3 Tips for Meaningful Networking on LinkedIn for Teachers
Whether you’re leaving the classroom to work flexible jobs in education or starting an education business of your own, networking with other professionals is key to meeting your goals. Use these tips for meaningful networking on LinkedIn as a teacher.
At Educator Forever, LinkedIn is one of the many topics we explore during our weekly Network calls and workshops. We do this intentionally because most of the teachers in our community are new to using social media to network with potential clients, companies, and peers.
LinkedIn is the largest business-oriented networking website geared specifically towards professionals like you. It has more than 1 billion members in over 200 countries. The potential to learn about and network with other innovative educators, companies, and clients is endless.
Although it may feel uncomfortable at first, setting up a LinkedIn profile allows you to increase your visibility and potential to land your dream job beyond the classroom. Even more, it helps you position yourself as the expert you are.
Keep reading for our best LinkedIn networking tips for teachers who are ready to make an impact beyond the classroom.
3 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Meaningful Networking
Learning LinkedIn skills for teachers is a key part of building relationships and finding work outside the classroom. Try these three LinkedIn networking strategies.
Tell Your Story
Since your LinkedIn profile is your digital resume, it’s the perfect opportunity to gain clarity about how your story and experiences as a teacher connect with the current role you are looking to obtain.
It’s normal to feel nervous when putting yourself out there, but remember that feeling uncomfortable is part of the process. The only way to get more comfortable with showing up in the digital world is to keep putting yourself out there. Here are a few LinkedIn tips for teachers to share your story with the world.
Choose a profile picture that highlights your personality. If you don’t have one, ask a friend or partner to take one for you! Disrupt the idea that your profile picture should look extra “professional.” Instead, choose a photo you like of yourself. This will boost your confidence and draw potential clients to your profile.
Find a banner or upload your own. Banners are images that show up above your profile picture. They can be used to convey your personality and passions related to your career. LinkedIn has a variety of different banners to choose from. If nothing resonates, you can also upload your own. Some educators decide to design their own banner on Canva. Check out these free options!
Build out your experience. When you create a LinkedIn profile, it’s the perfect opportunity to align your experience with the position you want to obtain in the future. For example, if you are interested in designing curriculum, highlight the curriculum you designed while in the classroom. Here’s an example to support you:
3rd Grade Teacher at Mountain Central School (September 2020-Present)
Designed an integrated unit on environmental justice aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.
Created developmentally appropriate and evidence-based assessments that showed significant growth in science concepts over the year.
Created graphic organizers and paragraph frames to support students with disabilities access the curriculum.
Take your time and enjoy reflecting on all the amazing experiences you have! Whether
you are hoping to find work as an education business owner, virtual instructional coach,
or online teacher, this intentional practice will help you when you write your resume, too.
Post Authentically and Frequently
Posting engaging and consistent LinkedIn content will help you find other people who share the same passions and help attract potential employers and clients - and it’s one of the easiest steps toward meaningful networking on LinkedIn.
Sometimes, fear and uncertainty get in the way of posting a blog, article, or quote that resonates with us. We might hear the inner critic say, “No one wants to hear from you” or “This isn’t important to anyone.” Instead of pushing away this voice, remind yourself that it’s there to protect you from getting hurt.
Instead of staying stuck as our mind machine spirals into staying safe and not taking risks, we can acknowledge what’s happening and push through the discomfort. If we want to make progress toward our dream life, it’s imperative to put ourselves out there. Even more, who better to share research and best practices in education than a teacher like you?
Get started by creating a list of educational publications you love. Examples might include places like Edutopia, Edweek, Rethinking Schools, Cult of Pedagogy, Educator Forever, or neaToday. Create a simple list of dates you’d like to post, along with links or images, and the “copy” or writing that will accompany the resource you are posting. Use our LinkedIn Post Planner to plan your posts.
Build Relationships on LinkedIn
The key to meaningful networking on LinkedIn is not just linking with as many professionals as possible, but building true relationships.
As an educator, you’ve likely established many caring relationships with colleagues, students, and education professionals during your career. When our Network members begin establishing a virtual presence, they are always awed by the ability to network with other innovative educators, potential clients, and educational companies around the world.
We live in a global society where our impact can extend beyond the communities we live in. Building relationships on LinkedIn can open doors to new opportunities and help you find mentors who hold the positions you’d love to land in the future.
Do the research. Instead of just connecting with anyone and everyone, make sure to spend some time researching the companies you have used in the past and ones that align with your values. For example, if you are interested in finding a position as an instructional coach, start by following companies like BetterLesson, Sibme, and EdConnective. Next, head to the company’s landing page and click on “People” to connect with fellow educators who can provide insight about the position.
Personalize connection requests. When you send a friend request to someone you don’t know, it’s important to personalize the request. A possible script to use if you are connecting with a virtual coach on LinkedIn might be:
Hi ______, I’m an educator looking to land a job as a virtual coach. I am so interested in hearing more about your work at ______. Thanks for considering my connection request, I look forward to hearing from you. My best, ______
Get More Tips for Networking on LinkedIn and Beyond!
If you’re ready to gain support and skills to move toward a fulfilling, rewarding career beyond the classroom, join us in the Educator Forever Network!
The path to a fulfilling career beyond the classroom is a personal journey, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. You can get support as you learn how to believe in yourself as an educator taking on new roles.
The Educator Forever Network is a course + community designed to help you successfully navigate your path beyond the classroom with authenticity, reflection, and a commitment to pursuing your dreams.
We've helped thousands of teachers like you to embrace what we call the 4 C’s on their path (Clarity, Confidence, Community, and Commitment) to reimagine their role as an educator and successfully land flexible new careers. We’d love to help you do the same!
If you’re ready to expand your impact and income in education, join the Educator Forever Network, where you'll get:
✅ Our signature Beyond the Classroom Course (newly updated with the latest information and everything you need!) for step-by-step guidance as you navigate your career journey.
✅ Live empowering group calls each week, including our community calls, skills-based workshops, coworking sessions, educator wellness circles, and more.
✅ Access to our exclusive jobs boards with exciting new freelance, contract, part-time, and full-time job opportunities posted daily!
You’ll also become part of an inspiring community of like-minded educators who are passionate about expanding their impact and income in education.
We’re ready to cheer you on your path to success! Sign up now to empower yourself and take your education career to the next level!
April Brown (M.Ed) is Educator Forever’s Director of Learning and Development and a curriculum coach for the Curriculum Development Foundations and Advanced Curriculum Development certification programs. In 2015, April began designing curriculum and writing articles for an EdTech company as a side gig while she was teaching in Placencia, Belize. After having her daughter in 2016, April was eager to use her unique experience teaching and leading in mainstream and alternative settings in the United States and internationally to work remotely while still making a difference in education.
The Beyond the Classroom course empowered April to leverage her skills as a compassionate disruptor and out-of-the-box thinker to excel as an instructional/well-being coach, adjunct instructor of Trauma Supportive Schools and Mindfulness courses, curriculum developer, and writer for publications such as PBS SoCal, Education.com, and Britannica for Parents. April is an advocate for teachers and students – inside and outside of the classroom. You can find April in rural Vermont spending time with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and charming rottweilers.