10 Marketable Teacher Skills
If you’ve worked as a teacher for a long time, it may seem daunting to try anything else. But here’s the good news: as you’ve been working to hone your teaching craft, you’ve also picked up plenty of highly marketable teacher skills.
It can be hard to recognize and articulate the skills you’ve developed - and even harder to see how these skills could apply to education jobs outside of the classroom. But with a little reflection, you’ll soon see just how possible it is to change careers from teaching.
Still not sure you have what it takes to work outside the classroom? Keep reading for 10 in-demand skills that teachers can use to stand out in the job market.
10 Marketable Teacher Skills You Already Have
Whether you’ve been in the classroom for two years or 20 years, your time as a teacher has given you a broad range of unique skills that can serve you well as you seek other jobs for teachers. Here’s 10 of them:
Multitasking
Teachers have a lot going on all the time, and being able to do a lot of things at once is a true skill. Whether you want to work a traditional office job or hope to do freelance curriculum development, your ability to manage multiple tasks and projects will serve you well.
Efficiency
As a teacher, there’s never enough time in the day to get your work done. You work in the mornings and evenings after your kids go to bed; you knock out a lesson plan at recess; and you write parent emails before staff meetings. You get used to working as quickly and efficiently as you can, getting a lot done in a short amount of time. This is a highly valuable and marketable teacher skill that can help you succeed in many industries.
Problem Solving
I often think of being a classroom teacher as working through one big problem solving session. There are constant problems to solve in the classroom environment. Being able to solve problems, take on challenges and be unphased in the face of change is one of the most marketable teacher skills.
Detail Oriented
This is one of those phrases we see in job descriptions all the time. And it’s something teachers are really good at! It takes attention to detail to remember not just the names of all your students, but also their strengths, their learning styles, their likes, dislikes and friends. Teachers remember these details and are able to put those details to use in the classroom every day. You could bring that same valuable skill to just about any alternative job for teachers.
Interpersonal Skills
You can’t work as a classroom teacher without developing some pretty awesome interpersonal skills. Whether you’re managing a conflict between students, working through a student’s behavioral issues with a parent or communicating with other staff members, you need to learn how to communicate effectively. This ability to share a message with a wide variety of audiences is one of the most marketable teacher skills, and is highly valued across many industries.
Innovation
Teachers are some of the best innovators. We’re constantly having to come up with imaginative new ways to engage our students - and do it all without spending all our own money buying classroom supplies. When seeking other jobs for teachers, you can put that innovation and imagination into action to develop curriculum, write for an educational publication or work in just about any other job across any industry.
Adaptability
As teachers, our days are never the same. Sometimes our plans need to change by the hour! We need to be quick on our feet and ready to adapt. While it may seem run of the mill to a teacher, adaptability is an in-demand and highly marketable teacher skill.
Writing Skills
You may not think of yourself as a writer, but if you’re a classroom teacher then you’ve likely developed some key writing skills. From writing lesson plans and curriculum to writing emails to parents, colleagues, community members and others, teachers are experts at sharing complex information in a concise, easy-to-understand way. And this marketable teacher skill can serve you well in just about any job outside the classroom.
Research Skills
If you’ve ever had to find information for a lesson or explore details on learning styles to better understand a student, then congratulations! You have research skills! Teachers are fantastic at thinking critically, looking for reliable sources of information and evaluating the information they find to make sure it is a trustworthy and accurate resource. These research skills can be used to not only learn more about a company when applying for a job, but can also help you get started in a new career.
Enthusiasm
This might be my favorite of the marketable skills for teachers we discussed in this post. Teachers are simply some of the best, most positive and enthusiastic people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Teachers are lifelong learners. They work hard to maintain a positive outlook. And they genuinely care about their students. As a former classroom teacher, you’ll be able to bring this same passion and enthusiasm to a new role.
Putting Marketable Teacher Skills Into Action
Now that you’ve explored some of the most marketable teacher skills out there, it’s time to put them into action to get yourself a job in education outside of the classroom.
It may take a bit more reflection to see just how many of these skills you already have, but you can rest assured that your teaching experiences can help you get the non-teaching education job you want.
Still working through this exercise? Make sure to download the free 10 Marketable Teacher Skills pdf below.curriculum development.