Hi, I’m Rachael
Business coaching for freelance language teaching professionals
For experienced freelance language professionals ready to stop undercharging and build a business that reflects their ability.
You already know how to teach.
You already care deeply about your clients.
What’s missing isn’t effort — it’s clarity, positioning, and the confidence to raise your standards.
You might still be:
• Charging less than you know you should
• Taking on work that isn’t quite right
• Relying too heavily on word of mouth
• Working more hours than your income justifies
Designed to Flourish is a six-month programme that helps you change all that – properly.
We work on:
Clarifying your niche, and designing offers that command proper fees
Raising your pricing without a wobble
Attracting right-fit clients consistently
Building a business that gives you choices and autonomy, not just busyness
No tips and tricks, or pretending this is easy.
Just clear thinking, steady support, and the confidence to raise your standards.
Whether you’ve been freelancing for years — or you’re ready to build your business properly from the start…
This programme is for experienced language professionals who are ready to take the business side seriously.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
But you do need to be willing to:
• Charge properly for your work
• Speak clearly about what you offer
• Build something intentionally rather than “seeing what happens”
• Follow through on decisions
Some of my best clients are teachers who’ve never run a business before – but are all in.
Others have been freelancing for years and are ready to raise their standards.
What they have in common isn’t experience in business.
It’s commitment.
In terms of the people I work with, I don’t seem to be having any trouble finding the right kind of clients that I want to work with. And I’ve also noticed that the clients I’m working with now seem to really value what my courses are worth.
Whereas previously I would have clients perhaps trying to haggle a bit over the price or ask for discounts, I’m not having any of that now.
I really can’t say enough times, do it (the group programme). I don’t think you’ll regret it. I think that you’ll bring things out of yourself that you didn’t know you had. And then you’ve got a potential future that’s completely different from the one that you thought you had.
Here’s what happens when experienced teachers raise their standards:
My client, Lucy used to pay an agency £600 per client week, cutting heavily into her profits. Now she fills her immersion courses herself – and has increased her prices on top.
Medical English trainer Helen increased her rates by 50%, is still booked out, and now has more motivated clients who are happy to pay her new prices.
Nicola, a teacher trainer, doubled the number of groups she could fill, and doubled her income, before the programme ended.
Kath got together with another freelance materials writer, and together they created a course for teachers wanting to learn to write materials. In the last year, they’ve had more than 60 teachers go through this course.
If you’re ready to take your business seriously — and be paid accordingly — let’s talk.
Real results from freelance language teachers I’ve worked with
I went from working 6–7 days a week with 6 days of client contact and 60 hours a week minimum, to working 3.5 days a week with a max of 30 contact hours. Planning my classes and checking self-study tasks doesn’t take me more than 5 hours a week. During the August break, I had time to think about what I would like my week to look like, and starting in September, I began working 3.5 days a week, with Thursday and half of Tuesday off.
Signing up gave me a push to finally stop CELTA tutoring. After the first couple of sessions, I asked the school for a pay rise—I got a 20% raise. I also raised fees for some of my 1-2-1 clients at the start of the new academic year. I was bracing myself for tough conversations—unnecessarily, as it turned out. No one else even commented.
I got plenty of support in figuring out my niche, my main offer, my lead magnet and a bite-sized offer. My website is up and running, my LinkedIn profile got a serious revamp, I started an Instagram account, and I’m making MailerLite work for me so my mailing list can grow. YouTube channel is next.
I know what my next steps are. I know what to watch out for. I feel that if I ever want to flesh out any of the other ideas, I’d be able to repeat the process.
Go for it! Best investment I’ve ever made. You helped me choose the best idea from the ones I had and now it’s taken shape.
Before I started the group programme I was sometimes doing eighty hour working weeks. The project always dictated my day, or rather, I let them dictate my day. I was accepting a low (sometimes very low) hourly rate for quite specialised writing/editing work.
I didn’t really know what to expect from the programme. I thought I might be asked to share more of myself with the group than I was comfortable with, and the cost was a big investment for me.
However, I’ve learned a really good mix of practical things about starting a business, as well as the kind of mindsets and behaviours that hold me back. The shift is…I feel like more is possible. I felt very trapped. Now I feel like there are all kinds of doors open for me. I also value myself more, and recognise my strengths as well as my weaknesses.
For someone on the fence about this programme, I would say ‘Do it.’ The course is life-changing from a business and a personal perspective.
You know what you’re talking about. You clearly enjoy learning and sharing that. You know how to teach and structure a course. You understand people. You’re trustworthy.
Thank you!
”I’ve learned a huge amount during the programme and I probably still haven’t actually internalised how much I have learned and changed. It far exceeded my expectations in terms of the effect the programme has had on me, and although I still have a lot of work to do on many aspects of the programme, I am much more confident about what I am doing.
The programme helped me make decisions about how I could take control of my career and while I was on the programme, I developed a whole new business idea which I am currently putting into practice.
I’ve created a new website, designed and launched a live course and I have plans for another more extended course and a series of resources. But the biggest change is motivational. I’m now really excited about what I’m doing, which I think is one of the most important things in a career.
I loved the community aspect and the group coaching sessions. These were really important for me as they gave me the opportunity to share my ideas in a small group and get useful feedback and advice from Rachael.
The programme may seem like a large investment both in terms of time and money, but it is easily worth it. I have got so much value from the programme and I’m really excited about what the future will bring. ”
When I first got in touch with Rachael, I had an overwhelming workload of 30–33 contact hours a week, 59 students aged 7–40+, 13 individual lessons and 17 group lessons, online and offline, 4–5 classes every day, 24/7.
I wasn’t confident about my niche, my USP, and was struggling to find my Zone of Genius. I was lost in my numerous activities and couldn’t identify the one which was the most successful or unique. I thought it couldn’t last like this for a long time and searched for a smarter and more compassionate approach to my work and life.
Now (March 2025), I have a clear niche – instilling the love of language and nice pronunciation to Young Learners- I have a content plan and follow it, and I work 17 contact hours a week. Sunday is my day off. Friday evening is for my massage, meeting with friends, gym or any other relaxation activities.
Income €5.5k a month.
Already running a strong business and ready for the next level?
Project Bloom is my advanced programme for established freelance language professionals who have already built solid foundations and want to scale, refine, or expand at a higher level.
It’s best suited to graduates of Designed to Flourish or experienced business owners operating at a similar standard.