How I Became an English Teacher...

and made a website to teach you English

Hi! My name is Diana and (as you might have guessed it) I am an English Teacher. ;)

I live in Andalusia Spain, the hottest and most relaxed region of Spain, where I teach English online from home (my day job) and I work on my website (my dream job).

I currently wake up...walk 10 steps to my home office and turn on my computer - but my commute hasn't always been so short.

I came to Spain in 2006 and using my BA in English I began my English teacher adventure working with a company in Madrid.

My career as an English teacher was never planned, it just seemed to fall into place...like I was at the right place at the right time.

Being an English teacher is a challenge though, as you must prove yourself to your company day after day, and show them that you are a good English teacher, reliable, and that you are going to provide a quality service to their students on their behalf.

I felt like a lifeless robot working full time

Have any of you felt like that? I sure have.

When I lived in Madrid I woke up everyday at 6:15am so that I could take the Metro for an hour to get to work.

I never complained much though, because everyone (myself included) thought I was lucky because my classes were all in the same company (other teachers are not so lucky!).

After two years of teaching from 8am-6pm, Mon-Friday with only a 45 minute lunch break...I was exhausted.

My body was tired and I started to get sick again and again. To be honest I was sick for about 4 months non-stop with everything from the common cold to bad sinus infections - you name it...I had it.

I loved being an English teacher but something had to change

I had dedicated 3 years to being an English teacher and in 2009 I decided to make a change...I quit my job...packed up my stuff in Paco's (my boyfriend's...now husband's) Ford Fiesta and drove 8 hours south to start a new life with him in Andalusia.

Although I stopped being sick all the time and didn't need to wake up at 6am...I was also left unemployed for 6 months.

What can I say about those 6 months?

Well...I didn't feel unemployed and I probably worked more than I did in Madrid...but what I was doing didn't feel like work at all because I was doing something that I was truly passionate about and enjoyed.

Like many unemployed people I went to the internet in search of ideas to get a job and even how to start my own online business. I had always been a bit of an entrepreneur and I thought why not freelance or start my own business?

An English Teacher Daring to Dream...

While I was still living in Madrid, I read Steve Pavlina's articles,

"10 Reasons you should never get a job"

and

"how to make money from your blog"

and this really pushed me to find a way to do this myself.

I originally thought that building an online business would be too technical and complicated for me, but then I discovered Site Build it (SBI) - an all in one service package that really helps you build your own online business.

I can't remember how I found SBI but while searching on Google it kept appearing over and over again. I even found videos showing people who loved SBI.

So after finding their website a couple of times, I went to their homepage and started exploring.

By the time I was ready to leave Madrid in the Ford, I had already subscribed to SBI and had transformed my future unemployment from a time of uncertainty to a time of opportunity! I saw my unemployment as a chance to build my own online business - or at least try.

So with my new subscription to SBI and 6 months without a job, no friends close by and a wonderful boyfriend (now husband)...I focused my energy on building my website...this website that you are visiting today: www.helping-you-learn-english.com. Learn more about how I am working more from home with the help of SBI.

I never would have thought that helping you learn English.com would become what it has...and what it will in the future. I have so much more to create, build, add and improve that there are not enough hours in the day.

I know there will be a day when I will not need my day job as I have seen so many other people (like B below) using their own passions, hobbies and SBI to create wonderful websites.

So what has happened since I started in March 2008?

Well...in the beginning (March 2008) I remember that I had no visitors, no newsletter and maybe 10 pages. (Not so impressive really...but you can't build a successful business overnight).

March 2009: A Year Later!

I had an average of 400 visitors a day, and 300 subscribers to my newsletter and about 100 pages of free content.

March 2010: Two Years of Work!

I have an average of 900 visitors a day, almost 3000 people have a free subscription to my newsletter (I know!!! Amazing), there are over 400 pages and the website is earning money and paying some of my bills (via Google Ads...which you will see throughout the website).

March 2011: I was so busy I forgot to update!

What are my goals for March 2013? To help thousands of people improve their English and create a selection of my own products to help you and everyone learn real English.

I currently have a couple of eBooks and courses available for purchase.

5 Simple Steps to Better Writing, so if you are looking for a resource to help you improve your writing take a look now.

I'll keep you posted here on the site's progress...

Watch this short video below for a quick introduction to SBI and see how an English teacher was able to build a business about something she loves.

Sometimes people think that Solo Build It is a scam. Elizabeth thought so too:

Hi Diana, OK I will look into Solo Build It. I took a brief look the other day and I emailed them. I get quite skeptical about these things. There are so many scams out there. It's hard to decipher what is a real opportunity from the ones that are waste of time. -Elizabeth

After lots of research and emailing Solo Build It and my self directly, Elizabeth signed up for Solo Build It and is well on her way to building a successful online business. Why not give your dreams a chance too?

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