Join the Smart Teacher’s Library to:
When you start teaching online, big platforms tell you that 1:1 classes will help you find freedom.
Soon, you’ll discover that the freedom they promised feels more like prison and generates more burnout than money.
Working on your own, in a sustainable way is scary with all the marketing and selling, and social media, and content creation.
Here’s the problem.
The language teaching industry conditions you to believe that in order to succeed as an online language teacher, you need to:
1. Teach for a big company (or companies).
2. Create an online course and sell it using ads.
3. Start an online school and work with dozens of teachers and admins.
But none of these strategies help you experience freedom, flexibility and sustainable growth without getting into debt or giving up on teaching the language.
The Smart Teacher’s Library is a place where online language teachers and coaches build their businesses in a gentle, manageable and sustainable way.
For us, #languagenerds:
Gentle means accepting where you are on the journey and still challenging your beliefs around what you’re capable of.
Manageable means step-by-step, without quantum leaps you’re not ready for (launching large courses, expensive advertising).
Sustainable means finding teaching formats that will help you impact more people and make the same (or higher) amount of money without racking up more hours.
The language learning industry is failing us.
- If 1:1 lessons felt like freedom, why would they create burnout? Why would we complain on Facebook forums about their evil exclusionary hiring practices and exploitative working environments?
- If creating online courses did help you reach 5-6-figure launches without the audience, marketing or any sales experience, we wouldn’t have so many online teachers struggling to make their courses sell.
- If creating an online language school was indeed a path to growing your business, you wouldn’t be faced with the truth of “I have to pay everyone their salary, and I’m not sure there’ll be enough left to pay myself.”
What if…
- You could move away from 1:1 classes seamlessly, slowly increasing your hourly rate while reducing the number of hours you teach?
- You could challenge your limiting beliefs about money, marketing and promotion so you could show up more authentically and make offers without guilt or shame?
- You learned systems that will allow you to grow your business revenue multiple times without hiring more teachers or admins?
You can switch to a completely different format of online language teaching using the apps available at yours and your students’ fingertips, without insane investments in course-hosting companies or ads.
You can use the self-coaching tools to help you shift your beliefs so you get excited about promotion, marketing and selling.
You can tap into the network of online language teachers and creators inside the Library to grow your reach even before you have a vibrant online presence. Those connections will give you a greater boost than the capricious Instagram algorithm.
You will learn to create a sustainable business on your own terms.
The Smart Teacher’s Library is
#1: A growing community of online language teachers building their sustainable online teaching business.
#2: A library of bite-sized actionable business learning materials updated monthly (something you can complete at your coffee break) + mindset-shifting lessons through doodles.
#3: Monthly group coaching + bi-monthly sales practice calls.
- Forum + Co-working
- Online courses, E-books, Templates
- Group Coaching Sessions
After enrolling, you’ll get invited to the Library party (or watch the recording) and learn:
- How to use the library resources and doodle lessons.
- How to use self-coaching tools to shift your mindset and get work done!
- How to make the most out of group coaching and sales practice calls.
Monthly Workflow
Each month, you get access to 4 things:
Week 1: materials delivered via email
- A new short audio/video lesson with a worksheet or a workbook on marketing, selling, content creation, webinars, advanced planning, financial basics, etc.
- A new doodle lesson with a mindset-shifting exercise.
- My behind-the-scenes report on what’s working in my business, what I’m trying and where I’ve failed or didn’t.
- Access the forum (Mo-Fri) to ask questions and receive feedback on your project. You can also use it as a place to establish accountability.
- Submit a question/questions for the monthly group coaching call (and/or ask to be coached).
- Group coaching call happening on a Monday at 1 PM Central Time (US)/7 PM London time. Recordings are always available.
- Sales practice call (every other month) where you get to learn how to sell your program/coaching offer to a student. 2-3 teachers practice selling, 2-3 are prospective buyers and the rest are watching and taking notes. Lots of feedback and learning.
