This week we’re chatting to freelance proofreader, Melanie Cotton. Melanie taught French and Spanish during a 25-year career in the same secondary school before retraining as a proofreader and leaving to focus on her business, Argentum Proofreading, four years ago. She helps self-publishing authors, independent publishers and businesses of all shapes and sizes share their words with complete confidence. She has clients across the globe but is based in Cheshire. We talk about: Melanie’s teaching ...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 5
Today we are joined by Caroline Bowmer, who left a 15 year career in science teaching in 2019 to start her own business, Alchemy Education, an online education company. Caroline and her team use a transformative programme of tutoring, exam technique and mindset coaching to help students to reach their potential and get their best possible GCSE and A Level exam results. We talk about: Caroline’s teaching experience and how much she loved being a teacher How grief can make you reconsider your care...
Nov 18, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This week, I talk to Victoria Doxat. Victoria is a thought leadership consultant and ghostwriter who left a 17 year teaching career this year to focus entirely on her business. She works with corporates and multinationals and specialises in planning, writing and editing whitepapers, expert articles and bylined articles for senior executives. We discuss: Victoria’s experience teaching GCSE and A Level philosophy Getting involved with a union Challenges and rewards of teaching and union work Trans...
Oct 07, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Today I catch up with Jenny Sharp. Jenny is a career coach who left a career as a computing teacher shortly after the pandemic to retrain as a life and business coach. She now enjoys a multi-faceted, blended career featuring coaching, counselling and mentoring, maths tutoring, and computing teacher education. In her coaching business she specialises in working with women who want help with their career confidence, motivation and direction. Her clients range from teachers to product owners and ma...
Sep 30, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Kicking off a brand new series is an interview with James Ball. James spent twenty years as a history teacher, head of history and head of humanities in schools in the West Midlands. He has been writing textbooks since 2008 and a change in circumstances recently precipitated him leaving the classroom to begin writing full-time. He now lives in Copenhagen with his partner and daughter and authors textbooks, popular history books, educational blogs and articles. He also creates teaching resources ...
Sep 23, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This week I catch up with Jo Millet. Jo is an ex head of department and former history and politics teacher from London. She joined teaching through Teach First, then spent 8 years in both state and independent schools. Jo lives in Bristol and now runs her own marketing agency, Lean Content. She’s the host of two podcasts and is setting up another business in 2024. She's also written a few books on marketing and does stand up comedy in her spare time. Jo and I talk about: The importance of self ...
Sep 06, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 5
This week I’m chatting to an ex colleague of mine, Helen Hill. Helen is the founder of UnlikelyGenius™️ and co-founder of Be The Future. She is an all-around creative, providing writing, design & illustration, and learning tech. She left teaching after being diagnosed with MS and feeling pushed out as a result of a toxic environment. She now wants to shake up our outdated education system from the outside and support our overstretched teachers to teach about tough topics like climate change,...
Jul 19, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This week I catch up with Kerry Quinn. Kerry is a social media strategist and content creator who left a 14-year teaching career to start her own business, The Teacher Marketer. Listen in to find out how Kerry said goodbye to teacher stress and burn out in search of a better work-life balance. Say hi to Kerry on Instagram @the_teacher_marketer , join her Facebook group Teachers in Business , or download her free 90 day content planner . ======== Don’t forget to hit ‘subscribe’ in your podcast pl...
Jun 28, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 3
This week I talk to Inés Ivorra Harrison. Inés is a content writer for education and EdTech. She left a 11 year career in teaching ESL and FLE in January 2024. She now works mainly with educational and EdTech companies across the globe from the comfort of her home near Barcelona. Listen up to find out how Inés made the transition from teaching to content writing. We discuss: - How she deliberated over her decision to leave teaching - Taking a course in UX writing - The different types of writing...
Jun 21, 2024•30 min•Season 2Ep. 2
It’s series two of the Bye Teaching Podcast and today I talk with ex primary teacher Molly Scanlan. Molly left teaching in 2020 and now creates sustainable websites for social enterprises and other non-evil businesses. She’s also a co-founder of a social enterprise herself, a writer and a parent. Listen in for Molly’s take on our broken education system, teacher overwhelm and frustration, and the toll it can take on your mental health. We also talk about some of the strong transferable skills te...
