Remote work
What teaching on four continents taught me
I have been teaching English for more than fifteen years, and before that I spent many years in corporate finance in Canada. My teaching journey has taken me to classrooms in Egypt, to rural schools in Malaysia, to a cultural center in Uruguay and, since 2017, to online classrooms with professionals around the world. Along the way, my students taught me as much as I taught them. This article is a reflection on those years: the places, the people and the lessons that shaped the teacher I am today.
The beginning: from finance to the classroom
My first career was in corporate finance and credit management in Canada. I studied credit and financial management and worked as a finance manager. Those years taught me organization, precision and how businesses communicate: reports, meetings, negotiations and deadlines. But I had always loved language, and I felt a growing desire to work with people in a more personal way. In 2007, I earned my TESOL certificate and took the leap. I could not have imagined how far that decision would take me.
Today, my finance background is one of my strengths as a Business English coach. When a student needs to present quarterly results or negotiate a contract, I understand the content as well as the language. Read presentations in English and negotiating in English for examples of what we practice.
Africa: Egypt, 2007–2013
Alexandria
My first teaching position was at AMIDEAST in Alexandria, teaching English as a foreign language to adults. Alexandria, with its sea breeze and Mediterranean elegance, was a gentle introduction to life in Egypt. My students were students and professionals who wanted English for their careers. I learned quickly that preparing a perfect lesson plan was only half the job; the other half was reading the room and adapting to the people in front of me.
Dahab
Then came Dahab, on the Red Sea, where I became a teacher and partner at a small language center. Teaching there meant working with students from many backgrounds, in a relaxed, international town. Running a small center also taught me the practical side of education: organizing courses, welcoming new students and creating a community. Read my Dahab guide.
Cairo
From 2010 to 2013, I taught at the American University in Cairo in the English Access Microscholarship Program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State that gives talented teenagers from modest backgrounds the opportunity to learn English. Working with these young people was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. They were curious, energetic and full of dreams. In 2012, I also completed the ATDOP online teaching certificate from the University of Oregon, designed for Access Program teachers, which introduced me to the possibilities of online teaching.
The lesson from Egypt: motivation changes everything. When learners see English as a door to their dreams, they learn with extraordinary energy. My job is to connect English with what matters to each student. Read my Egypt travel guide.
Asia: Malaysia, 2014–2016
In 2014, I moved to Tawau, in Sabah, on the island of Borneo, as an English language trainer with Brighton Education Group in a native speaker mentorship program linked to Malaysia's Ministry of Education. My role was different from regular teaching: I worked with primary and secondary school teachers in five schools, mentoring them in teaching methodology, materials development and their own language skills. I also ran English activities for the community at a local development center.
The program focused on higher-order thinking skills: helping students not only remember information but analyze, compare, create and express opinions. In rural schools, we designed activities connected to students' lives: their villages, their festivals, their food. Shy students who never spoke in class suddenly had a lot to say when the topic was their own world.
The lesson from Malaysia: make English personal, and confidence follows. Also: teachers are the multipliers of change. Supporting one teacher improves the learning of hundreds of students. Read my Malaysia guide.
South America: Uruguay, 2017
In 2017, I taught at the Alianza Cultural Uruguay – Estados Unidos in Montevideo. I taught adult classes and led conversational workshops supported by the center's library. I also worked as a remote teacher for Plan Ceibal, Uruguay's national education technology program, connecting by video with classroom teachers and children in rural schools.
The conversation workshops showed me how much adults need a safe, enjoyable space to speak. Many of my students understood English well but rarely had the chance to use it. When we created a relaxed atmosphere, with interesting topics and no fear of mistakes, they flourished. Plan Ceibal, on the other hand, showed me that a screen does not have to create distance. With good coordination with classroom teachers, children far from the capital could interact with a native speaker every week.
The lesson from Uruguay: speaking time and a relaxed atmosphere are as important as content. And technology, used well, can bring opportunities anywhere. Read my Uruguay guide.
North America and the world: online, since 2017
From 2017 to 2021, I taught Business English online for Learnship, working with professionals around the world. Since 2021, I have worked as an independent Business English trainer for Speexx, based in Munich, Germany, and for ACA – Ateliers de conversation anglaise in Québec, Canada. My students are managers, engineers, salespeople, accountants and specialists who use English in meetings, emails, presentations and negotiations.
Online teaching has given me the privilege of teaching people in many countries from wherever I live, including, for the past year, Manizales in Colombia. Each class is a window into a different workplace and culture.
The lesson from online teaching: one-to-one classes allow true personalization. Every minute can focus on the student's real needs. And professionals learn fastest when we practice the exact situations they face at work. Read learning English online and English for remote work.
