep up the great work! I hope you continue to inspire other businesswomen like myself to pursue their career goals! 

Ladies, always remember that nothing worth having comes easy, so continue to work hard every day to reach your goals! 

Love,

Becky xoxo

P.S: We all love hearing your stories on how you got started in your career! If you've been an online teacher or businesswoman for over 5 years and would like to share your story to inspire our community, please shoot me an email! 

My email address: teacherbecky94@gmail.com