I tell those stories to my friends here in England and they say, “How lucky you are, Patrick, how lucky you are.”
Yes, of course I am lucky, but I am always open to being lucky. You have to make that jump first. It’s math, it’s probability.
—Patrick Ohlenschlager
patrick ohlenschlager (@patrickohlenschlager) has a degree in mathematics, speaks 3 languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese), and currently earns a living giving private classes online while working on his startup, AITutorand travels the world: his great passion.
When I asked Patrick to be on the podcast, he told me he wasn’t sure if he would be up to the task, because he didn’t consider himself as successful as everyone else I’d interviewed so far.
However, for me Patrick has had the same success as all the other guests because, although he does not have a big business, nor has he sold thousands of books, nor does he manage a fund of many millions of euros, at the age of 24 he has achieved what I consider the most important thing of all: to create a life to your measure; a life that makes you happy.
In our conversation, which is full of stories and anecdotes, Patrick and I review his career and talk about things as interesting as…
- Why you gave up studying at Cambridge University even though you had already been accepted
- How Patrick ended up singing a reggaeton song in a disco in Colombia in front of hundreds of people
- What do you have to keep in mind to be successful giving private classes online?
- What is Patrick’s strategy to learn new languages quickly?
- Patrick’s Secret to Great Adventures When Traveling
The truth is that the conversation is super fun, but it is also full of useful tips, so I think you will love it.
But hey, the best thing is that you don’t get ahead of anything else and that you check it out for yourself, so without further ado, I’ll leave you with the great Patrick Ohlenschlager.
listen in itunes | iVoox | Spotify
Episode Links
Where to find Patrick:
Mentioned in the episode:
Mentioned books:
Mentioned people:
quick index
0:48 – Presentation of the guest
2:27 – Start of the interview
4:11 – Patrick has always lived with tenants at home: how his parents came up with it and what this experience has been like for him.
7:20 – The most beautiful story that has lived thanks to having tenants at home
12:38 Why did you choose to study mathematics?
15:57 – Why you decided not to study at Cambridge, despite having been accepted, and study at Bristol
19:03 – What is a Jailbreak and why was it an experience that marked you so much?
28:02 – Why did you decide to learn Spanish?
31:16 – How Patrcik’s parents took him when he decided to go volunteer in Colombia at the age of 19
36:35 – How Patrick felt before going to Colombia
37:52 – How was the volunteering you did: what part of Colombia did you go to, how was your arrival, where did you stay, what did you do, how long was you there, who paid for it…
48:13 – How was your experience teaching English in a school?
51:19 – What impacted you the most in your first month in Colombia?
53:29 – how it ended singing Travesuras, by Nicky Jam, in a disco in front of the whole town and became famous
58:03 – When did you realize that you were beginning to speak Spanish well?
1:00:05 – What did you do to improve your Spanish so much in a month?
1:01:41 – When you travel, does the country experience a different way when you speak the local language than when you only speak English?
1:05:00 – How did those 3 months in Colombia mark you?
1:06:09 – After your experience in Colombia, you did another volunteering in Mexico. How was his experience there?
1:10:40 – What do people usually do in England when they finish their degree?
1:13:03 – Why Patrick didn’t like the idea of going to London to look for a job in a bank where he paid a lot
1:14:13 – AI tutor: the startup Patrick’s
1:21:18 – Why Patrick had to cancel his plans to go to Brazil and what did he do to start earning money
1:28:57 – Where did you teach?
1:30:26 How did you start teaching online?
1:39:08 – How did you get your customers?
1:47:08 – When did you decide to go to Brazil and how did you continue to learn Portuguese?
1:49:14 – What must be done to be a good teacher and make your students and their parents fall in love
1:59:53 – How Patrick missed his flight to Brazil and why attitude is so important in any unexpected situation
2:06:56 – Are the carnivals of Rio de Janeiro really as spectacular and fun as they say?
2:09:34 – Tomorrowland or the carnivals of Rio?
2:10:04 – While traveling in Brazil, how many hours a week did you work and how did you balance having fun with work?
2:12:41 – Why do you have the rule of only hanging out with locals and how you managed to find roommates in Florianópolis
2:26:36 – What have you been doing in England since you returned from Brazil?
2:31:00 – Patrick’s plans for next year
2:34:28 – Patrick’s favorite books
2:38:02 – What is the most effective way to learn a language
2:48:19 – Tips for traveling with little money
2:54:19 – Where does Patrick’s bravery come from, not being afraid to do uncomfortable things
3:01:15 – Advice for people who want to start tutoring: what Patrick wished he knew when he started
3:05:37 – Why did he go to Brazil with a drawer
3:09:31 – Message for people who want to create a life to suit them
3:11:14 – Where to find Patrick
3:12:38 – Farewell
(1 ratings, average: 4)
Leave a Reply