Ten lessons from four continents
- Every learner arrives with a story. Listen first; teach second.
- Motivation is the engine. Connect English to each person's goals and dreams.
- Make it personal. People speak more when they talk about their own lives.
- Mistakes are information. A relaxed atmosphere produces more speaking and faster progress.
- Speaking time matters. Students need to talk, not just listen to the teacher.
- Real situations beat textbook dialogues. Practice the meetings, trips and conversations students will actually have.
- Culture is part of language. Politeness, directness and humor vary by culture, as I explain in cultural etiquette in six countries.
- Teachers learn too. Every class taught me something about people and about myself.
- Technology is a tool, not a barrier. Online classes can be warm, interactive and effective.
- Consistency wins. Regular practice, even short, beats occasional intensive study.
How these lessons shape my classes today
When a new student contacts me, I begin by understanding their goals, their level, their profession and their challenges. We identify the situations that matter most: perhaps leading meetings, preparing for an interview, traveling with confidence or simply speaking without fear. Each class combines conversation, targeted language practice and clear corrections. I bring materials from real life: emails, articles, videos and role-plays based on the student's work or travel plans. And I try to create the same atmosphere I learned to value in every country: warm, respectful and full of curiosity.
| What students need | How we work on it |
|---|---|
| Confidence speaking | Relaxed conversation, gradual challenges, positive feedback |
| Workplace English | Role-plays of meetings, calls, presentations and negotiations |
| Accuracy | Focused corrections on the mistakes that matter most |
| Pronunciation | Word stress, sounds and intonation with clear models |
| Vocabulary | Expressions in context, connected to the student's field |
| Travel | Practical scenarios for airports, hotels and social situations |
Students I will never forget
Over the years, thousands of students have passed through my classrooms, real and virtual. Some moments stay with me forever. A teenager in Cairo who wrote an essay in English about his grandmother's bakery and read it aloud with tears of pride. A primary school teacher in Sabah who, after months of hesitation, led an English activity in front of her colleagues and received a standing ovation. An older student in Montevideo who joined the conversation workshop "just to listen" and, by the end of the year, was telling jokes in English. Professionals in Europe and Québec who came to class nervous before a big presentation and came back the next week smiling because it had gone well.
None of these students were "naturally gifted." They were people who decided to keep trying, in an environment where they felt safe enough to make mistakes. That is the environment I try to create in every class.
Teachers often say that the best lessons are the ones that surprise them, and my career has been full of surprises. A planned grammar lesson that turned into a passionate debate about football. A vocabulary activity about food that ended with students bringing homemade dishes the following week. A difficult day when the internet failed and a student and I simply talked about life, which turned out to be one of her most useful classes. Flexibility, humor and genuine interest in people are the teacher's best tools.
Those unplanned moments are often the ones students remember most.
What I believe about learning
- Everyone can learn. Age, background and past failures do not decide your future.
- Communication comes first. Perfect grammar is less important than being understood and understanding others.
- Feelings matter. Anxiety blocks learning; confidence and enjoyment open the door.
- Learning is personal. The best plan is the one built around your life.
- Progress is a journey. Small, regular steps lead further than occasional big efforts.
These beliefs come from experience on four continents, and they guide every lesson I teach. If you want to start applying them yourself, read the daily English habit and common mistakes when studying English.
A life between languages
I was born in Sweden, I am a Canadian citizen, and I have made my home in Africa, Asia and South America. Each place gave me friends, stories and a slightly different way of seeing the world. People sometimes ask me where home is. My honest answer is that home is wherever I can teach, learn and connect with people. Right now, it is the green mountains of Colombia, as I describe in my Colombia guide and Coffee Region guide.
After more than thirty years of professional life, I am still excited before every class. I still feel joy when a student finally says the sentence they were afraid to say, when someone gets the job they prepared for, or when a traveler tells me they handled a difficult situation abroad in English. Those moments are why I teach.
A message to my students, present and future
Wherever you are, whatever your level, you can improve your English. You do not need to be young, talented or perfect. You need clear goals, regular practice, honest feedback and a little courage. I have seen teenagers in Cairo, teachers in Borneo, adults in Montevideo and executives in Europe and Canada transform their confidence. You can do it too, and I would be happy to help you.
Teaching has given me more than a profession. It has given me a way to belong in every country where I have lived. In each place, my students opened their homes, their cultures and their stories to me. They invited me to festivals, taught me their recipes, corrected my attempts at Arabic, Malay and Spanish with patience, and made me feel part of their communities. I carry all of them with me: the energy of Cairo, the gentleness of Borneo, the calm of Montevideo, the warmth of Colombia and the professionalism of my online students in Europe and Canada. Every new student adds another story to that collection, and I look forward to hearing yours.
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