A 5-day challenge called Create Space for Change to learn how to use self-coaching tools that will help you get clarity on your next steps and change the way you think to increase productivity and stop procrastinating. We use a simple journaling technique called thought download and a couple of tools to look into your thoughts and emotions.
Here’s what some members say about being in the Library…
What’s most valuable is the relationships I’ve created with the members…
I’ve been a member of the Library for over a year now. I found useful resources there but what’s most valuable is the relationships I’ve created with the members. This too has been helping me grow both as a teacher and solopreneur.
Fabio Cerpelloni, Nonfiction bookclubs for advanced learners of English at fabiocerpelloni.com
I love having access to Elena’s ongoing quality content.
I have been a member of the library since it opened. So I’ve had the experience of going through Elena’s well-organized tutorials when I have practical needs. But the library is still relevant to me. There is always something new to learn and I love having access to Elena’s ongoing quality content.
Trisha Traughber, Copy writer and writing coach for multilingual creatives, teachers and interpreters at vagabondenglish.com
I can highly recommend becoming part of her community…
Elena is extremely passionate about supporting and helping people build their dream online language business.
Her positivity, experience, and genuine care have given me the courage and focus to dream big and go for it.
I can highly recommend becoming part of her community and taking advantage of all that she offers.
Phil Schiller, English Practice Coach
I appreciate that lots of attention is placed on self-care…
I love Elena’s community. It is a non-judgmental, safe space where I can receive support and answers from different perspectives of business owners. Also, it’s beneficial to my mental health to see what it takes (and how long) to grow your business in reality as people are sharing their experiences. I no longer feel alone, lost, or the slowest person on earth.
I appreciate that lots of attention is placed on self-care – it is an excellent reminder to slow down, take more precise actions and connect with my authentic self. Working with Elena and being in the library changed my perception of a successful business on my own terms and what it means to be my best boss. On my way 🙂
Maria Glazunova, Teacher Trainer
A great community of people that are on a similar career path…
I joined the Smart Teacher’s Library 4 months ago. Not only have I found countless resources to learn from, but also a great community of people that are on a similar career path, eager to share both failure and success, enjoying the process of becoming a better professional and managing our businesses more sustainably.
I have launched my first product and I am experiencing a mindset shift, which is leading me towards delivering less 1:1 online sessions, with Elena’s support and feedback.
María Eugenia Pellegrin, Business English Language Coaching
I learned the fundamentals of community creation…
I started out my journey at the STL hoping to increase my 1:1 prices at Italki and teach Italian. By the time I left it, I had a budding retreat business that allows me to keep my family and also to have time for myself.
The Library helped me broaden my horizons, dare to dream bigger, feel supported in my endeavors, but most of all, show up for myself. After I left, the things I learned helped me create supportive systems automatically.
Not a day goes by that something I learned during my time at the library, comes useful in taking some decisions. Last but not least, I learned the fundamentals of community creation and the connections I built in the library, are still with me six years later.
Elfin Waters, An Italian coach who offers slow living language retreats at allaboutitalian.com
In the past 7 years, we’ve helped 300+ language teachers move toward sustainable businesses.
Join The Smart Teacher’s Library to:
#1 Teach languages in different formats, apart from 1:1.
#2 Feel confident about marketing and selling your programs and courses.
#3 Collaborate with a network of creative teachers to reach new audiences faster.
Join monthly
[cancel or switch to annual any time]- 70+ short mini-tutorials focused on marketing your business (regularly updated).
- Self-coaching tools to proof your mindset against any hurdle in business.
- Doodle and simple creativity lessons for mindful souls.
- Printable templates, mini-journals, calendars, etc.
- A forum in Slack.
- Monthly Library newsletter with Elena’s behind-the-scenes reports.
- Monthly group coaching sessions on a variety of business subjects.
- Bi-monthly sales practice calls.
- 50% off on all online courses.
- Quarterly pre-recorded Q&A (submit a question, get the answers in a recording).
