Andy Healy is Managing Director of The TEFL Org, a Market Leading Provider Of Courses To Teach English As A Foreign Language. He supports all TEFL teachers in their work with students to learn English as a foreign language.
Andy Healy is a Managing Director of market-leading, multi-format, global brands with a successful track record of building scale and driving growth in consumer revenues and profit, advertising, podcasts, ecommerce, digital transformation and innovation.
Please tell us a little bit about your business – what is The TEFL Org all about?
The TEFL Org delivers industry recognized qualifications for those who want to certify in teaching English as a second language overseas and online. We offer a range of online and classroom-based training options to suit your teaching goals and how you prefer to learn. Once completed, TEFL Org course graduates have gone on to teach English across Central and South America, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and of course, online.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company.
The TEFL Org was founded 15 years ago by Joe Hallwood and Jennifer MacKenzie. They wanted to make it easier for people to get into teaching after both of their experiences teaching across Europe and America. There was a lack of affordable, quality and flexible TEFL training, with most providers only offering traditional classroom-based training over a month once or twice a year.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- An agile mindset – there are so many facets to running a successful business. You’ll always have multiple projects at different stages of development.
- Be inquisitive – ask lots of questions. Some of the best ideas have come from talking to and showing an interest in your staff and your customers.
- Know how to sell yourself, your business, your idea. Influence.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
Double down on growth in the Americas – there is still a lot to accomplish in this market. We also want to grow in other English-speaking countries such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Worldwide there are 1.5 billion English learners and it’s the international language of business. In California, more than 40% of people speak a language other than English at home so there’s a huge demand. In order to progress most need to speak, read and write English well.
TEFL is one of those rare career choices which offers so much for so little. We’ve trained over 185,000 students and over 90% find work in their first country of choice so there are great job prospects. We want to bring this opportunity to as many people globally as possible.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
The majority of our courses have been delivered online from day one, but the pandemic created an opportunity for us to streamline and focus on what mattered. Delivering high-quality education in a way that is affordable, accessible, and thorough.
- We started (and kept) a range of live and interactive virtual classroom courses
- We got rid of our bricks and mortar office and went 100% remote (and still are)
- As growth in the Americas increased, we extended our opening hours to improve customer service
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
Accreditation and tutor support. We’re a business full of people who have taught English as a foreign language. It means we understand what it takes and how best to support our customers. We steer clear of hierarchy and bureaucracy so students can get in touch with minimal fuss and where necessary, changes can be implemented quickly.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
- Researching different markets – take time to understand different audiences and what their needs and wants are.
- Fail fast – launch fast and don’t be a perfectionist.
- Trying to do it all yourself – hire (when you can) experts in their field, it’s worth the money and time in the long run so you can focus on what you are good at.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
Definitely our website – it’s our shopfront to the world. A lot of money can be spent on traditional ad campaigns, social media advertising and paid search but as soon as the money stops, the traffic stops too. Not to say that the above isn’t an important part of our marketing budget, but we’ve found investing in our website in areas such as content marketing, search engine optimization and user testing – making the website the best it can be for both newbie and seasoned TEFL teachers – has really helped grow our brand, make the experience of The TEFL Org website a one-stop shop for all things TEFL and in turn, improve our rankings for many industry search terms.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
The ongoing challenge we face is staying ahead of the tech curve. The world of online learning moves rapidly and integrating new software or migrating from legacy platforms can be costly and time-consuming. The great thing is that the advancements are helping more people learn. Whether that’s making content more accessible for screen reader users or upgrading the learning management system to incorporate more interactivity, the focus remains on that simple principle.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Self-development and reflection are vital. Currently, we’re working with our leadership team on high-performance training so they can achieve both the company’s and their goals, and in turn, help motivate and inspire their own teams.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
We’d probably work remotely a lot sooner – it gave us more freedom to hire staff based on their ability over location.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- Stripe – frictionless payments and ease of reporting are key in a global business
- GA4 – we’re finding the new version really helpful for segmenting audiences and understanding what content to prioritize.
- UserTesting – this is crucial for learning about what our customers need and want from us.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Mark Twain said “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” Basically, prioritize and tackle your most important task at the start of each day
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs? (other than your own. Please insert links – Do explain why you’re recommending them)
- Books – The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters or Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Podcast – The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett or TED Talks Daily
- Online Course – Using AI to Gain a Competitive Edge for your Customer Experience (CX)
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Secure a great domain name, bootstrap website, and good web hosting.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
It’s endlessly interesting to see both the changes in consumer behavior and use of technology – especially in the field of education. There’s never enough time to analyze everything!
What is your favorite quote?
“The only constant in life is change”
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Surround yourself with a good team. You can’t do everything yourself. Play to your strength/find out what you are good at and find others to help you fill in the gaps/the rest.
What is your definition of success?
There are so many ways of measuring success. The best is when our teams are happy, motivated and challenged. And when we hear back from students who are enjoying their new lives thanks to our courses.
How do you personally overcome fear?
Change the way you approach and think about fear – it’s not something to be afraid of. Not to be blindly fearless but you need to sometimes push your limits and get out of your comfort zone. Reframe it and think of it more as a challenge to overcome.
How can readers contact you?
Just search for ‘The TEFL Org’ online. You can find us on all the major social media channels.
