This week, we're talking with a teacher from the UK who made the leap from classroom teaching to building a successful tutoring business. She shares the real, unfiltered story of leaving the career she thought she'd do forever - including all the pitfalls, challenges, and hard-won lessons along the way.

If you've ever wondered "What if I left teaching and started my own thing?" or "Could I actually make tutoring work as a full-time business?" - this conversation is for you.

📱 Instagram: @careerafterteaching 💌 DM me: Your thoughts on this episode, your questions, your story 🎙️ Share this episode: Help another teacher who needs to hear this ⭐ Rate & Review: Help more teachers find this podcast

Connect with Andrea:

https://www.brickworkmathematics.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/stepping_out_of_the_classroom/

https://www.instagram.com/brickworkmathematics/

Teacher to Tutor Program

https://steppingoutoftheclassroom.co.uk/teachertotutor

A free PDF with ten tips if you are thinking about leaving the classroom.

http://steppingoutoftheclassroom.co.uk

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

✨ The breaking point: What finally made her decide to leave teaching after years of thinking about it

✨ The fear factor: How she dealt with walking away from a stable salary, pension, and the identity of "teacher"

✨ Building a tutoring business from scratch: The practical steps she took, from finding her first clients to scaling to full-time income

✨ The pitfalls no one tells you about: What she wishes she'd known before starting (marketing, pricing, boundaries, burnout)

✨ The challenges that surprised her: What was harder than she expected and what was easier

✨ The financial reality: How long it took to replace her teaching salary and what that journey actually looked like

✨ Work-life balance post-teaching: Is it actually better? (Spoiler: yes, but not in the ways she expected)

✨ Her advice for teachers considering the leap: What to do before you leave, what to avoid, and how to know if it's right for you

WORKSHOP REMINDER:

🎯 Roadmap to Leaving the Classroom - Teacher Goal Setting Workshop

Happening in early January! If this episode resonated with you and you're thinking "Maybe I could do something like this too" - join us.

We'll help you:

• Get clear on what you actually want (tutoring? Something else? Better boundaries in teaching?)
• Identify the fears and limiting beliefs holding you back
• Create concrete goals and action steps
• Connect with a community of teachers on the same journey

LISTENER CHALLENGE:

After listening to this episode, ask yourself:

1. What's one thing she said that resonated with me?
2. What fear am I holding onto that might not be as scary as I think?
3. If I could design my work life from scratch, what would it look like?

Journal on these. DM me your answers. Let's talk about it.

If you loved this episode, go back and listen to:

• Episode 1: My story of leaving teaching (the 5-year journey)
• Episode 2: The guilt that keeps us stuck
• Episode 3: Working from home with kids - the reality
• Episode 6: My favorite things for teachers in transition