Learn about Aaron Teo’s roller coaster journey from education to real estate, choosing flexibility as a property agent to support his family.

“Back in 2019, I was the General Manager at a local school. As a father in his early thirties to two young children, that looked like a stable career to me then. But my mindset changed after I requested to take annual leave to spend time with my family.

To better align with MOE’s school holidays, I was told to take leave in June or December instead. While it wasn’t wrong, I realised that this career wouldn’t allow me to be the kind of father I wanted to be for my children.”

The switch to real estate

“That was the moment I started to think about switching careers. I narrowed down my options to either being an insurance or real estate agent, both of which I believed offered more flexible working hours.

Between the two, real estate seemed more natural to me, as I enjoyed showing guests around my house when they visited for the first time. That was what I thought being a realtor meant: showing people around properties. I didn’t really know what the job entailed.

In March 2019, I enrolled in a real estate course, studying late into the night after putting my kids to sleep. There were nights I studied till 4 am. But when I sat for my first real estate exam in June that year, I failed. I tried again in October. Failed again.”

The pressure of being a provider

“What I thought would be a straightforward transition, turned into a three-and-a-half-year ordeal that nearly broke my family. As a father with a family depending on me, the pressure to be ‘the man of the house’ was crushing.

Society expects husbands and fathers to have everything sorted out; to be rock solid and unshakeable. The truth is, some of us are still on the way to becoming the man we aspire to be. But admitting that feels like a failure, especially by societal norms.”

Jobless because if COVID-19

“In December 2019, after discussing with my wife Cheryl, I decided to resign from my job to focus on studying full-time. But two months later, COVID-19 hit Singapore, and the real estate exam – originally scheduled for March 2020 – was postponed indefinitely.

Cheryl, who worked as a ballet teacher, was unable to teach due to the lockdown restrictions. Both of us ended up jobless, and our combined household income dropped to zero. It was a very challenging time.

When I saw FB ads describing how easy stock trading was, I decided to give it a shot. I thought it was a brilliant way for the family to earn income during the lockdown. But I eventually lost all our savings to the market, and was left with $70.”

Food delivery rider

“During that time, a friend told me, ‘If I were Cheryl, I would have divorced you. You caused all of these things to happen.’ That statement haunted me, but Cheryl never once gave up on me. We stayed relentlessly positive, brainstorming ideas to earn.

We lived as small as we could to stretch whatever we had left. After changing jobs countless times, I thought the only job that I could apply for was GrabFood delivery. So I became a food delivery rider to earn money, and worked from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week.

A close friend of mine lent his motorcycle so that I could save on the daily rental of $18 per day. I made every effort to hide my identity because I was embarrassed to let my ex-colleagues, students and their parents recognise me.

Here I was, a former General Manager at a school, all set and ready to change my career for a fantastic, rosy new future. But I ended up delivering food and parcels in the rain, just to put food on the table for my family.”

The car accident that changed his life

“In order to earn more money, you have to complete as many orders as possible, which led me to ride as fast as I could. In April 2020, three weeks into my new role as a delivery rider, I crashed on Lentor Avenue because I was speeding to complete a delivery.

The metal barrier sliced my right arm open, exposing my bone. I was bleeding heavily, and because it was during the COVID lockdown, no other cars were on the road. I had to use GPS to guide me to the nearest hospital where I was warded and underwent surgery.”

Giving real estate another shot

“During my recovery period, I was given the opportunity to join a shipbroking company. As a broker trainee, I had to entertain clients and work late nights. Admittedly, I was drifting from my original goal of spending more time with my family.

So after nine months, I decided to quit and try the real estate exams again. By October 2021, I had applied for six exam attempts, and my eligibility window to become a realtor was getting smaller and smaller.

A close friend who had already passed the exam and was a practising realtor, coached me weekly. By then, I was already jaded and tired of the whole journey, but I still pushed on. After taking the exam in April 2022, I finally passed.”

The harsh truth of career transitions

“Social media is full of glamorous career switch stories with instant success. Mine took three and a half years of failures, financial devastation and physical injury. What people underestimate is the level of courage it takes, especially when your family depends on you.

You don’t just switch careers. You switch your family’s entire life. Your partner carries the emotional weight with you, too. Your children feel the tension even when you try to hide it. Your extended family can and will question your decisions. Even your friends doubt you.

But from what I have learnt, grit isn’t just hard work. Grit is hard work for long periods of uncertainty. Grit is believing in yourself when nobody else does. Grit is showing up when the odds are stacked against you.

Support matters, because I couldn’t have done this without my wife. We refused to settle for less than what we wanted for our family. We never gave up on each other. She stood by me and never once complained, even when there was every reason to blame me for everything.

Life as a successful property agent

“These last three years, I’ve helped over 150 families with their property needs. In my first year as a realtor, I was awarded PropNex’s Top Rookie and Top Producer, ranking in the top 2 per cent of over 14,000 agents.

Most importantly, I get to send and pick up my children from school every single day. We plan my work around our family’s schedule most of the time, and we still manage to achieve what we have set for the families we serve.

If you’re considering a mid-career switch, understand that it’s not about following your passion. It’s about having the courage to take the leap when you have everything to lose. It might sound cliché, but the financial pressure is relentless, and will remain so.

It’s about finding a partner who won’t leave when things look hopeless. It’s about refusing to give up after failing multiple times. And it’s about accepting that being ‘the man of the house’ doesn’t mean having everything figured out. It means having the strength to keep going when you don’t.” – Aaron Teo, known in the industry as SuperGaoLatAaron

READ: SURVIVORS IN SINGAPORE