Career Change for Teachers in 8 Steps
Updated: Nov 24, 2022
I’m just a teacher, I can’t do anything else”
It’s common to hear teachers, especially those who’ve been teaching for a long time say something like this. Maybe you’ve thought this too and it’s easy to see why. As teachers we invest so much time and energy into our work that the world of education becomes our world. We speak the language, know the rules, and become so immersed in it, that it becomes our identity. We can’t imagine ourselves being anything else.
We always thought this would be our forever career.
So, what happened? The rules changed again and again and yet again. More and more work was piled on to us until it became unsustainable. We lost our passion and now we want OUT!
The only problem is that we have no idea what we can do.
Well, you could ask someone or ‘google’ it! Perhaps you have tried one or both of these.
I see this question a lot in Facebook groups. “I’m a teacher and I want to change careers what career would be good for me?”
If you ‘google’ ‘career change for teachers’, you will get a list of up to 10 career options for teachers.
But I don’t recommend either of these approaches.
Why not?
Well first up, as with everything else one size doesn’t fit all. Just because your friend Jenny left teaching and became a librarian it doesn’t mean that being a librarian is the right career for you.
And secondly, looking at different career options is actually the end of the career change process not the beginning.
Rather than starting with a career and trying to find a way that you can fit into it, wouldn’t it be better to start with YOU and what YOU need and can offer?
Yes, I think so too.
And that’s why I have created a short course that guides you discover everything you need to know about yourself to find a meaningful career that you will love.
Step 1
Before diving into career research, you will first of all look at your beliefs and values, your passions and interests, your strengths and transferable skills, as well as your work-related needs and requirements. With this information your career search will more focused and effective.
Step 2
Transfer all of this information onto a Mindmap.
Step 3
Decide whether your ideal career will be
1. In schools (in a different role)
2. In education but not schools, for example, educational publishing, curriculum design, educational technology etc.
3. Completely unrelated to education
4. Your own business
Step 4
Brainstorm a list of possible career ideas based on your answer to Step 2 and 3.
Step 5
Research these careers and evaluate them according to your Mindmap. The best way to do this is to use a pros and cons approach. As well as the items mentioned on your mind map also consider qualifications required and prospects (is it a growing field or shrinking one?) and opportunities for career advancement.
Step 6
Narrow these careers down to 2 or 3 (or even 1)
Step 7
Create a plan of action to look in more depth into these careers. This could include:
· Connecting with people in similar roles on LinkedIn and asking them about their jobs
· Connecting with relevant companies
· Networking in person
· Doing some work experience/volunteering/training or study
Step 8
Write a resume and begin applying for targeted jobs.
Are you ready to get started now?
I’ve made it super easy for you to get started with Step 1. Getting Started with Career Change for Teachers is a step-by-step online course of bite sized lessons for busy teachers. Or put your name on the waitlist for my new in-depth career change course that will be available very soon