Episode 153: Student Success Story – How Anna Quit Teaching to Work Full-Time as a Virtual Assistant

Full Episode Transcription:

Arianna Vernier (00:00):
Hey y’all. Welcome back to the Ditch the Classroom Podcast. On today’s episode, I have a super special guest. Her name is Anna Marie Burish. She was a music teacher for 10 years and she is now a social media manager. Anna Marie went through the Teacher Turned Freelancer Academy. So on today’s episode, she’s gonna share all about how it’s changed her life and what her life is like now that she was able to quit teaching and works full-time as a work at home mom. So I’m super excited for you guys to hear from her today. But before we jump in, I wanna let you know that the Teacher Turned Freelancer Academy cart is still open and you can still join us on Friday, January 27th. The cart will be closing. So make sure you get registered and join us before then. All you have to do is go to teacherturnedfreelancer.com, check everything out that’s included and get registered.

Arianna Vernier (00:57):
Hey Anna Marie, welcome to the show.

Anna Marie Burish (02:12):
Hi, I am so happy to be here.

Arianna Vernier (02:14):
Yeah, we’re so excited to have you. So you’ve been a member of TTFA for a while now, so I’m really excited to hear about your journey and kind of what it’s done for you. But before we dive into that, can you just walk me through a little bit about your teaching journey, how long you taught and all of that?

Anna Marie Burish (02:33):
Sure. So I was a music teacher actually for the past 10 years. When I went into college, I actually was undecided. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All I know was that I wanted to be a teacher, but the journey was not there yet. I was heavily involved in music in my high school years and I just gravitated towards it. So, actually it took me about five and a half years to get through college, which kind of is a norm now, but insane, right? Cause I was undecided that first year. So it just took me a little longer. And then I really jumped into music first by being a band teacher. So I was middle school band and then an elementary position opened up in the same district that next year. So I jumped into that and I was an elementary music teacher for the last nine years and it was great.

Anna Marie Burish (03:26):
And I was able to teach everyone from 4K up through sixth grade elementary music. But after a couple of years we transferred to different districts cuz my husband is also a band teacher. That’s kind of how we met. And then after we transferred districts, I became pregnant with my first kid, my son who is now five. And having to go on maternity leave in your first year at a new district is a challenge because you don’t get that full, what is it, eight weeks off, 12 weeks off? I don’t even know what it’s. I think I got, I was lucky. I think I got eight weeks because most of it was unpaid because it was my first year, but he was born in February so I only had to go back for like two months and then summer break happened. That was a challenge to have kids on top of teaching. I did fine with it for a while because I’m definitely one of those parents that needs to have work while having kids too. And then the pandemic hit and I was pregnant with my second child during the pandemic, which was a challenge in itself as well. And going back to teaching was interesting because music teachers had to be on carts for that year. So normally I had my own music room that kids would come to me, but because of pandemic situations I had to go to them on a cart. So having to drag all of my manipulatives, instruments, everything I needed on a cart into every single classroom was a challenge. And it was tough. And I say to this day, having that year being on a cart was actually one of my best years because we were told, don’t worry about grades, don’t worry about sticking with the curriculum, just have fun and just do what you can.

Anna Marie Burish (05:15):
So having that flexibility to be fun with it made it so, so good. And after that it kind of took a turn. Cause when we went back in the 2021 year, we were back to normal. As they say, I’m quoting “back to normal” because we were still dealing with pandemic situations, but we had to go back to pre covid situations as well. We still had to wear masks in school, but they slowly went away. We went back as teachers from having Covid leave to back to our normal sick days. And because I had my daughter the year before, I used up all my sick days because of maternity leave. So anytime my kids got sick, they were treated like they had covid. So they had to be off for a certain amount of time. But I still had my like 10 sick days. So by the time January came, I was all done with sick days.

