Launching My Own Teaching Business: Bridging Healthcare and English Language
- Roisin Bradley
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 7
Launching my own teaching business is an exciting new venture but a constant question I have been asking myself is:
How can I show my clients that I have the knowledge, skills, and experience to enable them to achieve their English language goals?
Eventually, the answer came to me:
Explain it in a blog post.
So here I am!
My Healthcare Background
Firstly, I want to give you a little information about my clinical background. I qualified as a Paediatric Nurse back in 2000. I worked on busy NHS medical wards for the first few years to consolidate my practice, then in 2003 I decided to move to London and began working in Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU).
I spent the next six years in a busy central London tertiary unit where I realised I had a flair for teaching. I became eager to specialise in nursing education, which led me to a position in Manchester as a Practice Educator. In this role I supported multi-disciplinary pre-registration students on their clinical placements. I also worked directly with the hospital's partner universities. During this period, I completed my Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and I gained many skills and experiences in this strategic role. However, I missed bedside nursing.
In 2014, I returned to the same NICU in London but as a Clinical Nurse Educator. I loved this role because it allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds, teaching and clinical practice. My desire to work abroad never left me though, so I was thrilled to be offered a job in a state-of-the-art hospital in Doha, Qatar, as a NICU Nurse Educator in 2017.
This role was a steep learning curve. Adapting to new healthcare delivery methods and supporting clinical staff outside the NHS was challenging. Still, I gained valuable personal and professional experiences. I even diversified further by becoming the inaugural Transfusion Safety Nurse, a role I held until I left Doha in 2021.
Transitioning to English Language Teaching
You may wonder, how did I move from healthcare to teaching English? It may seem like a huge leap, but for me, it was a logical next step. I have always dreamed of being my own boss where I could work creatively and without the constraints of organisational policy. Therefore, I took the plunge in 2021 and left healthcare to become an English Language Teacher.
Over the last four years, I've worked online for a globally recognised platform and in a local private language school, where I've honed my English skills. I also became CELTA certified and completed the OET Knowledge Teacher Training to enhance my teaching credibility.
All those years I spent designing courses, assessing competencies, and supporting struggling learners were not wasted. These skills proved essential and transferable in my new role. What's more, I have successfully combined my two areas of expertise to create EFL Teacher Nurse UK.
How Can I Help You with Your English Language Learning?
As you are probably aware, it is a niche when healthcare professionals specialise in education. I have greatly benefitted from creating staff development programmes and inducting new staff and students to the clinical area. I also have experience in assessing various clinical competencies, such as resuscitation skills and I have educated staff on preventing and learning from clinical errors, and much more.
Healthcare staff require English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This involves teachers with no healthcare experience becoming familiar with medical terminology & jargon, the patient journey, the meaning of professional accountability and much more. While many general teachers manage this well, I bring my own nursing expertise to the classroom.
Currently, I work with doctors and nurses from many different countries. The content of my lessons are wide-ranging. Recently, I have reviewed work presentations and offered constructive feedback on grammar and pronunciation, discussed complex case studies enabling reflection & emerging vocabulary and facilitated numerous OET and IELTS preparation lessons.
Next Steps
I fully recognise that choosing the right teacher is a significant investment. That is why I'm offering a free introductory call with no obligation to commit.
During this call, we can go through an informal learning needs analysis to identify your areas for development. I will also provide information about the types of lessons I can offer to help you achieve these goals.
Rest assured, I aim to promote a friendly and relaxed learning environment. My teaching philosophy is student-focused. As adults, we bring our life experiences to the classroom, which makes our motivations and learning styles unique.
If you enjoyed this content, feel free to like & drop a comment below or email me with any questions.
I'm really looking forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Roisin!
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