- BONUS 1: Done-For-You ready-made program + template + video ($250 value)
Join yearly
$950/year [save $430]- 70+ short mini-tutorials focused on marketing your business (regularly updated).
- Self-coaching tools to proof your mindset against any hurdle in business.
- Doodle and simple creativity lessons for mindful souls.
- Printable templates, mini-journals, calendars, etc.
- A forum in Slack.
- Monthly Library newsletter with Elena’s behind-the-scenes reports.
- Monthly group coaching sessions on a variety of business subjects.
- Bi-monthly sales practice calls.
- 50% off on all online courses.
- Quarterly pre-recorded Q&A (submit a question, get the answers in a recording).
- BONUS 1: Done-For-You ready-made program + template + video ($250 value)
- BONUS 2: Private 1-hour coaching session ($750 value) to practice your sales pitch and get live feedback
More reviews from our Library members…
The mindset change I had was fundamental in this achievement…
When I joined the library, I was shyly trying out offering async programs to a few of my students.
I’m now in the middle of my first group writing program: the mindset change I had with the help of the self-coaching tools available in the library, the group coaching as well as the challenges were fundamental in this achievement!
Francesca Corona, Italian teacher
I would highly recommend Elena…
What I like most about joining the Smart Teacher’s Library are Elena’s psychological perspective of looking at things and their implementation. She makes you realize that everything comes from within, the person you are and how you can express your inner thoughts and take action. Her supportive feedback is priceless and she has made me look at my online business from a different perspective. I would highly recommend Elena to anyone who would like to progress, get new ideas from great resources in the library and be part of an amazing community of teachers. Thank you Elena!
Dina, ESL teacher for BMES and Pharma professionals at xtransform-your-english.newzenler.com
Invest in yourself and your business will grow…
To reach the goal faster you need only 3 things:
1. The right mindset
2. Making an effort
3. The right people
The STL provides them all and even more than you can expect. Invest in yourself and your business will grow. 🎯
Masha Honcharova, Going beyond English fluency through nonfiction books
I strongly recommend you give yourself the chance to meet with Elena…
I’d been following Elena’s work for years before I finally decided to join the Library. Since I joined, not only has my outlook on my business changed, but also my business itself: I’ve been able to be more present for my students, have created some fantastic products, have noticed changes in mindset, and have worked on the stories that had me tied to my own stories about money and responsibility.
I have also made more money! I feel lighter, happier, and willing to do what I have always liked: serving my students to the best of my abilities. I strongly recommend you give yourself the chance to meet with Elena and a whole lot of teachers who are part of the community and enjoy being there. Believe me! I spent years thinking if I should spend money on the Library; what I did not know was that I was investing in myself!
Chris Pontiroli, ESL fluency teacher at www.chrispontiroli.com
The tutorials, workbooks, checklists in the Library are just awesome…
I joined the Library in September 2021. After following plenty of coaches and trainers, I found the one – Elena – who says it’s ok to turtle along, and what I’m doing is valuable even if I don’t build an empire in 3 days. So I stopped the pointless like-hunting on social media and started to go my own way.
The tutorials, workbooks, checklists in the Library are just awesome, and help me a lot in my professional and personal development. They help me find my own way in my business, and stay on track. I love the forum and the monthly live meetings, they are like a virtual teacher’s room where we can share our questions, struggles – and wins!
Petra Bozoradi, Hungarian teacher and tutor for independent learners at Easy Hungarian
Elena’s creative approach to asynchronous language study has allowed me to reach more clients…
The library has been a powerful tool for me to connect with other online language teachers and harness so many resources, ideas, and efficient ways of working that I wouldn’t have discovered in any other way. For example, we started a Linkedin thread where we share strategies and support each other’s posts.