Anna Marie Burish (06:14):
And that year, 2021, so it was a year ago, five weeks in, I started feeling just down and depressed. And I don’t know if it’s because I had my second child and I was like feeling that pull to be home or if it was because of everything that was going on with school. But around the, like the end of September, beginning of October, I started looking at other options and trying to figure out if, if it was even possible to maybe leave the classroom. And I didn’t like thinking that way, but that’s kind of where my journey was leading me towards was getting outta the classroom and being home with my kids, but still having a career and doing something that was for me. So it’s hard to believe that 10 years of teaching just was done like that just because of certain situations.

Arianna Vernier (07:04):
Yeah, I know being a mom and being a teacher is tough. I mean, I left before I actually had my daughter, but I was pregnant with her and I couldn’t imagine trying to juggle her and teaching and then you throw the pandemic on top of that and it’s just like, I’m gonna lose my money. So I You are awesome for going on as long as you did with your kiddos and teaching.

Anna Marie Burish (07:26):
It was, yeah, it was. I didn’t think I’d ever have that opportunity. I didn’t think I’d ever be done with teaching before retirement, but that’s just how life goes sometimes. And I’ve been told several times that we all have seasons of life and that was my season of being a teacher and now I’m moving on to a new season. Yeah. With my kids and being a work at home mom

Arianna Vernier (07:47):
And that’s awesome. So what services do you offer as a virtual assistant now?

Anna Marie Burish (07:53):
So I started out as just a general virtual assistant because I had no idea what I’d even like or be good at. So I’ve kind of dabbled in a lot of different things. But as my time with it went on, I started realizing that I really liked being a social media manager, creating the content, designing posts, scheduling and out marketing advertising for my clients. So I have now transitioned into being a social media manager.

Arianna Vernier (08:20):
That’s awesome. So I know what a social media manager is, but some of my listeners might not. So can you kind of just break that down what a SMM is?

Anna Marie Burish (08:30):
Sure. Yeah. So a social media manager creates digital content for your social media pages such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and it kind of helps promote your business through social media. And we can market, we can advertise for your businesses, we engage with your audience, we collect the data to see if certain posts are doing better than others. So it’s everything, social media and a lot of people just wanna be hands off with it, but they know it’s good for their business. So that’s where I come into play.

Arianna Vernier (09:03):
Yeah. And especially with the pandemic, every business should be online now these days. And so they gotta be on social media and a lot of them just don’t have the time or energy or effort to give to it. And that’s why hiring a social media manager is so beneficial.

Anna Marie Burish (09:18):
Yes, absolutely.

Arianna Vernier (09:21):
So what made you say yes to joining the Teacher Turned Freelancer Academy?

Anna Marie Burish (09:26):
What I liked about TTFA was that it was full of people who were like me who were teachers who needed to find something to do that was still a career but not in the classroom. And for us, you know, like I said before, it’s you think that this is the only job for you because we go to school and we think that teaching is our identity and that we’re only good at this job, but there’s so much out there that we can do. We have so many skills that are transferrable. And that’s what TTFA kind of helped me see was that we have those skills already, we just have to use ’em in a different way. So what I liked about TTFA was that I could go at it in my own pace. There were videos that I could pause and write down important notes on. I could go back and watch it if I needed to. And it really broke down the specific niches like social media management, Pinterest manager, website development, all of those areas so I can kind of get a taste for what they were like without having to dabble in it too much.

Arianna Vernier (10:32):
Awesome. Yeah, I think that’s one of the things that teachers struggle with the most is that shift of their identity and thinking that a lot of teachers think they have to go back to school and get a different degree and get more student loans in order to switch. And that’s not the case. You have skills, like you said, you just have to see them in a different light, utilize them in a different way. And there are so many businesses out there that would love to hire teachers because we have a willingness to learn, we’re able to figure out and we are just rock stars at so many different things. So I’m, I’m really glad you brought that up.

Anna Marie Burish (11:10):
And it’s a total mindset shift too. Just realizing that you are worthy outside of the classroom too. And so many people are gonna make you feel less for leaving the classroom because you’re leaving kids behind. But you have to realize they are gonna be okay and so are you because people want you. People need you in the world.

Arianna Vernier (11:33):
Amen. I love that. So you kind of already mentioned, but is there anything else that you really loved about being in TTFA? Like some of your favorite parts?

