The Untapped ESL Market

There's a real opportunity for language teachers breaking out of the ESL box.

That’s when they go beyond linguists, towards social skills.

From How To grammar, collocations, pronunciation to How To forge relationships, foster communities and leadership.

It's not a radical change. Just a gentle and strategic leaning towards an untapped market — right in the intersection of language and social skills.

If your goal is to achieve ‘native-speaker proficiency level’ or to help students achieve that…

You are aiming extremely low, and you are getting paid accordingly.?

Being fluent in Cantonese is one thing.

Knowing how to network with business owners in Cantonese or how to be a proactive member of a community in Cantonese are very different things.

Language doesn't automatically translate into interpersonal skill.

It's not hard to think of countless native-speakers in any language who are crippled with social anxiety themselves…

And so many who are not great at socializing, networking, negotiating or leading people.

'Native-speaker proficiency level' is high bar from the linguistic frame, but very low from the interpersonal skills frame. There's no reason why a teachers should stop at that level.

It's like bringing people to the gate of an amusement park and not showing them the amazing rollercoaster rides available.

MORE people willing to pay you MORE dollars.

Aiming to use language as a doorway to social skills and earning skills are exactly what high payed language coaches are already doing.

Consciously or accidently...

Some of the best teachers are able to inspire leadership skills for example, even when coming from the linguist frame.

My advise for them would be: if you are delivering leadership skills, you might as well sell it as such. You are solving a bigger problem than let's say grammar, and the market will happily pay you more for that.

Fine-tune your marketing message accordingly.

Breaking out of the box can be scary. Staying inside the box is 10x scarier in a world that is changing so fast.

Think of it not in terms of professions and jobs,

but in terms of a spectrum, where on one end you have: free Duolingo and the 10$ teacher;

and on the other end: 40k/h negotiation and leadership coach.

On this spectrum we are all teachers. Nothing is stopping the 10$ teacher from going one direction or another.

But some will believe the box.

"The Tefl, Celta or teaching degree didn't teach me about social skills, interpersonal skills, etc. so there's nothing I can do.". That's enough to stop many.

Some will even fight for the box:

"Where do I get the accreditation, what's the pedigree, who do I need to ask permission to expand what I offer...I must have that."

Then there will be those doing their own research, testing and bringing new services to the market.

If the language teacher is like the taxi to amusement park.

The language coach helping students achieve social skills, emotional, negotiation and leadership skills are guides operating from inside the park.

And the best part: it's not a crowded amusement park right now.

Another best part: The realm of interpersonal and emotional skills are not a place AI and automatic courses can reach very easily. They will survive the future.

?? Let me know what if you can relate to some of the points above?

Ps.: Here are 3 ways I can help you a program and a business you are proud of:

1. Free trainings helping specifically language coaches get more clients, deliver better courses and grow their businesses.
2. Join my Private Community on Facebook for more discussions, and trainings.
3. Book an intro chat to brainstorm the next steps with your coaching business.