Other Career Paths For Teachers

A Leader In The Classroom

5 Career Paths After CELTA (NOT JUST TEACHING!) #celta #celtacourse

Our teachers complete ample hours of fieldwork and student teaching so that they are prepared from day one to create a stimulating, culturally responsive classroom where all students can learn and thrive. After you gain classroom teaching experience, opportunities may arise to expand your responsibilities in your school. Many of our teachers enhance their careers by becoming:

Reasons To Make A Career Change

A career change may become more feasible for you compared to the previous generations. Nowadays, people are becoming more practical and are increasingly working in various ways. They either work flexibly, part-time or remotely.

In the past, skills and vocations were learned for life. Now, training and education are becoming a continuing part of a more flexible working style. Online courses, for example, introduced new learning opportunities.

Working has always been viewed as making the means to pay ones bills and buy everything one want or need. It is already widely accepted that one of the keys to a happy and accomplished life is having a fulfilling career.

Before deciding to make a career change, know the reasons why people take the leap, how and where to start, and more.

1) You are looking for a new challenge

Although you are already content with your job and work colleagues, it is still possible that you will find it to be too much of a routine after a few years. Perhaps you are the kind of person who needs to push themselves and explore things. If so, a career change may just be a ticket.

To venture a little out of your depth may sometimes be exactly what you need to feel accomplished and satisfied in your working life. Finding a new career path may encourage you to gain new skills and knowledge if you are feeling a little too comfortable. It can also help spice things up in your life.

2) Change of values

3) You want to live more than work

5) You are unhappy

Take Stock Of Your Professional Traits And Skills

Start by imagining what you would say to an interviewer who asked, “What do teachers do?” Visualize your role as a teacher and make a list of everything you’ve been responsible for. Examples may include tasks like:

Planning and preparing lessons
Finding or developing appropriate learning materials
Consulting with school administrators
Getting classrooms ready for different kinds of lessons
Teaching students of varying abilities
Interacting with parents

The ability to lead or manage others
A passion for lifelong learning
Great organizational and time-management skills
Exceptional presentation and public-speaking skills
The ability to communicate complex ideas in a simplified way
An understanding of why people behave the way they do
The ability to collaborate and work alone
Excellent writing skills
Remarkable patience

Those examples represent transferable abilities that can be used in countless jobs after teaching. They make great selling points when promoting yourself to potential employers.

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Can Teachers Easily Change Careers

There are many positions available for ex-teachers and as they say itâs never too late to change careers.

With your teaching degree and the transferable abilities you’ve developed in and out of the classroom, you could be a strong candidate for a variety of second professions.

All you need to know is what to aim for, when to seek out additional training, and how to promote your incredible skills. Teachers in schools are exceptional professionals. After all, only a select few are qualified for careers in education that involve working in classrooms.

The fact that you have taught speaks volumes about your character, heart, and a vast range of skills developed over your teaching profession. You can create a career that more closely satisfies your needs by utilizing your professional strengths.

If you have entrepreneurial aspirations you might want to read our special guide on 10 Essential Career Change Tips to Becoming an Entrepreneur

Letâs start by looking at your skills that can be transferred to other professions.

Why Do Teachers Leave Teaching

How Many Years Do You Need To Become A Teacher

Teacher exhaustion and burnout are endemic to the occupation, but its also often taboo for teachers to discuss. Teachers who speak out about why good teachers quit are accused of whining and complaining teachers who strike or call for unionization can get blackballed.

But teacher burnout statistics are troubling. More than a quarter of US schools are overcrowded, and that number is only expected to increase with the population. More than half of teachers work hours that are considered unsustainable, well over 40 hours per week. That is, after all, just the hours in the school day not the evening, night, and weekend hours that all teachers commit to.

For those who wonder about teacher burnout causes, the evidence is clear overcrowded classrooms, excessive hours, financial stresses . So it comes as no surprise that more than 40% of new teachers quit in 5 years, and more than 50% of teachers consider quitting. Its no mystery why good teachers quit but many can find greener pastures in alternative careers.

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Alternative Jobs For Teachers

While teaching may not be for you, there are several jobs you could pursue that would allow you to remain in the education sector, should you wish to.

Student learning support.

If you want more flexibility in your work life, and enjoy helping students to achieve their best possible outcomes, student learning support could be the role for you. Under this umbrella, you could work with small groups of struggling students, accompany individuals to therapy sessions, or become a school counsellor .

