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Going Home After Teaching Abroad, My Plan-Updated

My return to Canada after teaching abroad

Korea: I’m Kinda Over You

These days, I am totally and completely burnt out on the teaching in Korean universities, as perhaps demonstrated by some recent posts over on my other blog, My Life! Teaching in a Korean University:

Korean University Jobs: The Golden Handcuffs

Some Less than Exciting Work Options

Anyway, not to worry since it is my last semester and I’ll be leaving the land of the kimchi in February or March of 2016 for a return to the homeland. Going home, after teaching abroad- a most exciting prospect. As my friends and those who’ve been following this blog for a while might know, I’ve wavered back and forth, and back and forth again trying to decide what I want to do for work. While I’m not totally ruling out teaching again, I am ruling out living abroad most definitely, and I’m also ruling out teaching for at least a couple years after I get back. I’m not sure I’d be in a good place if I decided to do either of those things. Other options were things like financial services, human resources, medical technician of some kind, or industrial psychology, but none of those things made me feel excited and like I wanted to go back to school and drop thousands of dollars on them.

A Better Plan for Work

What does make me feel excited is being my own boss and making money by building websites and writing books, mostly the writing books thing. Since October 2014, I’ve published 7 books on Amazon, I have 2 more in various stages of editing and 1 is in the early writing phase. As each month goes by, I learn more and more about self-publishing so that I can write and edit and do all the little things you need to do way more quickly. And, the amount of money I earn is going up and up each month, such that in 6 months, I might be able to sustain a most frugal of existences and not have to get a “real-job.” In a year, who knows? Maybe I can to save a bit for the future.  5 years? Maybe I can start to earn some serious money.

Imagine the Possibilities if I Had More Time?

And this all happened while I was still teaching at my university and taking various vacations around the world and building websites and doing a ton of other stuff. I think if I devoted myself full-time to the venture, I could do even more. For example, I’ve only just barely scratched the surface with regards to marketing my books and affiliate marketing opportunities. Starting up a podcast is a distinct possibility. There is nothing in the ESL teaching world that I know of right now that is something that I actually want to listen to. I’ve paid very few people to help me with stuff, apart from graphic design so hiring a virtual assistant to do research, edit, proofread, write the basics of blog posts, upload posts, edit a podcast, etc. is a real possibility and could for such kick this operation into high gear.

Life After ESL: Get a Plan, and a Pool of Money

Life After ESL: Foreign Teachers Returning Home is a book I recently wrote about going back home after teaching abroad. I surveyed 55 of my old friends to find out their advice and the first thing they said is to have a plan. The second thing is to have a pool of money. Plan = check. Pool = check.

So, despite my somewhat unorthodox path, I feel like things are going to be okay when I return to Canada. I do have a plan, a quite detailed one about building the online empire and getting all the stuff done that I just didn’t have time to do when I was still working. Book marketing, podcasting, writing books, affiliate marketing, content marketing, email marketing, etc. There is quite literally a whole world of possibilities for me to make money doing stuff online.

Plus, the pool of money. I’m getting a pension payout of around $30,000 which I think can easily last me 3-4 years when combined with the money I’ll be making from books and my other income streams. Hopefully after a year or two, I’ll be making enough that I can just live off my income and not use any of the money I saved from my years teaching in Korea. The free health-care in Canada thing certainly helps.

An Exciting Challenge

Anyway, I’m feeling…upbeat. Like really, seriously, seriously excited about this whole thing. It’s going to be a huge challenge and I know that there are going to be struggles along the way and times might be a bit tight but putting in some serious work these next couple of years is going to pay off big-time for the decades to come.

The world of Internet marketing is only at the beginning stages, like really at the beginning stages and I feel like there are so few people who know that they’re actually doing that the opportunity is huge. Not that I’m an expert but I’m learning more and more with each passing week and also making more and more money as the months go by. Plus, my email list is also getting huge-it’s over a 1000 and growing by at least 5 or 10 people every day, so there is some massive potential there, or at least that’s what all the gurus like Pat Flynn say.

Let’s Sum This Up

Sure, I could go back to Canada, return to school or look for a job of some kind. But, I don’t really think that that’s going to make me happy. This seems like a way harder, but also far more exciting thing to do. And after 10 years of working at the easiest job, ever, it’s time for something big, something difficult, something a little crazy and outside the box.

Stay tuned for updates along the way.

4 Comments

  1. I have no doubt you will make it work, and meet all your goals. Focus and determination are the key things and you have both in abundance.

  2. Oh yes Jackie. The sun is setting on my Korean sojourn also. I am looking at either this year or next year and then its done. You offer some great advice to people in our situation. Its something to embrace head on. Many of us stay on all the extra years because we get comfy, not realizing that the comfort might be what retards us in the long run. I am sure you will do very well.

    • I’m totally convinced that comfort isn’t necessarily a good thing for the long-term. Sure, enjoy periods of it but too long = complacency. Good luck on your own journey!

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