Every time I come to a CPD event in the UK, I can guarantee that I will be asked the same question by someone: ‘Did you come all the way from Canada just for this?’ I have now been to the ELT Freelancers’ Awayday three years running, and yes, I do come all the way from Canada for the event. This year was a bit different because I combined business trips with my husband, who also needed to be in the UK for work; but I have come alone in the past, and I will do so again. There

Five years ago, on the first day back to school after the Christmas holiday, my husband and kids left the house, and I commuted to my basement office and began my freelance career as an ELT materials writer and editor. I started out with two projects: a curriculum consulting project for the University of Victoria, Canada, and a UK/US localisation project for the British Council. A lot of good things have happened since that day in 2013. I’ve achieved my goal of publishing an

A few months ago, something strange happened: I found myself inundated with enquiries about my availability. I don’t know whether the stars had aligned, my networking was paying off, or everyone else was just too busy – but for a few weeks I kept finding potential opportunities in my inbox. Obviously I couldn’t do everything; I had to make some choices. That’s the reality of freelancing. You may have a choice of projects, or you may just be unsure about whether something is r

I’ve recently seen a couple of people in different Facebook groups asking the same question: “How can I find editorial work in the UK when I don’t live there?” I come from the UK, I live in Canada, and over the last five years I have written and/or edited ELT and other educational materials for publishers in the UK, Canada, the US, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Poland, the UAE, and Singapore. If you include my editing work with individual academic clients, the list is longer. Here are