Additionally, you could become an academic adviser, helping children to choose GCSE and A-Level subjects and decide on a possible future career. Your expertise in working with children in the education sector would be a great advantage in these roles.

Curriculum specialist .

Curriculum specialists help to develop teaching materials, implement them, and then assess their effectiveness. This requires a working knowledge of teaching standards, years of experience working in education, and good problem-solving, logic, and communication skills. The role may include observing teachers in the classroom, reviewing test results, and interviewing school staff about the current curriculum to ensure that the students needs are being met.

Similarly, you could become a writer of educational content, using your knowledge and written communication skills to create textbooks or classroom resources. Many educational publishers are on the lookout for freelance writers to do this.

Private tutoring.

Skills Gained And Learned

These five skills are essential for becoming an effective teacher. If you want to be able to effectively control a classroom while engaging your students and creating a positive environment, you must master these skills. Such skills do not come naturally or easy to most people. However, you can artfully develop these skills over time with practice and determination.

Discipline You have to be able to demonstrate firm objections and follow through with disciplinary measures if you wish to be a good teacher. Kids act out, some more than others. Many kids do not have effective discipline at home or they may have behavioral issues that have not yet been diagnosed or treated. As a result, you must implement disciplinary measures that foster a positive environment for learning for all rather than just a few.

Observation Keen observation skills will tell you almost everything you need to know about your students. You will be able to make observations related to the level of their development in social, emotional, and cognitive matters. Issues children are having are just as noticeable in their actions as their test results. Teachers learn by watching just as much as they learn from grading papers.

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Necessary Skills Required To Get Noticed By Educational Companies That Hire Teachers

To repeat, educational sales representatives need to understand how the product is used in the classroom. Youll also want to focus on being highly organized and an excellent note taker. Most importantly youll need the ability to give great presentations and effective communication skills.

Education Policy And Research

Embracing the career path of teaching kindergaten children

If youre passionate about helping students, but you want to affect change on a large scale, working in education policy and research can provide many jobs in education field besides teaching. Professionals working in education policy and research can work for politicians, advocacy groups, non-profits, and more. Working in this area provides opportunities for many different types of work, from observing teachers in classrooms in high need areas to working with lawmakers to impact educational change.

To work in education policy and research, youll need at least a bachelors degree, but many positions will require a masters or doctorate. You can expect to make approximately $53,000 per year.

Average Salary: $53,000

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Quick Tips To Make The Transition

Make a list of all your transferable skills
Choose your intended career direction and goal
Re-write your CV from scratch, emphasizing all your transferable skills
Research jobs on Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, Facebook, and register with some recruitment agencies
Prepare answers to common interview questions
Take some courses to brush up your skills or to retrain completely
Start making applications

Changing careers can be daunting at first, especially if you have been teaching for a long time. You may be apprehensive at first, but once you have made the decision to change, do your research and make that change today. Dont procrastinate, just do it!

Jobs For Former Teachers

While corporate and nonprofit organizations can operate quite differently from the education system, teachers tend to have a wide range of skills that can be applied in a variety of settings. Teachers looking to make a total career change may require additional training, from taking individual online courses through programs like and Coursera, to earning additional degrees. While exploring career options, take note of degrees or skills typically expected, and research your options.

HR Learning and Development Specialist Corporations and businesses need help training their staff. Interpersonal communication, lesson planning, and the ability to work with all types of learners make teachers great trainers. If youre looking for a career teaching adults but arent interested in becoming a college professor, this may be an excellent path for you. Training and development specialists median pay was $61,210 per year as of 2019, with a faster than average growth of 9%.

Paralegal This can be a good match for teachers who have a particular interest in law and the judicial system. Teachers can earn their paralegal certification in a rather short period if required by their state or the law office in which they are interested. As of 2019, paralegals and legal assistants earned a median salary of $51,740. The number of jobs is expected to grow by 12% between 2018 and 2028.

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Why Look Into Professional Advancement

At its core, professional advancement exists to enhance our professional goals. When we think about it in this modern climate, it can ultimately help educators do the following:

1. Learn about current and new topics in education and industry. Outside of the classroom, its also worthwhile to see what is current in the education industry as a whole. For example, what kinds of new technology should we be on the lookout for? What are some major new shifts in education that may impact our roles? And what kinds of new skills may be needed for our students in the future?

2. Gain insight into how to market your job credentials. As educators, were often asked to maintain our credentials for certification purposes, but not necessarily how to market them to potential employers or even your current employer. By attending professional advancement sessions or classes, you can learn best practices to highlight your expertise and market yourself.