Jun 14, 2024•35 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Just a quick update on what's coming up for series two of the Bye Teaching podcast. ========== Don’t forget to subscribe in your podcast player and recommend the podcast to other teachers you know. Follow us on Instagram: @byeteachinguk Sign up for our weekly newsletter . This podcast was produced and edited by Simon Elvin - say hello to him over on LinkedIn Music by Escape from the Giant Bubble follow them on Instagram @escape_from_the_giant_bubble Got a question you’d like answering on the pod...
Jun 06, 2024•2 min
Today I talk to Peta O’Brien-Day. Peta is a brand messaging strategist and conversion copywriter who works with socially conscious brands, helping them weave their values into their messaging – without getting cancelled. She’s the host of The Soap Box Podcast, and runs The Soap Box membership – both of which aim to help smaller socially conscious businesses feel more confident talking about causes they care about. Peta spent 15 years as a youth worker and teacher, honing her empathy and communic...
May 24, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Amber knew that she wanted to leave teaching really early on. In fact, she was still training when she had the realisation that this career just wasn’t for her. People told her that she’d regret it if she left. But she knew she wouldn’t. And she hasn’t! Amber is now an ICF-accredited business coach and mentor whose mission is to help ambitious teachers build their own brilliant coaching businesses. So, they can leave the classroom for good and create a life that brings them the joy, freedom and ...
May 17, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This week I caught up with travel consultant and part-time primary school teacher, Alison Rose. She started her business, Alsion Loves Travel in 2023 as a side project. And she has a five year plan to build up her business to the point where she can leave teaching altogether. Alison talks about how she initially started out as a travel consultant as a way to save money on her own holidays. After a while her business grew, and she’s at a point now where she has a plan to gradually build it up so ...
May 10, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Ever dreamt of starting your own business but dismissed it as a possibility because you wouldn’t know where to start? That was me back when I was a teacher. I looked at people who were freelancers and wondered how on earth they got their clients. And I just assumed it was something I could never do. These people had huge networks of contacts who’d refer them for work. How was I supposed to do that? I didn’t have a network at all. I wish I’d known then what I know now. I wish there’d been a podca...
May 03, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The first of many interview episodes… This week I talk to Katharine Matthews. Katharine is a generalist freelance copywriter and content writer who left a 15 year career in English teaching during the pandemic to start her own business, The Absolute Word. She works with businesses of all sizes and sectors across the UK and beyond from her base in the North East. Say hello to Katharine on social media. You’ll find all her links here: The Absolute Word Follow Bye Teaching on Instagram: @byeteachin...
Apr 26, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Desperate to leave teaching but don't know what else you can do? Teachers have a tendency to underestimate their skills. There are tons of things you're already doing that would be super valuable in countless other work settings. In today’s episode I talk about: teaching adjacent roles other teaching-related ways to make money taking a part time role while building up your business as a side hustle teachers' transferrable skills building a business out of your hobbies and other skills other busi...
Apr 09, 2024•10 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Worried about having to take a pay cut if you leave teaching? I was too. Now I out earn my old teaching salary every month. BUT I did initially take a pay cut. I wish I’d known then what I know now. In today’s episode we talk about employed roles, starting your own business, transitioning out of teaching with teaching adjacent roles, and how to plan if you’re desperate to get out soon. Follow us on Instagram: @byeteachinguk Sign up for our weekly newsletter . Music and audio editing by Escape fr...
Mar 28, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Want to know the 3 biggest fears teachers have when they think about leaving teaching? Then today’s episode is for you. I’ve talked to hundreds of burnt-out teachers who are desperate to get out. And there are many things that have them putting off making a plan. But these are, by far, the most common ones. Have you got other fears about making the leap? DM me on Instagram and let me know. You can find me @byeteachinguk Sign up for our weekly newsletter . Music and audio editing by Escape from t...
Mar 28, 2024•7 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Are you a burnt-out teacher desperate to get out? Do you dream of leaving, teaching and doing something else? Maybe working from home, or starting your own business? In 2016 I was exactly where you are. Hating my job, desperate to get out, but not knowing how to make it happen. I now run my own successful copywriting business. Each week I’m going to share some helpful tips and insights about leaving teaching and running your own business. And I’m also going to interview other teaching escapees w...
Mar 28, 2024•1 min
