The Best Jobs For Former Teachers To Consider
Many teachers are deciding to make a change and pursue new career paths. Finding the best jobs for former teachers isn’t always easy, but there are certainly lots of options. Are you searching for your next career?
If you’re looking for the best new jobs and career paths that won’t require you to earn another degree, you’re in the right place. There are lots of great options for teachers who are leaving the classroom to consider.
Keep reading to get advice for transitioning out of teaching and finding a new job that’s fulfilling and financially stable for the next chapter of your professional life.
How Do You Transition Out Of Teaching?
Teaching is incredible! It’s also exhausting. If you feel like you’re ready to leave teaching, you might be wondering about the transition.
Leaving teaching can be overwhelming, but there are some tips you can use to make transitioning from teaching in the classroom to your next career easier. First, be honest with yourself about what you want.
Then, make a solid plan for when you will leave and what new jobs you’ll consider. Would you like to pursue a job in a related field or try something totally new?
It’s not easy to leave teaching for a new career path, but there are lots of opportunities and alternative careers for teachers to consider.
Even if you’ve been talking about leaving teaching for a long time, it can be really difficult to take that first step. Begin by deciding on a timeline for leaving the teaching profession.Â
Decide When You’ll Leave Teaching
Do you want to leave right now or at the end of the school year? Are you thinking of leaving in three years or making a plan for after retirement? What matters most is sticking to whatever timeline you decide.
Once you’ve picked a timeline, you’ll be able to keep moving forward and stay motivated to reach the next chapter of your professional life. When you’re ready to leave teaching, having a plan and an actual start date can be really good news.
Save Space For Your Feelings
It’s normal to have lots of different feelings about leaving teaching. Even if you’re excited about a new job or career change, it’s normal to feel many different emotions.
You might be worried about your new job one minute, ready to celebrate the next, and grieving your former identity as a teacher at the same time.
Whatever your feelings may be about your decision to leave the teaching profession, taking time to process those feelings during this transition period is important.
Leaving teaching can feel somewhat isolating. You worked hard to earn your degree and be good at your teaching profession.
You built relationships and support systems with other teachers in your school. Leaving that community and support system can feel lonely.
Consider reaching out to other teachers you know who have left the profession to help process your feelings.
Make An Exit Plan
Try to set yourself up for success in your new role by preparing now. Are there things you can do while you’re still teaching to gain relevant experience or new skills you could use in your new career?
Take the time to make working toward these goals part of your exit plan. Taking on even more things while managing teacher burnout can feel like too much, but gaining experience now can help you to be more successful in your new role.
What Professions Are Teachers Switching To?
More and more teachers are struggling with burnout and leaving the classroom. What professions are teachers switching to in 2023?
There are lots of opportunities out there! Teaching skills translate well into a variety of new fields and career options are endless. Keep reading to discover the professions many former teachers are considering this year.
The Best Jobs For Former Teachers To Consider
Are you a former teacher searching for a new career path? Check out some of the best jobs for former teachers to consider below. Perhaps you’ll decide to try one of these new careers or maybe they’ll lead you to consider something totally different that’s just right for you.
Corporate Trainer
A new job as a corporate trainer is ideal for teachers who love presenting. Corporate trainers help employees with continuing education and development. They’re responsible for developing, presenting, and evaluating training programs that align with the company’s goals.
As a corporate trainer, you’ll work closely with management and individual employees to find areas in need of improvement and create new training materials. You’ll also be responsible for assessing performance and making recommendations for improvement which is really similar to what teachers do for their students.
Former teachers with excellent organization skills, strong communication skills, and lots of patience would be really good at this job.
EdTech Worker
With remote learning and technology consuming the education world, getting a job with an EdTech company is one of the best jobs for former teachers.
Amplify, DuoLingo, BrainPop, and GoNoodle are some of my favorites out there!
Private Tutor
If you no longer need to earn a full-time income, you might want to consider working as a private tutor. Entrepreneurial individuals might find that private tutoring is the perfect fit. The flexible schedule and control over how much money you make is often liberating.
Instead of teaching a classroom full of students 40 plus hours a week, you’ll be able to choose when, where, and who you teach. You can focus all your energies on just one student or a small group of learners, whatever works best for you.
Instructional Designer
Did 2020 show you just how much you love teaching online? If you enjoy creating learning materials with technology, becoming an instructional designer might be your next career. Instructional designers create resources for learning and training online for all kinds of industries.
It’s a popular new job for former teachers, so it’s important to realize this will be a competitive new field. While your teaching experience will give you a leg up over someone without a teaching background, you’ll need to learn to use new industry standard tools to be competitive in the job market for instructional designers.
