Presenting Online English Teacher Abigail Fulbrook
2024‘s first Featured English Teacher is Abigail Fulbrook.
I was delighted to chat with Abbie as she is, like us, dedicated to breaking norms and putting FUN into English learning.
Abigail lives in Japan but helps a truly international community improve their English.
The only thing they have in common is that they are mums!
Read this blog for a window into Abbie’s Online English services.
Online English Help
If you have found this blog because you are looking for an online English teacher – great!
But this feature is not to persuade you to work with one teacher in particular. It is part of a series showcasing the variety of online English learning options you have.
However, if you do feel Abbie is a good match for you, all her contact details are at the end of this blog – she’d love to hear from you!
Abbie’s Mums Network
At the start of the interview, I ask Abbie if she helps everyone.
She doesn’t. Her focus (or niche) is helping mums.
Mum’s with young kids have difficulty attending regular classes.
They may not want to commit to a course.
Abbie offers a club – it’s got a monthly membership, and it’s ‘drop in’.
That means attend if you can – but if you can’t, don’t worry.
That’s just one of the ways Abbie does ELT a bit differently and creates a fun space for English.
A Voice in ELT (English Language Teaching)
I first discovered Abbie through the projects she organises uniting ELT teachers and learners together.
In our chat, Abbie points out that teachers spend a lot of time speaking to one another.
“We go to conferences and we chat to other teachers and share a lot with other teachers, but we don’t speak in the same way to learners”.
She had the idea for a summit: a platform for English teachers to show their work to learners.
Her first summit was in 2022.
She’s planning a 2024 one too, so if you want to be part of an event linking around 800 English learners and teachers, get into her network.
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I don’t call them lessons. I call them meetings, because the people in the club are higher level and they don’t need any more lessons.
They just need their chance to talk and have conversations.
Abbie, 2024
“There’s so much out there that’s all focused on like doing exams or business.
It doesn’t have to be like that.
Your goals are valid, whatever they are.”
Abbie, 2024
“Look for people that make you feel positive about using your language, whatever level you are.”
Abbie, 2024
Taking the Mystery Out of Online English Teaching!
Our English Teacher Features are a window into a sometimes murky industry.
This helps you understand the variety of online English teaching options, recognise excellent teachers, and identify the style you need.
Like Abbie, Blue Noun Language Hub are dedicated to supporting excellent independent teachers to grow networks and help each other.
It’s hard to get heard online but you can do it though community.
The Online Revolution
Online English teaching has been nothing short of a revolution, making high-quality English learning available far beyond the traditional language-school system.
Across the internet, there are passionate independent English teachers and coaches with very specific skills, interests and ways of working.
And the choice goes far beyond deciding which teacher you like.
You can choose by place and culture, working with someone in a particular country or time zone. You can choose by subject, from Business English to highly specialised English for a particular profession. You can choose by skill — pronunciation, fluency, writing or conversation — or find courses built around books, films, cooking and other interests.
There are teachers specialising in particular life changes, from moving abroad to retirement; courses designed around radically different schedules; and methodologies ranging from traditional course books to creative, blended and culturally immersive learning.
This variety is one of the best things that has happened to English learning. It also makes choosing the right support much more complicated.
→ Explore the different ways to choose online English support
There’s no one ‘right’ way to teach English.
But there are best ways for you.
Not all English Coaches are Equal
It’s easy to set up online as an ELT teacher. Calling yourself an English teacher doesn’t make you a skilled/trained teacher.
However, if you only choose from big, accredited language schools then you will miss out on real gems who ARE uniquely able to get you results.
If you plan on searching yourself, make sure you know the industry red flags to avoid.
English teachers are not interchangeable
A pronunciation specialist, a conversation coach, an exam teacher, someone working creatively, a Business English specialist and a teacher particularly good at supporting nervous returning learners aren’t simply different personalities delivering “English lessons”.
They have different expertise, methods and strengths.
That variety is one of the great advantages of today’s English-learning market — but it also makes choosing well much harder.
Our Review & Revive sessions help you identify what your English needs next and then narrow down the kind of teacher, coach, course or specialist best placed to help. Instead of starting with whoever happens to appear in your search results, you start with a much clearer idea of who you’re actually looking for and why.
→ Get independent help choosing your next English teacher or course
Choose to Take Action
There’s a huge amount of excellent free English content online — and it can be a great way to discover teachers, ideas and approaches that appeal to you.
At some point, though, you may decide you want something more focused on your English and what you need now.
If you’re not sure what that should look like, Review & Revive gives you independent space to think it through before you invest in your next step.
Collaboration in ELT
Our clients use English to communicate with people all over the world. We think English language education should be outward-looking too.
At Blue Noun, we believe we are only ever one part of the bigger picture. No single teacher, school, course or approach can provide everything every learner needs — and nor should they try to.
That’s why we value collaboration with independent English teachers and specialists internationally, and why we’re happy to point learners towards expertise and opportunities beyond Blue Noun.
Further Information
Like our English Teacher Feature?
Discover our other featured English teachers: Sam Davies, Kevin Westbrook and Jennie Reed.
Free English Guides
Help Positioning
If you feel stuck, frustrated, or worn down by English, start with recovery.
Before strategy or decisions, focus on rest, steadiness and emotional reset. When you feel regulated, direction becomes clearer.
→ Help with English — Where Steadiness Comes Before Strategy
Help to Ensure Your Choice is Good
Already close to choosing?
Pause briefly before committing your time, money and energy. A few focused questions can help you confirm that your next step genuinely fits.
