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THE CONFIDENT
ELT FREELANCER COLLECTIVE
Community and practical business and mindset support
for ELT Freelance Professionals and Business Owners
Do you often feel really on your own trying to work out everything you need to run your business by yourself?
Being a freelancer or owning your own business can be great. When it works, you have so much more flexibility about how you spend your time, and can choose the kind of work you do, how much you charge, and even who you work with.
That’s the dream…..
But the reality isn’t always quite like that, is it? Maybe you’ve found yourself…
🛑 earning terrible hourly rates once you’ve taken all the extra work and expenses into account.
🛑 working long and unsociable hours to please a client or to earn enough to pay the bills.
🛑 confused and anxious about tax, finances, and legal stuff.
🛑 totally unsure about how to price your services.
🛑 spending too much time looking at what everyone else is doing and wondering what’s the point in trying to compete.
🛑 feeling lonely in your business, and wondering if you should try and get a job again.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
I’ve been in the English Language Teaching world since 1989, and a freelance business owner since 2008.
Over that time, I’ve met some amazing people, and, unfortunately, time and again, I’ve seen freelancers and business owners underselling what they do, being exploited, working themselves into the ground..
That’s why I’m on a mission to support and help other ELT Freelance professionals and business owners, so they can gain confidence, focus their efforts in the right direction, charge good rates, and generally work less, earn more and live more fully!
I already offer an incredible (if I do say so myself) group programme, Flourishing Foundations, which will give you everything you need to develop a really clear vision for your business, and all the strategies you need to make it grow and develop.
But I’m very much aware that not everyone needs or is ready for this kind of root and branch approach. So, I’m creating a new and exciting membership just for ELT freelance professionals and business owners, The Confident ELT Freelancer Collective.
It’s a collective because it’s going to be about all of us raising each other up through a vibrant and super helpful community. I want to give ELT freelancers more confidence, more power, more autonomy…more money!
Together we’re stronger, and we can really have a massive positive impact on the industry as a whole.
What will you gain by becoming a member?
in the membership?
Confidence
I’m an expert at helping people to empower themselves. Together we’ll work on those mindset monkeys holding you back, and learn how to overcome them. Let’s share our trials, tribulations..and our wins.
More money
I’m going to help you earn more money, through shifting your mindset, and helping you to price more effectively and confidently.
Peace of mind
Together with invited guest experts, we’ll look at the financial and legal aspects of your business, so there aren’t any more dark corners you’re trying to avoid thinking about.
Systems that work
I’ll help you develop systems to manage your time and energy, and to make sure that every aspect of your business is running smoothly.
Tech know-how
I regularly invite in guest experts to help you learn about your options for things like setting up a website, an online calendar, a social media scheduler, and get tips on using different tools such as Canva or Slack.
Community
You don’t have to be lonely in your business any more. Be part of a lively and supportive community and ask all those questions that you never know who to ask about… there’s even an anonymous option, if something is sensitive.
What my clients think
Freelancing can be lonely and it helps me to be a part of a freelancing community to keep in touch with others in the industry and know what’s trending around the traps. But more importantly, to share the highs and lows of being a human trying to build something, making your mark in your own little corner of the world.
After the Festival of Freelancing, which helped me a lot to organise my ideas about my plans for starting my own business, I felt I needed more support and input as well as exchanging ideas with the group. I found that and much more in the Freelancers Collective.
The Monday lives have been a real motivator, and somehow hit the nail on the head every time. I think the accountability threads are really useful, not just for the accountability, but as a thinking exercise so that I can get more realistic about what I can achieve in a given time.
What’s included?
Expert training
1-2 Zoom training sessions each month, with industry experts helping with tech, finances, mindset, systems and more.
All sessions are recorded (see the current library below)
Motivational Mini-lives
Recently rated one of the most popular features, I go live every Monday in the Facebook group (replay available) with useful and motivational tips and strategies to help keep you inspired and on track.
Accountability pods
Hand-picked small groups of colleagues within the membership, with similar backgrounds and aims, the accountability pods will give you support and encouragement to achieve your goals.