3. Determine what your next career path might be. If youre looking into other career opportunities, professional advancement can help you explore possibilities for what might be next on the horizon. It can help you learn from industry experts, craft your résumé, and identify your interests if youd like to pivot from education.

While professional advancement can be meaningful, there are situations where it might not be the right fit or perhaps more training may be needed. In that case, its important to find ways to make it more effective.

Choose A Path And Get Additional Education

At some point, you’ll have to get specific about your goals. You’ll need to pick a new career to pursue and find out how you measure up. Will you need different credentials or extra training? How much will you earn in an entry-level position starting from scratch? Do the research and make a plan. Adult learners have many good options today, from flexible online programs to career-focused colleges and vocational schools that offer convenient schedules in accessible locations.

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Best Alternative Jobs For Teachers

James and Mary are teachers at Roosevelt High School. While having lunch in the teachers lounge together, James, the newer instructor of the two, asks Mary out of the blue, Have you ever thought about the best alternative careers for teachers?

From the thousands of hours in education school to on-site training, a few years of professional teaching, or even decades in the field, the passion to maintain your career as a teacher has perhaps waned like chalk on a blackboard. Chipped like the lead of a mechanical pencil. Vanished like student attention-spans that first day on the job.

With your teaching experience and education, there are plenty of career opportunities available to you. As in every wake of life, fortune favors the bold, and we mean fortune as in high-quality pay, excellent stability and well-projected job outlooks.

Jobs for former teachers are out there, with a variety of options to choose from. With the information provided in this article, you can take the next step out of one industry and into another as an informed, confident professional.

ARTICLE NAVIGATION:Teaching Skills, In-Demand | Best Alternative Jobs for Teachers | Top Jobs for Former Teachers | Jobs For Former Teachers: Its Not a Hard Sell | Expand Your Horizons Beyond Teaching

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Building Your Resume Mini

Another course that was made available is the resume course!

As people who may have believed that our purpose was to teach, which we focused on entirely during college and starting our lives out, it can be difficult to think of yourself as a professional in other ways.

This course helps you build a resume that capitalizes on your teaching strengths/skills, and how they can help you transition to a new career!

Professor / Postsecondary Teachers

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Postsecondary teachers are typically teachers or instructors at a community college or sometimes a university. These teachers are responsible for teaching the basic course requirements for degree programs. Some courses will be used to fulfill prerequisites for more advanced courses, and other postsecondary classes are designed to prepare students for employment opportunities. The quality of teaching at this level is highly important to the success of all students whether they complete a certificate, two-year degree, or a four-year degree. Professors teach at four-year colleges and universities. Again, they might teach a prerequisite course or a core major class and professors can choose a more generalized teaching area or a specialized teaching area depending on their specific interests. To become a professor, you may require a doctorate degree in education and experience. To teach as a postsecondary teacher at community colleges, you will only require a masters degree in most cases.

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Alternative Careers For Teachers In Other Industries

Some former teachers feel called to serve their entire careers in the education space, but others may be looking for a more significant change. Rest assured that there are ways to leverage the skills needed to be a teacher in new ways and new industries.

Consider the following three possible jobs for former teachers outside of education:

A Guide To Planning Career Paths For Teachers

Acquiring new skills and knowledge can support you in your current role and aid you in the event that you change roles or leave education.

The last two years have highlighted several challenges that may have educators looking for either other employment or another role within education. This is where meaningful professional development or professional advancement can be a gateway into the future of what can be possible for both personal and professional growth.

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Expand Your Horizons Beyond Teaching

As stated before, alternative jobs for teachers do not always require an entire revamp of ones current knowledge and skills. Though it could, given the job, require a certificate or advanced degree. So far David, Sam and Joanna are on the right track to the success they seek. Asking questions, building your resume, applying to a new line of work and starting a new profession can be a straightforward, confidence-boosting process. Dont just take our word for it, explore your options and find the right career path for you!

Interview Like A True Pro

Many former teachers worry that employers outside the education sector won’t be interested in their abilities. While that may be true in some cases, most employers will be eager to learn how your skills translate into a non-classroom position. Every interview is your opportunity to teach them. So do what you’re best at. Communicate with enthusiasm, focusing on the many positive ways in which your skills and past experiences will add value to their organizations. Emphasize your accomplishments and tell them about the former colleagues who miss you.

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