Career Changes for Teachers

Teaching professionally can be fulfilling career; however, it can easily get exhausting. Teachers get burned out easily through mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. The profession certainly involves patience and hard work.

While some teachers may spend their whole lives teaching at schools, colleges, or universities, others may end up leaving the profession for something else. There are many professions that require a similar skill set to being a teacher. If you are looking for a career change, you may be able to adopt some of these careers. 

Let’s take a look at a list of some of the careers choices that can bring some diversity and change in your teaching profile while requiring similar skills and experience as that of a teacher. 

Consultant

A consultant is someone who has expertise in a particular field and provides professional advice and services related to that field. As a teacher, your expertise is in ‘teaching,’ ‘education,’ or a specific ‘subject’ like history, biology, or chemistry. 

You can gauge your strengths and weaknesses to see which one field/area you are the strongest at. Once you have determined your expertise, you can start building on it further from a consultant’s point of view. A good place to start would be looking through job descriptions of a ‘Consultant Role,’ determining the requirements, and then building on those skills and requirements.

Freelance Teaching

There is a freedom in being your own boss. If you want to take a break from the hierarchy and constant micromanaging of your superiors, you can take your teaching outside the mainstream schooling system and start teaching online. You can also tutor kids at their homes. Homeschooling has become popular over the years and many parents search for teachers to teach their kids certain subjects the parents might not be fluent at. Some parents also look for teachers during summer, spring, or winter breaks. Be on the lookout for such opportunities through job boards and you will be able to find something in no time.  

Research Assistant

A research assistant role is not just for students who work part-time during their studies. It is an open profession for just about anyone who is interested and has the skills required. Many universities hire research assistants from outside the university since students sometimes don’t have expertise in a particular field and also because these positions are full-time roles which many students simply cannot manage with their studies. Your skills as a teacher will also apply in this profession since you will be bringing in your unique teaching background along with expertise in a certain field or subject. 

Find Short-Term Contracts

Some people cannot imagine themselves in a 9-5 job. They usually end up setting up their own business or doing side gigs. With the recruitment agency industry becoming popular over the past few years, many opportunities for short-term roles have opened up. These roles are contract based and usually range from 3-12 months depending on the type of the job. 

Administrative Assistant

An administrative assistants’ job is pretty similar to a teacher’s. An administrative assistant oversees the company’s policy manuals, assists with HR functions, prepares spreadsheets, compiles data, and prepares reports. As a teacher you already perform most of these duties in your teaching role. An administrative assistant job can be a lot of fun and a great learning opportunity. If you look for the right role, it will pay really well, too: especially “Executive Administrative Assistant” roles.

Summer Camp Coach

You already have experience dealing with kids, now let’s take that classroom experience outside into the open field. As a camp coach you will be responsible for teaching kids some important life skills, doing fun activities, planning and monitoring meals, keeping kids safe and facilitating kids participation in camp activities. 

Volunteer

Job hunting is not an easy process. It has become laborious and complicated. Many companies prefer hiring internally or through references. If you do not know many people in the industry, a  job search can become an incredibly hard process. For this reason, some people start by volunteering at different companies. If there are certain companies/industries you are interested in working for, make a list and start contacting them regarding volunteer opportunities. You can find many volunteer roles on job boards, however, a better way would be to reach out to the human resources team or a recruiter through their website or LinkedIn.

Travel to a Different Country or State

Sometimes we end up spending our whole lives in one place. Human beings are scared of change, they prefer the comfort of their homes over anything else. Staying in a comfort zone can also sometimes become detrimental to our personal and professional health. This is because you stop growing as a person as well as in your career. Take some time out from your life and travel to a different state or country and experience the diverse set of cultures and learn from them. 

Conclusion

Before making a career switch, make sure your resume and LinkedIn profile is polished and up to date. And if any of these roles are of interest to you, start applying today!