If you’re looking for a career change from teaching, strong options include corporate training, instructional design, HR, educational consulting, coaching, and program coordination. Teachers already have transferable skills in communication, organization, leadership, and lesson planning that can transfer well to many of these careers.
Why Do Teachers Consider a Career Change?
Teaching can certainly be a rewarding and enjoyable profession, but it can also be quite challenging and intense, so the desire to change is understandable. Indeed, many teachers experience burnout or wish for a better work-life balance.
The range of transferable skills you will have developed as a teacher is surprising in that you will likely have skills in communication, organization, leadership, and adaptability, all of which are highly valued in many other industries.
Whether you’re looking for a second career that offers remote flexibility, higher pay, or a more supportive work environment, this guide offers practical inspiration.
Below, you’ll find 29 career change ideas that you can take a look at, and hopefully, you’ll find one or two options that appeal to you.
Becoming Self-Employed or a Freelancer
1. Corporate Trainer
One popular idea is to move away from teaching in a school or college-style work situation and to become a corporate trainer.
As a corporate trainer, you will provide training to adults in businesses and organizations, often working with teams as part of a company’s learning and development (L&D) activities.
A solid understanding of group dynamics, such as Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development, can be especially valuable when helping teams function more effectively during training sessions.
This can be done either as a freelance trainer hired in, or working directly for a company as their trainer, if you prefer.
The benefits of being a freelance trainer are that you can choose your clients, when to work, and generally have much more freedom.
The downside is that you will likely not have a steady income while first building your business.
These resources can be useful if you are interested in starting a career as a freelance trainer:
- How to become a corporate trainer
- How to become a freelance trainer
- Where to find freelance and corporate trainer jobs
- Corporate Trainer Careers & Freelancing guides
2. Coaching Business Owner
Although quite similar to being a freelance trainer in terms of teaching adults, being a business coach is different in that there is more emphasis on working with individuals.
You have two main options as a business coach, and these are:
- Set up your own small business, working for yourself, offering business coaching services
- Work within a company in a mentoring role.
The first option can be great in that, just like being a freelance trainer, you can build and develop your own client base.
Imagine being able to choose the clients you want. Choose people you would like to work with and build a working relationship.
The steps toward building your own coaching business essentially can be:
- Develop and build an online presence and start branding yourself as a life or business coach. Make the type of coaching or mentoring that you offer clear on your website or blog.
- Make sure you include any experience on your website that relates to your expertise on your ‘About Me’ page.
- Also, start making yourself known on at least one social media platform, i.e., start using LinkedIn and Facebook, and find some clients based on existing contacts. LinkedIn can be very good for business networking.
- Consider also using tools such as meetup.com to offer group workshops (on the back of which you can often find one-on-one clients).
- Reach out to potential clients online and offline. You might start by offering a free sample workshop based on one of your longer one- or two-day workshops. You can also offer one-on-one coaching, which may help you gain your first clients while building confidence and experience.
3. Virtual Assistant or Writer (WFA)
You might have left (or be looking to leave) teaching because you want to completely change your existing lifestyle.
One such trend is the move toward working from anywhere (WFA), and this includes working from home (WFH) or working as a digital nomad, both ideal remote jobs for teachers wanting more flexibility.
One role you could do as part of your WFA is to work as a virtual assistant.
One of the best sites for starting off is Upwork, as it’s one of the biggest sites worldwide for freelancers. Other handy sites that connect freelancers with companies include:
- Freelancer
- People Per Hour
- Guru.com
With the sites mentioned above, there are numerous opportunities to work online from anywhere.
Apart from being a personal assistant and doing admin work, jobs can also include being a:
- web designer
- programmer
- graphic designer
- content writer
4. eLearning Course Designer
As an Online Course Designer, you would be involved with creating dynamic and accessible online courses for educational platforms.
Your responsibilities will usually include:
- designing course structures
- developing engaging content
- ensuring accessibility
- integrating technology
Typically, you would manage the entire course development process, collaborating with stakeholders to deliver high-quality learning experiences that meet educational objectives and engage learners effectively.
5. Interview Coach
Being an interview coach can be a relatively simple and fun way to build a business.
This role involves assisting clients in crafting compelling resumes, cover letters, and job applications tailored to specific positions.
Additionally, you can offer personalized coaching and preparation for job interviews.
Skills you can focus on helping them develop include:
- Communicate effectively
- Answer common interview questions
- Make a positive impression
You can also provide feedback on professional presentation, body language, and overall confidence to help clients make a positive impression during the job search process.
As you move into roles such as a corporate trainer or workshop leader, developing the ability to give clear, constructive feedback becomes essential.