Education Consultant
Educational consulting can be hard to define because it encompasses a lot. Some educational consultants combine teaching and adnimistrative skills to provide advice on school policies and procedures. Other educational consultants advise on textbook projects or non-profit think tanks. Most educational consultants are former teachers who own their own business.
It’s a great new career field for former teachers who are natural leaders. If you love planning and organizing and you’re an analytical thinker, you’ll be a good fit for this new job.
HR Specialists
HR Specialists have a passion for creating and implementing course material. This is often a good new job for former teachers to consider if they like spending the majority of their time planning, creating, and improving lesson plans.
To be an HR specialist, you’ll need to be good at using digital media to communicate since this is how a lot of training material is created today.
Project Manager
If you’re self motivated, a new job as a project manager might be the right choice for you. Project managers are team leaders that help companies meet their objectives.
It’s a great fit for former teachers who are motivated, organized, and great at delegating responsibilities. If you love planning big projects, mapping curriculum, and creating timelines you might be a good project manager.
What Is A Good Job For A Teacher Who Doesn’t Want To Teach Anymore?
Most teachers expect to spend their lifetime in the career, but that isn’t always how it plays out. Now more than ever, teachers are leaving the profession.
Teaching positions often come with low pay, lack a work-life balance, and often lead to burnout.Â
The skills and knowledge they brought to teaching are often transferable skills that can serve them well in other career paths. So what’s a good job for a teacher who doesn’t want to teach anymore?
There are tons of options! If you’re a teacher looking for a new profession, you might want to consider something that lines up well with the things you’re interested in or passionate about.
Avoid new jobs that will require you to do things you didn’t like about teaching. For example, if all the paperwork was something you loathed about teaching, you’ll want to avoid jobs that will require lots of paperwork.
There are so many new jobs for former teachers to consider! The top three jobs for teachers who don’t want to teach anymore are standardized test developer, educational policy analyst, and career counselor.
How To Find A New Career Path After Teaching Without Needing Another Degree
Former teachers can benefit from earning an advanced degree in a field like education, communication, public administration, or business. However, it’s not necessary to get another degree to successfully switch career paths.
If you pursue an advanced degree like a master’s degree in business for your new career, you’ll need to weigh the costs and benefits carefully. Prioritize graduate programs that offer financial aid, a return on your investment, and flexibility for working adults with families.
Finding a new career path after teaching can sometimes be challenging. However, there are lots of ways to pivot to new jobs for former teachers to consider. Keep reading to get helpful tips on how you can search for a new career path after leaving school districts.
Think About Passions You Can Put To Good Use
Former educators don’t hate every aspect of their jobs. As you explore your next steps, determine which parts of the teaching experience you liked most. These passions can help you find the right match for your new career.
Stay Focused On Priorities
Leaving the school system is a good opportunity to think about your priorities. Who would you like to work with and where? What do you want to be doing?
Don’t jump at a new job offer without considering if it’s what you really want and need right now. Would you prefer a traditional corporate role or a creative startup? Do you want to work remotely or keep more regular office hours?
Staying focused on your own priorities will help ensure you enjoy your new line of work and don’t get burned out. This is a chance for a new start in a new field, so be sure you’re getting what you want from the start.
Network
If you have any connections to professionals who work in the field you’re interested in or with an organization you like, now is the time to check up on those connections. Take this time to network with other professionals you know.
Can they introduce you to anyone helpful? Would they be willing to set you up with some informational interviews?
Now is the time to use your connections to get advice on pursuing new jobs for former teachers and gather referrals. Use those interpersonal skills you perfected during your teaching years!
Stay Focused on Transferable Skills
When you’re searching for your second career, it’s important to stay focused on transferable teaching skills you can use in alternative jobs. Teachers bring so many different useful skills and experiences to the table that can make them a great fit for a variety of jobs outside the classroom and even outside the education field entirely.
Begin by thinking about the specific strengths that were responsible for making you so good at your teaching career. For example, teachers are often great at human resources, possess excellent communication skills, and have strong public relations skills to name a few.
Stay focused on the transferable skills that will be relevant to your new career in your resume, cover letter, and during interviews. Be prepared to share with new employers just how you’ve used those skills to get results in the classroom too.
In Conclusion
Are you a former teacher or a retired teacher searching for a new career? Have you already made the switch to another career in the education sector or something entirely different? What new path have you landed on and what advice would you give to a former teacher considering a different job?
Tell me all about your own journey and share the tips you’ve learned along the way in the comment section. I can’t wait to read them and learn more about your experiences after teaching too!
