This is going to be a very special Blog en Español. It’s going to be in English too. Say what?! Yeah.. It turned kind of personal and I didn’t want to limit the readers of this post. It might also be pretty useful for Spanish speakers learning English and English speakers learning Spanish. It felt weird because I wrote in Spanish and then translated back to my native language. I don’t write the same in both languages! Anyway, I’ll be quiet now. Thank you for letting me share.

La segunda semana sobre ‘mercados’ y el tema fue ‘comercio y empresa’. Había unas actividades sobre el autoempleo entonces quiero hablar de eso porque es algo que conozco bien.

The second week about ‘markets’ and the topic was ‘trade and business’. There were some activities about self-employment so I want to talk about that because it’s something that I know well.

Desde 2012 he trabajo para yo mismo para Lindsay Does Languages. Antes trabajaba en dos colegios como asistente a los estudiantes con necesidades adicionales. ¡No dos colegios al mismo tiempo! Trabajaba en un colegio durante casi dos años, fui a Asia durante algunos meses, volví y busqué un trabajo parecido en un colegio diferente.

Since 2012, I have worked for myself for Lindsay Does Languages. Before, I used to work in 2 schools as a Learning Support Assistant. Not two schools at the same time! I used to work in a school for almost 2 years, I went to Asia for a few months, I returned and found a similar job in a different school.

Fue interesante pero…a decir la verdad había muchas días cuando pensé que pudiera hacerlo mejor que los profesores en algunas clases. Pero yo era “menor” que ellos entonces tenía que sentarme en silencio ayudando los niños. Es un trabajo difícil y el sueldo no es muy alto. Tengo mucho respecto para la gente que lo hace.

It was interesting but…to tell the truth, there were many days when I thought I could do a better job than the teachers in some classes. But I was “less” than them so I had to sit there in silence helping the children. It’s a difficult job and the salary isn’t very high. I have a lot of respect for people who do it. [Additional note: I hated feeling ‘less’ than anyone in any job I ever had. The rebel in me yells “Grr! Authority!”. I guess that’s one reason I wanted to work for myself.]

Entonces después de solamente tres meses (miserables) al segundo colegio, decidí a comenzar Lindsay Does Languages. No tenía nada a perder. Realmente, fue una de las decisiones mejores de mi vida. Por la primera vez, yo tenía, y claro ya yo tengo, el control entero de mi semana, mi trabajo, y mi dinero. Es una cosa muy liberador.

So, after just three (miserable) months at the second school, I decided to start Lindsay Does Languages. I had nothing to lose. [I also had no business experience, no mega capital, and no idea what to expect.] To be honest, it was one of the best decisions of my life. For the first time, I had, and of course still have, entire control of my week, my work, and my money. It’s a very liberating thing. [And scary. And exciting. And full of possibility.]


Es yo al Parque Olympicos en Londres. 2012 fue un buen año ser britanic@.

That’s me at the Olympic Park in London. 2012 was a good year to be British.

Claro, sería una mentira si voy a decir aquí que es el trabajo más fácil de mi vida (cuando tenía 16-18 años, trabajaba en una tienda por los domingos durante 4 horas, ¡y ganaba más de £30! Era muy bien por una chica de esta edad de esta época). A veces el autoempleo es difícil. El sueldo no es lo mismo cada mes y vas a trabajar por los fines de semana y los tardes a veces…o cada vez depende de su equilibrio entre la vida personal y el trabajo y la disciplina que tienes. Pero esta disciplina es algo que he aprendido desde comencé Lindsay Does Languages, juntos con tantas otras cosas útiles no solo para el trabajo sino también para la vida en general.

Of course, it would be a lie if I’m going to say here that it’s the easiest job of my life. When I was 16-18, I worked in a shop on Sundays for 4 hours and got more than £30. It was very good for a girl of that age at that time. That was the easiest job I ever had. [I also got EMA. And a MySpace account. It was a good time to be a teenager.] At times self-employment is difficult. The salary isn’t the same each month and you’re going to work weekends and evenings sometimes…or every time depending on your work-life balance and the discipline you have. But that discipline is something that I have learnt since starting Lindsay Does Languages, together with so many other things useful not only for work, but also life in general.

Your free Spanish Starter Page

In need of some practise? I’ve made a free Starter Page to give you the basics in Spanish. You get it when you join my email list, along with a whole host of other free downloadable goodies as part of my Little Language Library.

You in? Click the image below to get it, amigo.

P.S. Thank you again for letting me share this very personal story. You’re awesome. There’s one more thing I want to share. This is my happy song, which always reminds me of the time I took a risk and did something brave.