John Clites' Bio

John Clites caught the travel bug as a child and has been afflicted every since. The son of university professors, he traveled the summers of his youth with his parents and siblings. By 12, he had visited more than 30 states as well as Canada and Mexico.

After graduating from Duke University, John visited the Bahamas. England, France, Germany, and Australia followed in rapid succession, and John was inextricably hooked. At last tally he had visited 30+ countries, including several in Latin America.

While John enjoys visiting major cities for their museums, architecture, and history, he most enjoys getting off the beaten path. He loves exploring nature and rubbing shoulders with locals.

Early on John realized the importance of giving back. He volunteered teaching English to adults. Over the years he has also mentored five boys through the United Way’s Big Brothers program. Since age 25 he has been a sponsor via Childreach.org, sponsoring children in Bolivia, India, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. He is proud to have visited most of them. These days he sponsors a girl in Lima, Peru, and another in Sao Luis, Maranhão, Brazil. He prefers to sponsor girls to “level the playing field”.

Almost 20 years ago John met a Brazilian couple who were living in the United States. When six months later they were planning to return to Brazil, they invited John to visit. He accepted immediately. Once in Brazil he fell in love with the country and its people, and knew that one day he would call Brazil home. Although it took many years, in 2008 he finally bit the bullet and moved to Rio de Janeiro.

In Rio, John began teaching English to businessmen and –women and to a few university students. He had great success, building a large and loyal client base. He has lived in various locations in Brazil and is currently enjoying Colombia where he teaches courses online.

Today John earns most of his living via the Internet, giving classes by Skype, writing articles, and selling his e-course on teaching English online, with more e-books planned. He has no plans to return to the corporate life he once led. He says that although living an ex-pat lifestyle is not without its challenges, he has never regretted his decision, and one day would like to try living in another country.

For readers who are interested in following in John's recent successful endeavor teaching English online in a location-independent way, he has created a comprehensive online course for teaching in Brazil called “Teach English in Brazil.”