Brona Sobotka is a Czech businessman and English teacher, best-known for his YouTube videos – where he has over 160,000 subscribers. Following my appearance on his channel, I asked Brona some questions about being an English teacher on YouTube.

Many people know you as a YouTube English teacher, but what did you do before this?

I would like to emphasise that I still do not feel like a YouTuber. I see myself as an excited English teacher who helps people to fall in love with English. It does not really matter to me if this is through a YouTube video, a book, a game, a podcast or something else. I started to learn English by myself when I was 20, and I loved it so much that I later studied teaching at university because I wanted to share my passion with others.

When did you decide to become an English teacher on YouTube? 

I think it was in 2015 and it was actually an accident. I was invited to an event for young people about learning English. One of my friends wanted to come but she was ill, so I recorded it, put it on YouTube and sent her a link. I was actually shocked that other people were watching it – and even more shocked they seemed to like it. So after some time, I decided to try one more video, and then one more, and then…

How difficult is it to start a YouTube channel?

Starting is much easier than people think. All you need is a phone and something you want to share with others. Maintaining it is more difficult. You get tired, most people do not care about what you do, you get some hateful comments, it seems to be going nowhere, it is time consuming, you do not get any money out of it. I always tell people it is a great thing to do, but be aware that it is a marathon not a sprint.

You are a very optimistic person, where does that come from, and any advice for others looking to be more positive?

First of all, I am just lucky. Like really lucky. Much more than I deserve. I will try to answer, I promise, but I also apologise – it is easy to say things like this but much harder to do if your life is not so great right now. Choose the people you spend time with carefully –some people say you’re an average of the five people you spend most time with (and I agree with that). Eat well. Sleep well. Move regularly. And do what excites you as much as possible.

Does your online English teacher persona differ from real-life?

Online I “show” a part of myself that I feel is useful for my goal – to help people fall in love with English. I am also a father, I love running, I am interested in politics, I am Christian, I love to be quiet, drink coffee, and read graphic novels, but I don’t feel these are things that people want to see or listen to me talking about.

Have you experienced any negative comments on your channel?

Yes, I think everybody has. To be honest it still bothers me. You can tell yourself ten thousand times that you do not care, that you should feel sorry for people full of hate and unhappiness, but it still “hurts”. On the other hand, I get many positive comments and I still believe that what I do is worth it.

You’ve created several online English courses, do you have any advice for studying online?

Yes. Please realise it is not Netflix. You won’t learn much by just watching the videos. You need to actively participate in online lessons. At least try to pay attention, make notes, repeat some things, and later use them.

What are the best and worst parts of being an English teacher on YouTube?

The best is definitely freedom. I can choose what to do, where and when to do it. I can also choose not to do quite a lot of things, which is really important to me. I can share my passion with people, which is amazing. One thing I struggle with is answering people’s questions. I ought to announce that I am unable to answer them all, but it feels so rude not to reply and try to help.

Is there anything you have to bear in mind when creating English content for a Czech audience?

That is a great question. I’ve actually never thought about it. I am trying to come up with something but I really do not know. I guess that because I am Czech, it just comes naturally for me.

What are your plans for the future?

Plan less. Really. I have so many plans and ideas and to-do lists that it drives me crazy. Generally speaking, I want to continue with my “mission”, helping people fall in love with English, and trying new ways of doing it. Right now I am preparing new online courses, my first app, a book for English teachers, and much more.

*Watch me test Brona on the most common English mistakes Czechs make.