Since I left teaching in January, I have been contacted by a number of fellow teachers congratulating me on my courage to leave and explaining how, although they love teaching, the environment, the work life balance and unrealistic expectations is making them dread going to work every day and they too wish they could leave. The conversations often go the same way, with me discussing my choices and encouraging them to follow their dreams if they can but more often than not I am met with teachers telling me they have no idea what else they could do. They trained to teach and that’s all they know so how would they get another job, especially one that matches their teaching wage. What most teachers seem to forget is that they have multiple skills, many of them transferable to a number of roles and so this post is a round up of potential jobs for ex-teachers or teachers looking to make the change.
Jobs for ex teachers
Freelance writing
Like me you could start a blog and write about what your passions, interests or hobbies are. Also this is not something that will earn you any money immediately it can in the long run as there are numerous ways to monetise your blog.
You can also pitch to magazines and companies about articles you could write for them in your area of expertise or about teaching in general.
Online education sites
There are a number of online educational sites available for students, parents and teachers and someone has to write their material, so why not you? The majority of these companies pride themselves on working with teachers so send them an email and introduce yourself, tell them what you teach and if you specialise in any areas within that subject. Over the past two months I have been writing online educational quizzes in my subject area and have found it to be so much fun, stress free and keeps me up to date with my subject area.
Printed educational resources
As the expert you know which resources worked and which didn’t and which ones you had to produce yourself in your own time because nothing seemed to exist.
Pitch these idea to the companies that specialise in your subject area and help them develop something that you know teachers will need and want. Your experience is invaluable.
Online markers
As you probably already know exams are sent to independent markers and the majority of the examining bodies like to use qualified teachers to do this. It can be done from home and in your own time so no need to worry about 9-5 either. Even if you are not looking for a new job just yet this may make a great side hustle during exam season.
Exam invigilator
In a similar fashion to the exam markers exam invigilators are highly sort after around May and June so if you currently have the time to dedicate to this then get in touch with your local schools and colleges to see how you can apply.
Educational Psychologist
The majority of educational psychologists were previously teachers because once again they are the ones that know what it is really like in the classroom. They have direct experience of what does and doesn’t help the children and can apply this experience to the role. What is even better is that some councils will fund the EdPsych doctorate so you won’t need to pay to retrain either.
Teaching assistant
A number of teachers are now returning to the classroom as teaching assistants because they get to enjoy the class room aspect of the job but with a much better work life balance and less responsibility. There may be a pay cut involved but as there will be little to none planning and marking required you will have time to take on a second job or turn a hobby into a business should you need to subsidise your income.
Tutor
Being a tutor means you can teach the areas you want to teach and do so around your other commitments. You can join a tuition agency for tutors who will organise clients for you or you can work self employed in your local area. This is especially good for teachers that can focus on Maths, English and the 11 plus curriculum but can also be lucrative for other subject specialists too. There is also the potential to travel be an English tutor to children abroad.
Supply teacher
If you want to leave the teaching career but not the actual teaching then supply might be for you. You can pick and choose the days you teach and most the time the planning will be done for you. Supply also offers you the chance to work in a number of different school with different students.
Land Lord
If you have a property you can rent out, or are in a position to start buying property and building up your portfolio then becoming a landlord can be a very lucrative and relatively easy way to bring in an income. Having previously been a teacher your organisation skills will come in very handy and if you use a company like AMS housing and their guaranteed rent scheme then you wont need to worry about not receiving the rent you are owed every month.
If you are worried about going self employed because you don’t know where you will find clients or jobs then have a look at this list of places where you can find work when you work for yourself which will hopefully put your mind at rest and show you there are lots of options available as a freelancer.
One of the things I would say to all ex teachers, or anyone currently looking for a job, is to be mindful of what you post on your social media channels. A number of recruiters are now using social media screening to help them with the selection process during interviews and if you have taken to social media to discuss your opinions on your last work place, the environment, treatment or staff this is not going to bode well with your potential new employers.