Li Mei · China
Li Mei leveraged her 5 years of TESL teaching experience to found an online education startup serving rural Chinese students.
Li Mei taught English in a public middle school in Chengdu for five years. After completing her TESL Professional certification through TESL China, she recognized a gap: rural students lacked access to quality English education.
Using her teaching network and TESL China's platform, Li Mei launched "RuralEnglish," an online tutoring service connecting certified TESL teachers with students in remote areas. The startup began with 3 teachers and 50 students.
Within 18 months, RuralEnglish grew to 40 teachers serving 2,000+ students across 15 provinces. Li Mei's model was featured at the China Education Innovation Forum, and she now mentors other teachers considering the entrepreneurial path.
"TESL China didn't just give me a certificate—it gave me the ecosystem and credibility to build something bigger."
Where this journey sits in the TESL China Development Path
TESL Starter
TESL Certified
TESL Professional
Start
Delivery Center Leader
Education Entrepreneur
Reached