Anna Marie Burish (11:43):
Let’s see. I loved the hands on stuff that you had available. All the PDFs, the Excel sheets, everything was kind of broken down for us because I’ve never run my own business before. And having it right there in front of me visually helps so much. I’m such a visual learner and I like to, to see it and kind of feel it and be able to explore with it in order to get a handle of what it’s like because it’s very intimidating starting your own business, especially when you have to follow someone else’s schedule and rules for so long and now all of a sudden you’re the one making all that up. And it’s like, what, where do I start? Where do I begin? What’s the best route for this? And I’m such a perfectionist where it’s like I needed it to be perfect before I actually began my career. That’s not the case at all. You kind of have to have like messy action in order for it to work.

Arianna Vernier (12:36):
Yes, yes. I always say you have to take messy action. We do done not perfect over in TTFA because if you try to get it perfect, you’re never gonna start

Anna Marie Burish (12:46):
No. Absolutely not.

Arianna Vernier (12:48):
Awesome. So how has TTFA changed your life for the better?

Anna Marie Burish (12:53):
Well, where do I begin? So I actually started TTFA not in the fall last year. I think, well maybe I did. I can’t remember. I feel like I started it maybe in January of 2022 because that’s when I really like took off with it. I realized after the holidays it’s like I, I need to make this a thing, I need to get going with this. So TTFA has really helped me see the confidence that I needed to get this career started, even if it was just a side hustle because I was still teaching all the way up until the end of the 2022 school year. But it helped me get the confidence to tell my friends, my family, to promote it on social media to say, Hey, I am now a virtual assistant and I am doing this as a side hustle and I want you guys to join me. So it kind of showed me that I can start before being perfect. I learned more about the industry, it helped me get my first client in February of 2022. And from there I’ve basically been able to get to a point of being booked out at this point. So it’s like overwhelming but exciting at same time. So it actually did allow me to leave my teaching job in August of 2022 because I had enough to make it a full-time job.

Arianna Vernier (14:18):
That is awesome. And it speaks so much to your dedication and your consistency. Some people, they’re looking for a bandaid solution and they want to be able to replace their income like that and that’s just not gonna happen. You have to have the dedication, the consistency. Like yes, I have everything in TTFA there for you, but you have to be the one to sit down and implement it. And you have done an amazing job on that. So I’m so proud of you and all that you’ve done with this.

Anna Marie Burish (14:47):
Well, thank you. Yeah, it’s just, I have to tell myself that too, that I am always looking for the quick fix, but there’s no such thing as a quick fix. You do have to do the work, but the work is not hard if it’s something that you’re meant to do, it’s easy when you see that people are actually now reaching out to you and people are referring you and people are giving you testimonials such as they’re praising you up and down and it’s like, wow, I, I feel like I really did nothing for you because it’s so easy for me on this side of the screen. But to them it’s, it means the world to have your help.

Arianna Vernier (15:26):
Yes, definitely. So can you share with the listeners a little bit about what your day looks like now?

Anna Marie Burish (15:33):
Sure. Yeah. So my day now, since I’m not a teacher anymore, I am home full-time, which is a weird routine or a weird thing to kind of get used to because it’s just not how teaching life is. It was like, get out the door by seven o’clock if you can and be home by five if you’re lucky. But I get to come home, I get to hang out with my dog all day. she sleeps right beside me every single day. So it’s, it’s been wonderful. I get to drop my kids off at school and at daycare I get to pick them up. I don’t have to put them on a bus, they don’t have to stay there longer than they need to. I can be home if they’re sick, I can be home if they have dates off. My daughter can come home with me if there’s a day that I don’t need to focus on work, I get to hang out with awesome people who are from all around the world who do so many different things. I don’t just work with one particular career choice. I work with a whole bunch of different people. I get to go on walks with my dog on days that it’s not too blistering cold here in Wisconsin. I get to just enjoy my life again because I didn’t enjoy it for a while when I was teaching. And I’m glad that it’s back to normal.

