Working As A Teacher And English Business Coach — Shahriar Nejatbakhsh
Intro:
I am a qualified and experienced English Language Coach and Business Trainer based in London. I qualified as an EFL teacher over 10 years ago after a career in business and never looked back. I have a multi-cultural background, and having learnt a few languages myself, know exactly what the journey is like in mastering a new language.
Most of my students have a business background, so I primarily teach Business English but in fact, am happy to teach anyone who is willing to learn! I am dedicated to providing a well-balanced, supportive, and engaging learning environment in order to empower students to succeed and realise their individual language goals.
Tell us a bit about your backstory. How did you first get started teaching English?
Prior to starting my career as a teacher, I actually ran my own small business in London. In 2008/2009 my business was adversely impacted by the financial crisis, so unfortunately, I had to close it down. At this point I had no idea what would be my next step. So, I went to see a career coach to give me clarity and this was really one of the best moves I have ever made. I was able to find direction in my life, looking at my passions, skills, and what really mattered to me.
I came to the realisation that not only did I have a passion for teaching, as I had worked as a trainer in some capacity in every step of my career, but I also had the ideal experience and background to help business professionals communicate effectively at work. So, I started my practice teaching Business English. But over the years I have expanded my offering to also help individuals looking to improve their general communication skills.
I came to the realisation that not only did I have a passion for teaching, as I had worked as a trainer in some capacity in every step of my career, but I also had the ideal experience and background to help business professionals communicate effectively at work.
Wow! It sounds like you went on such a journey as your business folded and you had to figure out what to do next. Do you think any of your skills that you learned while running your own business helped you transition to work as an independent English teacher?
Absolutely! Firstly, I had the knowledge and experience of setting up a business, so going self-employed from a business perspective was relatively easy. It also helped me market myself, find my niche, and package my product offering. Secondly, I was able to build relationships with clients relatively easily. Furthermore, training experience in my previous roles helped in creating my own style when teaching clients in both a group or one to one basis.
However, the most important skill I acquired running my own business is resilience. As every self-employed teacher out there knows, it is a challenging marketplace in both finding clients and retaining them, there will be ups and downs but that is part of the journey in creating a successful business.
The most important skill I acquired running my own business is resilience.
You know, resilience is a skill that a lot of teachers have mentioned to me as being important. And speaking of resilience, have you had to pivot your business in response to the pandemic?
I have had to make some changes since the start of the pandemic. As things currently stand, I offer all my courses online which include Business English, General English, English for exams and English for specific purposes. I also work with a select number of boutique language academies and run business English courses for them on a group and one-to-one basis.
This period has also given me the opportunity to pursue my other passion which is personal development. I have just completed my diploma in transformational coaching and have my own coaching practice, which I run alongside my teaching business. The skills I have acquired are also transferable to my teaching and has made a huge difference to the way I run my classes.
Having worked in education for a number of years myself, I can see how weaving in coaching practices can be beneficial to your students. Can you describe what it looks like to work with you as an English business coach?
All my courses are personalised with the client’s ultimate objectives in mind. So, I initially have a discovery call with the client to understand their needs and requirements, as well as their motivation and ultimate goals. We then move on to designing the course where the student decides what they want to learn, of course with my guidance. We then move on to goal setting in the following areas:
1. Mechanics: this focuses on grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary i.e. the actual use of the language. The student sets 2–3 goals in this area.
2. Mastery: what the student needs the language for or wants to apply the language to e.g. meetings, negotiation, social English, etc. This is usually in the form of a list but involves prioritising and working on the first mastery goal.
3. Activities: I would finally ask the student what type of activities they would like to perform to achieve these goals and the time period required. Typical activities could be role plays, reading and listening comprehension, interview practice, conversational lessons on a particular theme, etc.
Throughout the course, I would check in with the client to see if they are happy with their progress, give my feedback and, if appropriate, set new goals.
My lessons follow more of a coaching approach as they are led and driven by the student and I serve as a guide to assist the student to achieve their objectives.
My lessons follow more of a coaching approach as they are led and driven by the student and I serve as a guide to assist the student to achieve their objectives.
So even though you customize all your lessons, it seems like there is a standard process all your clients follow. And in my work as an independent branding consultant, I see what you do as integral to a sale process. Do you have any sales tips that you’ve found to be the most effective for you?
I follow a solution-based approach, which is to listen to my client and provide a solution for them. This is the reason that I mainly provide tailor-made packages designed to specifically meet their requirements. I generally follow what I would call a 7-step approach, which would start by telling the client who I am and my story, understanding their needs, requirements, and motivation. I conclude the session with presenting a solution to the client.
I can really see how if you position your service as a customized offer, that your prospective clients will see the immense value that you offer. And I can imagine that sales would be a lot easier this way. So, if you could go back in time, is there anything you would change about your English teaching career? Why?
As I already had business experience, I spent most of my time developing my teaching skills and less on my business. I thought this would be the best way to serve my clients. However, what actually happened was that I mainly relied on referrals for new business. Looking back, I should have dedicated more time on developing my business earlier on in my career and honing my skills in this area. You can be a great teacher but still only have very few clients if you don’t spend time growing your business.
You can be a great teacher but still only have very few clients if you don’t spend time growing your business.
That is such excellent advice to leave for others. Okay, so if others want to connect with you online, how can they do that?
Website: www.londonhometuition.com
Email: shahriar.nejat [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/londonhometuition
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahriar-nejatbakhsh-63378012/
Originally published at https://makealeap.co/ on March 23, 2021.