Thinking of Becoming a Corporate Trainer?
Our ready-to-use course kits give you everything you need to run professional workshops — from slides to activities. Perfect for trainers, HR, and L&D consultants.
Working in a Company Using Your Teaching Skills
6. HR Manager or HR Assistant
As a teacher, you will have some core skills that are also essential in the area of human resources. Are you good at the following:
- Managing people
- Being highly organized
- Having good emotional intelligence skills (good at showing empathy to others)
- Managing and dealing with difficult people in the workplace.
If these are skills that you possess and have developed as a teacher, working for a company in human resources might be worth considering.
7. EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Specialist)
A trend that we are seeing is a move, understandably, toward more and better workplace training in the area of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
To match this movement, there is an increasing need for EDI experts and trainers, and it can be a rewarding and worthwhile career opportunity for you if this topic interests you.
Example topics that you can provide training for in EDI include:
- Intercultural Communication – to help managers and employees understand how to improve communication in what, these days, is a global work environment. We work with and deal with people from various cultures and with customers and colleagues from different locations. There are different ways in which various cultures communicate, and this course aims to help provide training in how to understand intercultural communication.
- Disability Awareness – to help workplaces and managers better understand how we can help staff with disabilities and provide a better working environment for all.
- EDI Basics – to provide a general understanding for all-level employees with a standard short course on equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Inclusive Management – Many new managers (and existing ones, too) benefit greatly from understanding how to manage in a way that makes all employees feel included and valued.
Helping to improve workplace equality and diversity, and helping to make a workforce more inclusive by providing training to managers as an EDI specialist trainer is certainly worth considering. It can be highly rewarding.
Working in the Education Sector
8. Academic Advisor
Becoming an academic advisor is not as easy as the previous ideas, simply because there tend to be fewer job vacancies for this type of role.
If you have several years of experience working in academia, though, and you manage to find such a role, then the salary can often be attractive. Tasks in such a role can typically include having to:
- Keep up to date on the latest legalities, policies, and requirements in academia, so that you can be the expert in providing advice and guidance
- Create teaching plans for modules and courses
- Explore, develop, and assess student needs and build a working relationship with the students to help provide the right learning environment
- Keep up to date on the latest resources in education, including software, learning techniques, and ideas, to help guide others.
There are various tasks that an academic advisor can do, and this can be an interesting role and one in which you will have a certain amount of freedom, also.
9. Academic Researcher
Working as a researcher is a role that can also be suitable and match the skill set of an ex-teacher.
These skills can be especially good if you are interested in research work and:
- Have an inquisitive mind
- Write clear reports
- Have great organizational and time management skills
- Have the ability to be open-minded and to see things from different perspectives
As a teacher, you probably have the core skills you need to be a researcher, and with some basic training, you could certainly consider being a researcher.
10. Educational Consultant
As an experienced teacher looking for a career change, you already possess valuable insights and expertise that can benefit others in the field of education.
What are your strengths, areas of expertise, and the specific skills you can offer as a consultant?
Identify your niche within education, whether it is:
- Curriculum development
- Instructional strategies
- Teacher training
- Or another specialized area, i.e., subject-specific
Next, leverage your existing network of contacts within the education community.
Reach out to colleagues, administrators, and educational organizations to let them know about your interest in consulting.
Offer your services on a freelance basis initially, and be prepared to provide examples of your past successes and contributions as a teacher.
You may also find opportunities to support companies implementing social learning strategies to enhance peer-based learning in the workplace.
Education-related events, such as conferences, can be particularly good for building a network of contacts for developing your professional development to connect with potential clients.
Stay current with trends and best practices in education by reading industry publications, attending workshops, and participating in online forums and discussions.
By continuously honing your skills and knowledge, building relationships, and positioning yourself as a trusted expert in your field, you can successfully transition into a rewarding career as an educational consultant.
11. Instructional Designer or Curriculum Developer
Transitioning from a teaching role to a Courseware Designer role involves leveraging your pedagogical expertise to design engaging and effective educational materials.
Start by familiarizing yourself with instructional design principles and learning theories, which will serve as the foundation for your work.
Consider enrolling in courses or pursuing certifications in instructional design or e-learning development to gain the necessary skills and credentials.
Also, consider seeking freelance or contract opportunities to gain hands-on experience in Courseware Design while building your portfolio.
Next, showcase your teaching experience and subject matter expertise as strengths in your transition to courseware design.
Tailor your resume and portfolio to emphasize projects you have undertaken as a teacher, such as curriculum development, lesson planning, or the integration of technology in the classroom.
>> Learn some basic instructional design tips to get started.