Arianna Vernier (16:50):
Yeah, that’s amazing. And I think a lot of people, unfortunately, they have to design their lives around their job and what I want, those of you who are listening, who really are feeling the pull to quit teaching, I want you to know that you can have a career that works around your life. You can have a job that allows you to take off whenever the heck you want to. Whether your kids are sick or you just wanna go shopping. You don’t have to ask permission, you don’t have to write sub plans anymore. You can have that freedom and flexibility. You just have to have the desire to put forth the effort to get there.

Anna Marie Burish (17:35):
And I don’t know about much of your listeners, but as a music teacher, we don’t really have a set curriculum. Like I, I call them regular classroom teachers. I don’t, I’m sorry if I’m offending anybody, but we actually actually have to come up with our own curriculum. So when we make our curriculum, I was literally Sunday nights for like four hours coming up with just a week’s worth of lesson plans cuz I had to plan for seven grades.

Arianna Vernier (18:00):
Oh my gosh.

Anna Marie Burish (18:02):
Classes per grade. I mean it was 50 something classes a week that I was planning for just to not have that stress of having to set time aside on a weekend when I could be with my family is so worth it. I can actually now enjoy my weekend. I don’t have the Sunday scaries anymore. Once work is done and I have to go pick up my kids work is done and it’s just so refreshing to just put it away. And just be with my family.

Arianna Vernier (18:34):
We don’t do Sunday scaries over here anymore.

Anna Marie Burish (18:38):
Not anymore. It’s so great.

Arianna Vernier (18:40):
Yes. So there is a question that I wanna ask you that I ask every guest that comes on the show and it’s, if someone wanted to start their ditch the classroom journey but they just felt too overwhelmed, what would you tell them?

Anna Marie Burish (18:53):
Just start. Just start literally, it is the hardest thing in this entire career is to just start everything else. You can learn everything else you already have the skills for just begin. Just start whether that is just to, reach out and buy a course, whether it’s actually admitting it on social media or on your website that you are beginning this career change. Whether it is telling your spouse, telling your partner, telling your kids, telling your families, Hey, I’m thinking about changing my career and I need you to support me and be on board with this. You just have to start and just begin. Because even if things flop, even if things go bad, at least you began and tried it out. That’s the hardest thing is just to start.

Arianna Vernier (19:42):
And even if they do flop, it doesn’t mean you have to quit. It just means you have to pivot. That’s the beautiful thing about being a virtual assistant is if you pick a service and you end up saying, Hey, I don’t really enjoy this, it’s not lighting me up, you can easily change and pivot to something else. So I always say that like you said, the scariest part is taking that first step, but if we knew the whole entire path, we probably wouldn’t even start because that would be overwhelming. So just take that first step of faith and you’ll figure out the next step as you go. You’re not gonna have the whole game plan, but you gotta just do it

Anna Marie Burish (20:22):
Right. And I know teachers are such perfectionists and we need things to be like in this cookie cutter way, but it is okay to show that you are just human and just, just begin. Just, you just don’t know until you start. You have to do what’s right for you.

Arianna Vernier (20:40):
Amen to that. It has been so awesome having you on here with us today, Anna Marie. Where can people come and connect with you?

Anna Marie Burish (20:49):
So I am on Facebook can find me at Anna Marie Burish, virtual assistant. My handles on Instagram and TikTok are @annamarieburish and I am trying my best to make a website. It’s slow going, but I’m a social media manager so I figured I have to be on social media more often anyway as well. So, but you can find me there. I try to kind of support other VAs as well as kind of give little tips on how to be great at social media.

Arianna Vernier (21:17):
Awesome, awesome, awesome. So I will have those linked in the show notes for those of you listening so you can go connect with Anna Marie and become her new best friend. All right y’all, thank you so much for listening. Just a reminder that the Teacher Turned Freelancer cart is open right now. It will be closing in just a few days, so make sure you come and join. Anna Marie will be in there to welcome you as well as myself and all the other TTFA students. You’ll give accountability support. All the tools and templates you need will be there for you. So go to teacherturnedfreelancer.com, check it all out, get registered, and we can’t wait to see you in there. All right, y’all, I love you so much and we’ll see you next time.