From Classroom to Screen: Influencers & Celebrities Who Taught Abroad (or in TEFL-like Roles)
One of the most inspiring things about TEFL isn’t just the travelling or the cultural immersion—it’s seeing everyday people who step into teaching abroad, build a following, or gain influence, and use that platform to share the joys and challenges of living & teaching overseas. Whether they started as teachers and later became more famous, or built their audience because of their teaching abroad adventures, their stories can be motivational for anyone considering a TEFL course. Here are several influencers and celebrities like that, and what we can take away from their experiences.
1. Lucy Bella Earl – “English with Lucy”

Lucy is a British teacher of English as a foreign language who founded English with Lucy on YouTube. She got her TEFL qualification in Seville, Spain, and started teaching there, then built out her digital presence in education. Her channel now has millions of subscribers and is well respected.
What makes her story compelling:
- She combined formal training (studying, doing her TEFL) with lived experience abroad.
- She uses authentic cultural immersion (living in a Spanish-speaking situation etc.) as part of her teaching.
- Her content emphasizes practical tips, pronunciation, idioms, cultural differences—not just textbook grammar.
2. Bilingirl Chika (Chika Yoshida)

“Bilingirl” is well known for her videos teaching English to Japanese speakers, often using casual conversation, real life contexts, and humour. While not always framed as a full “teach abroad” story, her bilingual experience, living and growing up across different cultures, and making educational content has overlap with many TEFL journeys.
3. Paweł Grabias – RockYourEnglish

Paweł is a Polish teacher and entrepreneur who built a following on YouTube with Rock Your English. He studied English philology, taught in traditional classrooms in Poland, then scaled out via digital content.
What’s interesting here is how the boundaries between classroom teaching and influential content creation have blurred: he uses YouTube & online courses, exam preparation, community engagement. This demonstrates a path many TEFL teachers could follow: start in the classroom, then grow influence & income via online content or specialized courses.
4. Sharla (Sharmeleon / “Sharla in Japan”)

Sharla is a Canadian YouTuber who has long vlogged about her life in Japan. She worked as an English teacher in Tokyo when she was younger, then continued creating content about daily life, culture, language, etc.
Her example shows how teaching abroad can be a stepping-stone: You learn a language, adapt to a new culture, build stories and credibility. That becomes rich material for content that resonates with people interested in living abroad, learning languages, travel, etc.
5. Influential Celebrities Who Taught Before Fame
Some well-known names didn’t start out in entertainment, but spent time teaching or doing TEFL-like work before their public careers. These include:
- J.K. Rowling taught English in Portugal before her writing career took off.
- Sting (Gordon Sumner) was a certified teacher, teaching English and music, before becoming famous.
- Hugh Jackman briefly worked as a teacher (PE/drama etc.) in the UK in his younger days.
While these examples are less about long-term TEFL abroad roles, they underscore lessons: teaching builds communication skills, discipline, empathy, creativity—and those skills translate into influence later on.
Lessons & Takeaways for TEFL Aspiring Influencers
From these stories, some themes emerge—things that people doing TEFL & seeking influence or long-term success could pay attention to.
Theme | What to Emulate |
---|---|
Authentic Experience | Live the culture. Use your lived experiences abroad, your challenges with language or culture shock, as content. People connect more with stories than perfect lessons. |
Quality & Credentials | Having real TEFL or equivalent qualifications gives credibility. It’s not just about being fluent in English; knowing pedagogy, methodology, etc., helps. Lucy’s TEFL + lived abroad helped her. |
Consistency & Niche | Many of these influencers found a niche (e.g. exam prep, cultural comparisons, pronunciation) and stuck with it. Also, consistent posting builds audience trust. |
Bridging Teaching & Storytelling | It’s not enough to teach; weaving in stories, travel, personal growth, cultural observations makes content richer and more relatable. Sharla is good at this. |
Multiple Income Streams | Classroom teaching, online tutoring, content creation, courses—diversifying helps. You don’t have to rely on one single job or platform. |
Challenges to Be Aware Of
Of course, the path isn’t always smooth. Some common challenges:
- Burnout: Doing teaching + content creation is a lot. Some influencers report struggling with maintaining both.
- Cultural & logistic hurdles: Visas, language barriers, cost of living, homesickness.
- Monetization: Building a following doesn’t immediately translate into stable income. Courses, sponsorships, ads help, but slow start.
- Quality expectations: As you gain visibility, people expect higher-quality content, better production, more polish. That takes time, equipment, editing skills.
Why These Stories Matter for myTEFL Graduates
At myTEFL we already do more than just training—you also help graduates get these job placements globally. But these stories show what after TEFL can look like. If you aspire not just to teach, but also to build influence/adventure, or to use your teaching abroad experience as a launchpad for something bigger (online teaching, content, travel, cultural work), these are models worth following.
- Knowing that real people built large audiences starting from basic TEFL + authentic stories should be inspiring.
- You can also begin building your content / audience even while doing your TEFL course / first placements. It gives you momentum.
- Use your experiences from placements—good, bad, weird—as content. Placements are a goldmine for stories, tips, and content that helps others.