Passive income: NO

Earning passive income as an ESL teacher is challenging because the nature of teaching is inherently active. Most ESL teachers earn by conducting live classes, which requires their presence and effort. To make it passive, one would need to create a system where teaching materials or courses are sold online without ongoing involvement. This could involve recording video lessons, creating downloadable resources, or setting up a subscription model. However, achieving true passivity is rare and usually requires significant upfront work and marketing. Most people do not reach this level; it's typically a few outliers who succeed, often those with strong marketing skills or a large online presence. Many believe they can easily transition to passive income, but underestimate the effort needed to create and maintain such systems. Myths include the idea that simply having a course online will generate income without continuous promotion and updates. Realistically, it becomes passive for those who invest heavily in content creation and marketing, but not for those who only teach live classes.