Scrolling through platforms like Preply or the educational tags on Xiaohongshu, it is easy to feel discouraged. With skilled teachers from countries with a lower cost of living offering lessons for a fraction of a UK hourly rate, it can feel like the industry is in a race to the bottom. The good news? It is a race you don’t need to run. The Global Reality We must accept that the market has changed. Teachers from the Philippines and Latin America are often excellent, hardworking, and provide a vital service for students who need affordable practice. This isn’t unfair; it is simply global economics. However, just because they can charge less, doesn’t mean you should lower your value. Why You Shouldn't Compete on Price. If you try to match the lowest rates, you will burn out. More importantly, price dictates your student. - Low prices often attract casual "shoppers" looking for a chat. - Sustainable prices attract serious students looking for results. Sell Value, Not Time To stand out, stop selling "English lessons" and start selling specific outcomes. As a native speaker or a specialised tutor, you offer things that bargain-hunting cannot buy: - Cultural Nuance: Understanding how and why we use certain phrases. - Idiomatic Fluency: Polishing advanced speakers to sound natural, not just grammatically correct. - Specialisation: Solving high-stakes problems like IELTS exams or business presentations. The Verdict The market is big enough for everyone. There is a place for affordable conversation practice, and there is a place for premium coaching. Don’t look down on the low-cost market—just choose not to participate in it. Stand firm on your prices, highlight your unique expertise, and you will attract the students who are looking for you, not just the cheapest option.

In recent years, concerns about the effects of social media on children have moved from academic debates into government policy. Australia has now taken one of the strongest stances in the world by introducing a national ban preventing children under 16 from holding accounts on major social-media platforms. The new legislation places the legal burden on platforms, not on families. Companies such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and others must prevent under-16s from creating accounts and must remove existing accounts belonging to users below that age. Non-compliance can lead to large fines. Other countries are likely to follow suit, as a parent (although my daughter is now an adult) and a grandparent, I would always tell my kid and grandkids, "go out' enjoy the fresh air"! So as a parent I would try to stop my kid and grand kids from spending too much time on the phones and tablets, but feel angered now the government is going to do it!! How do you feel about this? Another step towards an Orwellian society in a democracy?!!?!!??!

Yo! I know I’ve been quiet in here the last couple of months. I promise I haven’t been ignoring you guys. Truth is, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the direction of this group and what actually helps you guys get here. For years, I’ve focused heavily on "building online businesses." And while that’s still valid, I realised something over the past year or so... Most of you don't necessarily want a new business. You just want to be in Thailand. And you want to get here by doing less, not more. So I’ve been heads-down the last 10 weeks or so building something that focuses on that side of things... Investing, leveraging what you have, and making the math work without needing to grind 14 hours a day. That brings me to this beast... It’s the ultimate "Exit Planning" software I’ve been building. You can watch the breakdown below to see exactly how it works. I’ve just opened up a handful of slots on my calendar for this month to run through these plans 1-on-1. I’m posting it in here first to give you guys first refusal before I email the main list. If you want to grab a spot, click here to book your strategy session. Also keep an eye on the Calendar tab. I’ve got some new community meetings planned, and I’ll be back on YouTube very soon with some fresh content. Good to be back. 🫡

I've had this trip planned for a while and now I'm all aboard! 14 hours of flying to Tokyo, around 50 hours of flying in 3 weeks😳 Let's rock n roll!!

Hi all, Been a while since I posted here What do people use for organising their freelance work schedule? Neil