Also, Elena’s creative approach to asynchronous language study has allowed me to reach more clients in a variety of time zones that I couldn’t have worked with in the past. Finally, the doodling and mindset work is such a lovely way to dig deeper into our motivations and passions and to push ourselves to continue to grow and I really look forward to the doodles as a creative outlet. I can’t recommend the library enough, especially since the content is always fresh, authentic, and transformational.
Anne Haggerson, TOEFL Exam Preparation at movingenglishlessons.com
I’m Elena Mutonono,
and I help burned out online teachers move beyond 1:1 Skype lessons to create a smarter system where you can teach your clients on your own terms.
After my first ESL teaching business fell apart in 2014 due to the war, I realized I had to make some drastic changes. I began working with the global market and found it challenging to stand out. How could I market in a language that’s not my mother tongue? How can I charge more?
I needed guidance but couldn’t justify the $500 investment in a 1.5-hour coaching session. Would it be enough? I wanted ongoing support for several years at an affordable monthly rate, which was unavailable. I wasted precious time looking for answers on YouTube or Google, trying to figure out who was more “legit.”
That’s why I have created the Smart Teacher’s Library – a place where online teachers and coaches can build sustainable businesses, support and cheer for each other and get guidance and coaching from people who have more experience.
Since launching it in 2017, my community has helped hundreds of online coaches find their niche, create new programs and build a sustainable business on their own terms.
Whether you’re done with 1:1 classes or want to skip the back-to-back classes altogether to build a more sustainable business, this community will help you grow, learn, promote your work, get referrals, collaborations and put your knowledge to action.
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FAQ
“I’ve never invested in my business before”
For many of our community members, joining the Smart Teacher’s Library was also their first-time investment. Doing something for the first time is scary, especially if it’s about money. And you’re probably thinking that you first need to earn enough from your business to invest in it.
But if you’ve read that far, you want to find a better way to teach online, don’t you? Now, it’s up to you: To keep doing the same things you’ve been doing before and expecting a different result, or to join Smart Teacher’s Library for a small investment and start transforming your business today, like hundreds of our members have done before you.
Another encouragement is before you make the investment, take the time to browse through the free resources on the blog, listen to the OnlineBound podcast or sign up for the newsletter!
“I don’t have time”
Making time for things that matter is the first step towards building a business. It’s a long-haul journey, and we believe being a part of our community will help you regularly set aside some time, even if it’s only 30 minutes a day.
The Smart Teacher’s Library allows you to learn at your own pace and keep working on your business at the same time, applying what you’ve learned and transforming your business.
“I don’t have enough skills”
That’s ok. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to have it all together. You don’t need to “first learn just a biiit more” to join. Are you an online teacher or coach who is tired of the unpredictability and hustle and who wants to earn a stable income while working less? Then you are ready to join the Smart Teacher’s Library.
“I don’t want to join this community and then feel guilty for not keeping up with the tasks and challenges. I have so much on my plate.”
The beauty of the Library is that it helps you learn to take what you need when you need it. Treat this community as your neighborhood library: show up, check in, ask questions, do 1 tiny task and see the progress you make in your business.
Choose what you’ll focus on in advance and make peace with not completing everything. Nobody is there to grade you. If 1 piece of content and a series of coaching sessions transform your business, will you minimize your own transformation just because you “haven’t checked all the materials as done?”
Avoiding an opportunity to grow just because “you may feel guilty” is not going to solve the problem of overwhelm or guilt. There’re plenty of other things to “make you feel” that way. Let it be your first (of many) mindset shifts in running a business online – you cannot build a new future on the present limitations of your mind.
“I was in the Library 4 years ago and I’d like to join again. Are the materials different?“
If you were in the Library even 2 years ago, I can assure you that the materials, the coaching tools, and the concepts inside workbooks have dramatically changed to incorporate both strategic steps and mindset practices.
The Smart Teacher’s Library has evolved as the businesses of the teachers have grown and matured. As a coach, I am now a certified instructor with the Heartwork Journaling University, and I’m using tools that combine simple creativity and emotional intelligence to help you make business decisions that focus on growth.