Directory
Easily find other members with similar interests, business and challenges so that you can share experiences and ideas, or even set up joint projects, or find a business partner.
Coffee chats
Freelancing can get lonely. Sometimes we just want to spend an hour with like-minded people having a social chat.
Join in on Zoom for a super-relaxed chance to get t know other freelancers, swap stories about our experiences, or just chat about your upcoming holiday plans.
Co-working
Finding it hard to motivate yourself to really get down to something?
Join us for 2 x 50 mins of focused working, cameras on, mics off, and be amazed how much you get done.
With time for a little chat during the break too.
Weekly threads
Weekly threads for you to post your MITs (most important tasks) for the week, and check back in on Friday with your wins and learnings.
A simple but powerful habit that will help keep your focused, and feeling supported by the group.
Ask any questions, any time
Want to know what app to use to add subtitles, or whether an offer you’ve received is reasonable, or support and feedback on your IATEFL proposal?
I run a regular AMA (ask me anything) thread, and the group is awash with experts in all these fields. Community really is the backbone of the membership.
Here’s the growing list of training sessions available to you in the
Members’ Library…
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the membership for?
It’s for you if you consider yourself to be freelance, a business owner, an entrepreneur, or self-employed within ELT. You might be an online teacher, or own a bricks and mortar school, or write for publishers, or publish your own materials or training courses, and more. You’ll all benefit from a supportive community, somewhere you can ask any questions you like, and an opportunity to learn all those things that no-one tells you about freelancing.
Will you help me with developing a niche, creating a business model or marketing my business?
The short answer is that this isn’t the aim of this membership. This kind of work needs much more hands-on support and training, and that’s exactly what I offer in my small group programme, Flourishing Foundations, or if you choose to work with me 1-2-1.
If you’re on the fence about working more closely with me though, come and get a taste of what it’s like by joining the membership. And when you’re ready to step up and really get stuck in, I’ll give you your membership free while you’re working with me.
How does it work?
The heart of the membership will be our Facebook group, where you can get to know other freelancers doing similar (and different) things, ask questions, share advice, and just generally network and socialise.
I’ll also be setting up accountability partners or pods (3-4 people) for those who want them, and creating an (optional) handy directory of members, so you can find people with things in common.
Training sessions will either be on Zoom, or live in the group.
There will also be a membership library where you can find recordings of the training sessions, and other resources.
How much of my time will it take?
We’re all busy people, so you won’t be overwhelmed with loads of things to wade through. I’ll create a clear pathway through the training library, so you can easily find information on the topic you’re looking for, and you can dip in and out of the Facebook group as you please.
Will I get my money's worth?
The community, support and opportunity to ask questions alone has to be worth the money. Think about what else you might spend £16 on – a few drinks, a book you may not even get around to reading? But although the community is so valuable, that’s not all you get. You’ll also have regular training sessions on all the aspects of your business listed above, and access to all the past sessions through the membership site, as well as other resources, templates and handouts.
What happens if I decide it's not for me?
You can cancel at any time, so feel free to come and try it for a month, and see how you get on. To cancel you just have to click a button on the site. No awkward conversations. Bear in mind though that I can’t guarantee you’ll keep the same rate if you leave and come back later.
I don’t think I realised how isolated and out of the loop I was in my freelance endeavours until I joined the collective. It’s been a fantastic addition to my work life. Gaining insight into how others are navigating life as a freelancer is so valuable..
It is really rewarding to be part of a group with similar challenges, spear-headed by someone who genuinely cares AND knows her stuff, and to know you’re not alone!
What strikes me most about Rachael Roberts is that every time I listen to her coaching someone in our group, I can always find something relevant to my situation, as if she was talking to me too. Even more so when I watch her weekly lives in our Confident ELT Freelancers Facebook group. I can’t possibly fathom out how she does that. She seems to be keeping in mind all of her clients’ needs and knows how to help everyone offering pertinent advice, suggestions, ideas very generously. 😍