An interview with Zander Botha, eTEFL Online graduate and part-time Online English Teacher from South Africa.

I was fortunate enough to have a chance to chat with Zander 6 months after he enrolled with eTEFL Online Teacher Training to catch up with him and see how he was progressing in his new career as an online English teacher. Below is a transcription of our interview.

 

ETO: Hello Zander and thank you for taking to time to chat with me today.

ZB: No problem, Jody. It’s a pleasure.

 

ETO: First off, what made you decide to get into the world of teaching English online?

ZB: At the start of 2020, I reached a point of intense frustration and unfulfillment in my job and could no longer ignore the desire to venture out, start my own business and take back control of my time. I have been pondering the idea of online teaching, as I know a few people who are actively and successfully doing it. I reached out to them to find out more about their experience, but mostly to hear first-hand stories of online ESL providing a living for individuals.

 

ETO: When did you decide to make the change?

ZB: It wasn’t long after speaking to those people that I pulled the trigger (so to speak), did the math, and made sure that I was taking a calculated risk once I resign from my job. Due to savings, I was able to live for a whole year without making any income from any other source.

 

ETO: How long did it take for you get to get started?

ZB: I finished my Standard Online Teacher Training Bundle with eTEFL Online in around 8 weeks. I spent around 30 hours writing scripts, my CV, recording videos, editing the videos, re-recording videos, and re-editing them. I spent 1 week applying for jobs, got rejected 8 times, and got 1 interview. I was excited, nervous, ambitious, scared, but driven and motivated! I passed the interview, and I was officially an employed online ESL teacher. I got my first job within 10 days of completing my certificate.

 

ETO: Do you mind telling our readers how much you have earned so far?

ZB: Because I only taught from January 22^nd, only worked for 1 online school, and had no private students my first month’s salary was hilariously small, coming in at just R880 or USD57. I didn’t care about the amount, I cared about the fact that I was one step closer to freedom.

My second month doubled and I earned R1810 or USD117. I also started my freelance career here and got 3 private students.

My third month was a whopping R3885 or USD251. I also grew my private student base to 7.

My fourth month was the one where I started feeling like a grown-up as I earned R10260 or USD663 just from teaching online. I added 5 more private students for a total of 12 this month.

My fifth month earned me R15720 or USD1016. I added another 3 new private students for a total of 15.

My sixth month earned me R13000 or USD836. (This is when my students in the northern hemisphere started taking time off for their summer holidays but I still managed to get 4 more and now had 19 in total)

My seventh month earned me R14700 or USD941. This month I grew my private student base to 23!

My eighth month earned me R19340 or USD1250! Currently, I have 26 private students.

My ninth month earned me R18560 or USD1200.

My tenth month earned me R20935 or USD1353. I broke the R20 000 barrier working PART TIME! And it only took 10 months!

My 11th month earned me R20160 or USD1303

My 12th month earned me R19750 or USD1276 – even taking Christmas holidays didn’t impact my earnings too much!

And here we are 1 year later in January 2022 earning R21310 or USD1377

Well, that’s where I am at today, every month I get a little closer to where I want to be, it’s not for the money, it’s for what money can give me, and that is options and time.

 

(Edit – Since the publication date of June 30th, 2021, Zander has increased his earnings to $1377 or R21 310 per month without working extra hours. The slight dip in the graph between May and August is due to students taking summer holidays in the Northern hemisphere)

ETO: That’s great! How many hours do you need to work to earn that amount?

ZB: Currently I work on average 30 hours per week divided as follows:

Monday – 5 hours

Tuesday – 5 hours

Wednesday – 4 hours

Thursday – 5 hours

Friday – 5 hours

Saturday – 3 hours

Sunday – 2 hours

 

ETO: So, you earn over USD1000 per month only working as a part-time online English teacher?

ZB: Yes, if I wanted to, I could take on more students, but I have other business ventures that I am passionate about, and teaching online gives me the opportunity to pursue these ventures.

 

ETO: Do you only work for that 1 online school or do you have private students?

ZB: Both. As my career in online teaching was gaining momentum, I applied to be listed on an English tutoring platform called Preply for private clients. It was only after a month that I accidentally noticed a trial lesson request in my inbox. I prepared as best as I knew how, did the first trial lesson, never heard anything from the student again. Did my second lesson with a seemingly rude 53-year-old from Sweden who today is my most committed and favorite student.

One thing led to another, lots of preparation and hard work, and 5 weeks later I had 16 active students who chose me to be their tutor. From businessmen to immigrants, to high school students, most of these not only became students but also friends. I was over the moon and so happy about my decision. It was during this time that I heard many comments from those close to me that I seemed different. I was regaining my passion and freedom.

 

ETO: Thank you for your time, Zander and we wish you all the best in your career.

Remember that you can contact us any time if you need anything.

ZB: You’re welcome, Jody. Will do!