Guide to Careers in Education (Other Than Teaching)

Interested in exploring careers in education other than teaching? Read our full guide to the best careers for teachers beyond the classroom and all the resources you’ll need to make the switch.

When you’re considering leaving the classroom entirely or pursuing a flexible side job, it can feel like stepping into a new, unfamiliar world. But this change doesn't have to mean the end of your journey in education. You can explore new horizons and possibilities where you can expand your income and your impact in education.

Whether you're looking for freelance jobs, side hustles, or full-time work, there are many paths where you can shine. Knowing what to do after teaching and how to navigate the next steps in your career journey can be overwhelming.

At Educator Forever, we’ve helped thousands of educators reimagine their careers beyond the classroom. To take the guesswork out of the process, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to careers in education other than teaching, designed to help you navigate the next steps in your journey.

Explore this guide for clarity, strategy, and actionable advice to navigate your career transition with confidence and ease.

3 Keys to Guide Your Career Success Beyond the Classroom

1. Embrace This 4-Part Framework for Your Personal and Professional Success

As you redefine and reimagine your role as an educator, it’s essential to embrace what we call the four C's: Clarity, Confidence, Community, and Commitment. This framework is not a one-time exercise but a continuous cycle of growth and evolution as you navigate and thrive in alternative careers for teachers.

By embracing these 4 key pieces, you’re more likely to have a smoother, more successful transition:

Clarity: Discovering your next steps after leaving teaching starts with gaining clarity. To get clarity about your future, reflect on the experiences, interests, desires, and passions that have shaped you as an educator. Taking time to heal from past challenges and reflect on your purpose and aspirations is essential. There are so many careers that teachers switch to. Understand what you truly want from your next role—whether it’s more flexibility, a new challenge, or a different way to influence education. Get clear about your aspirations, interests, needs, and lifestyle preferences you envision for your next step. This clarity will guide your decisions and keep you aligned with your core values as you navigate the many jobs for teachers leaving teaching.

Confidence: Embracing and confidently stepping into your expertise as an educator is essential. Recognize the wide range of transferable skills, strengths, and experiences that you’ve developed as a teacher that can be applied to various career paths. Your experience as a teacher is valuable and in demand. By reflecting on your strengths and skills you’ll be able to leverage this expertise and own your worth.

Community: Having a supportive community of like-minded individuals will make you more likely to thrive in your journey beyond the classroom. A supportive network of like-minded educators and experts who are also exploring careers in education other than teaching can help you gain insight, build connections, and find the encouragement needed to pursue your dreams. Having a powerful network like the Educator Forever Network can also lead to partnerships, collaborations, exciting opportunities, and visibility within the education sector.

Commitment: Staying the course as you reimagine your role as an educator involves a commitment to take intentional steps toward your goals. Transitioning to a new career for teachers is a journey that requires dedication and a willingness to learn. By taking action, continuously learning, and having a growth mindset, you’ll unlock your full potential. With your commitment to growth, you can reimagine, reinvent, and revolutionize both the landscape of education and your reality!

The four stages of exploring careers in education other than teaching

You can explore more about this framework in this blog post or listen to this podcast episode.

2. Understand and Normalize the Journey

While everyone’s journey beyond the classroom is unique, we’ve found there are common stages educators go through.

Knowing and understanding the ebbs and flows that come with a major life change and career change for teachers can give you reassurance and direction, making for a smoother journey.

Here’s an overview of the stages you might experience:

Becoming an Educator:

Initially, your journey as a teacher is filled with enthusiasm and a deep commitment to inspiring students. The length of this stage depends on many different factors, including your teaching environment.

Burnout/Exhaustion:

Over time, systemic challenges and burnout can set in. This stage involves grappling with exhaustion and questioning your place within the education system. It’s important to acknowledge these feelings.

Finding Community:

As you start considering careers in education other than teaching and explore leaving teaching entirely, finding a supportive network becomes crucial. Connecting with other educators who are also exploring new paths can provide the support and validation you need (whether in person or in online communities like the Educator Forever Network).

Seeing Possibilities:

In this stage, you begin to feel excited and hopeful as you see the vast array of possibilities beyond classroom teaching roles. This stage is about exploring new careers for teachers and envisioning how you can make an impact in different ways. You may also realize that you can stay in education without compromising your wellness, values, or beliefs.

Overwhelm:

The multitude of career after teaching options beyond the classroom can feel overwhelming. If you’re multi-passionate (like many educators we work with at Educator Forever), you might have many different interests. Try to gain clarity on which path(s) you’d like to try out by exploring job postings and identifying ones that resonate with you or excite you.

Imposter Syndrome:

Self-doubt and imposter syndrome may surface as you navigate new roles. It’s important to recognize that these feelings are common and work through them with self-compassion and support.

Growth Mindset:

Adopting a growth mindset helps you embrace challenges and learn from experiences. You recognize that change happens when you step outside of your comfort zone. In this stage, you see setbacks and rejection as opportunities for growth and continue to push forward to reach your goals.

Imperfect Success:

As you find success in new roles (freelance, contract, part-time, or full-time), it’s important to reflect on your journey and adapt as needed. Recognize that success is often non-linear and that every experience contributes to your overall growth. In this stage, it’s still important to take the time to reflect on your needs and aspirations moving forward.

You can explore more and dive deeper into these stages in this blog post and in this podcast episode.

3. Have Go-To Resources and Support for Your Journey

Having the right resources and support for your journey through alternative careers for teachers makes all the difference. To support you through the many things that may come up, here’s a roundup of some of our top blog posts and podcast episodes. (Consider bookmarking this page for future use!)

Exploring Career Options?

There are so many careers in education other than teaching. Explore our top picks.

Check out these blog posts: