29 May 2026 · 4 min read · By Harriet
I get this question every week from teachers quietly considering the leap. The honest answer has more nuance than a yes or no — so here's the full picture, the good and the not-so-good.
The pros (the ones that actually matter)
You set your own hours. You set your own price. You pick your students. You do school pickup. You take holidays in term time. You don't sit through another performance management cycle. You earn more per hour than you ever did teaching. None of these are small.
The cons (because there are some)
Income is on you. No more steady paycheque on the 25th. You'll have months that scare you, especially early on, and months that genuinely shock you in the other direction. You'll have to learn a tiny amount of business — pricing, marketing, admin. None of it is hard but you can't skip it.
Done properly with a plan, it's the lowest-risk business a teacher can start. Done without a plan, it's still hard.
Who shouldn't bother
Anyone who wants to be told what to do all day. Anyone who genuinely loves the structure of a school day. Anyone who hates children. Those are the only three I can think of — and if you've read this far you probably aren't any of them.
The honest verdict
Yes, it's worth it. Overwhelmingly. I cover exactly how to do it with the lowest possible risk inside The Ultimate Teacher Exit Plan. Find out more here: /the-course
Want the full step-by-step? See The Ultimate Teacher Exit Plan — the complete course for teachers leaving the classroom.
