10 Career Paths for Teachers Ready for a Change
Teaching is a rewarding career, but your skills can be useful in many other jobs too. If you are a teacher thinking about leaving the classroom, you already have so many valuable skills that many employers want, such as communication, organization, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork.
A teacher career transition does not necessarily mean starting over. In many cases, it means taking the experience you already have and applying it in a new environment.
Whether you want to work from home, try a job in the corporate world, or continue working in education outside the classroom, there are many career options you can explore.
Why Are Teachers Changing Careers?
There has been a nationwide teacher shortage. Teachers are tired, burnout, and underpaid. That's no secret. According to the article, Why Teachers Say They Leave the Profession—Or Say They Want to Quit, recent data show that nearly 1 in 5 teachers planned to leave their jobs, with stressors such as student behavior, low pay, heavy workloads, and poor work-life balance continuing to push educators toward other career options.
Skills Teachers Can Take Into a New Career
- Communication
- Organization and Time Management
- Leadership
- Presentation Skills
- Technology Skills
10 Career Paths for Teachers
If you're ready for a change from traditional classroom teaching, here are some career options you can explore.
1. Instructional Designer
Instructional designers create courses, training materials, and other learning resources. Your experience making lesson plans and activities can help you succeed in this career.
Instructional designers can work in schools, universities, businesses, nonprofits, and technology companies.
2. Corporate Trainer
Companies need people who can train employees and teach them new skills. Teachers already have experience explaining ideas, creating activities, checking progress, and keeping learners engaged.
Corporate training is a great option for teachers who enjoy teaching but want to work outside a traditional classroom.
3. Educational Technology Specialist
If you enjoy using technology in education, consider exploring EdTech careers. Educational technology companies hire professionals who understand how teachers and students actually use technology.
4. Curriculum Developer
Curriculum developers create learning materials, educational content, assessments, and programs.
Your classroom experience can help you understand what makes learning materials useful, engaging, and easy for students to understand.
5. Academic or Program Coordinator
Schools, universities, nonprofits, and educational organizations need professionals to coordinate programs and manage educational initiatives.
Teachers often have relevant experience because they already manage schedules, communicate with multiple groups, organize activities, and track progress.
6. Educational Consultant
Educational consultants can work with schools, organizations, families, or education companies. They may provide advice on curriculum, teaching methods, educational technology, or teacher training.
This can be a great option for experienced teachers who want to use their education skills in a different work setting.
7. Content Writer or Freelancer
Teachers spend years researching topics, explaining ideas, writing instructional materials, and adapting information for different audiences.
8. Human Resources and Learning & Development
Teachers' experience working with people can be useful in human resources and learning and development roles.
Learning and development professionals, in particular, design and deliver employee training programs—making this a natural transition for educators who enjoy helping others learn.
9. Customer Success Specialist
Customer or educational success specialists help clients understand and get value from products or services.
Teachers already know how to listen, explain, troubleshoot problems, provide guidance, and build relationships. These skills can be particularly useful when working with education or technology companies.
10. Speech Therapist
Teachers can put their experience and skills such as communication, patience, lesson planning (to create treatment plans), and understanding student needs can provide a strong foundation for teachers considering a future career in speech language pathology (SLP). SLPs can also pursue virtual positions, providing speech and language services to students online.
You Don't Have to Start Over
Changing careers can feel like you are leaving everything behind, but your teaching experience is still valuable.
Your next career does not have to mean starting over. It can simply be about finding a new place where you can use the skills you already have.
A teacher career transition can lead to many new opportunities, including instructional design, EdTech, corporate training, curriculum development, content creation, human resources, and customer success.
If you're ready for a change, start by identifying your skills and exploring careers that match your strengths. You may be surprised to find that the experience you gained in the classroom is exactly what employers are looking for.
Your teaching career doesn't have to end, it can grow into something new!
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