12. Education Technology Specialist
A well-paying job, if you have experience as a teacher, is to move into an Education Technology Specialist role.
If you have been working in IT as a teacher, then you might well already have a lot of the experience that you will need and that will be useful.
For this role, you will, in essence, be in charge of:
- Helping to set up and advise on installing technology in learning centers (this might include within a company in their training department/s)
- Doing audits to assess existing tech setups within companies or places of education to evaluate what can be improved to aid training, learning, and development
- Advising higher management on educational software and hardware solutions, including costs and the best options
- Being hands-on, i.e., the IT Support person, such as for an adult learning center, where computers and other hardware are needed for classes and workshops to run smoothly in real-time
Businesses where this type of role exists can include:
- In Universities and colleges
- For large companies, for their training department
- In government departments or organizations
- Schools
- Educational technology companies
- Consulting firms
To aid your chances of getting such a role, you can supplement your teaching experience by pursuing advanced education or certifications in educational technology.
13. Education Policy Analyst
Another option is to become an Education Policy Analyst who conducts research and analysis on education policies at the local, state, or national levels.
You would examine the impact of existing policies on educational systems, and key elements of the job would include:
- Research and Analysis – Conducting in-depth research on education policies, legislation, and regulations to understand their implications and effects on various stakeholders.
- Data Collection and Interpretation – Gathering and analyzing data related to educational outcomes, funding, demographics, and other relevant factors to inform policy recommendations and decisions.
- Policy Evaluation – Assessing the effectiveness, equity, and efficiency of existing education policies and programs through qualitative and quantitative analysis.
- Policy Development – Developing recommendations for new policies or revisions to existing policies based on research findings, stakeholder input, and best practices in education policy.
- Communication and Advocacy – Communicating research findings and policy recommendations to policymakers, educators, advocacy groups, and the public through reports, presentations, and briefings.
- Collaboration – Collaborating with government agencies, educational organizations, researchers, and community stakeholders to inform policy discussions and promote evidence-based decision-making.
For this role, you have to be someone who is highly organized and who loves policy-making.
It can be rewarding, though, as Education Policy Analysts play a crucial role in informing and shaping education policy to improve the quality, equity, and effectiveness of educational systems.
Educational Coordinator Roles
14. Education Program Coordinator
As an Education Program Coordinator, you would plan, implement, and manage educational initiatives within an organization.
Responsibilities normally include several of the following duties:
- program planning
- resource management
- curriculum development
- participant recruitment
- staff supervision
- data analysis
- partnership development
Overall, your role would be to ensure program effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals while overseeing all aspects of program delivery.
What you might like about this role is that it will take you away from teaching, but it is very much an education-based job.
Non-Profit & Community-Based Options
15. Youth Program Coordinator
A Youth Program Coordinator typically plans, develops, and oversees programs aimed at engaging and empowering young people.
Your responsibilities may include:
- Organizing activities, workshops, and events
- Coordinating with volunteers and community partners
- Providing support and guidance to participants
- Evaluating program effectiveness
If you enjoy working with youngsters but do not want to directly teach them, this type of role might be perfect.
16. Education Outreach Coordinator
An Education Outreach Coordinator typically works to expand educational opportunities and resources to various communities.
Your responsibilities will typically include developing and implementing outreach strategies to engage schools, educators, students, and families.
Job tasks can include:
- Organizing workshops, presentations, and events to promote educational programs or initiatives
- Creating partnerships with schools, community organizations, and stakeholders, and providing support and resources to facilitate learning outside traditional settings.
Additionally, you might need to assess the needs of target populations and develop tailored educational materials and programs to address those needs.
The job also often involves coordinating outreach efforts to engage parents, community members, and stakeholders in supporting educational initiatives and programs.
17. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Manager
As a career change for teachers, this can be an exciting, challenging, and very rewarding role.
In this role, you would spearhead sustainable and ethical practices within a company.
In this work, you would:
- Engage stakeholders
- Manage sustainability initiatives
- Oversee philanthropy
- Report on CSR activities
- Ensure compliance with regulations.
In essence, the role is to align business practices with social and environmental responsibilities for long-term positive impact.
18. Special Education Advocate
Another very rewarding job in education can be to become a Special Education Advocate.
In this role, you would serve as a crucial resource for students with disabilities and their families, aiding them in navigating the complexities of the special education system.
You would offer invaluable guidance, ensuring families understand their rights and available options within the system.
Advocates actively champion the needs of students with disabilities, advocating for appropriate educational services and accommodations to support their learning and development.
Other Roles Where Teaching Experience Helps
19. Career Advisor or Counselor
I have known a couple of ex-teachers who have taken on roles as career advisors, and they have found it extremely rewarding.
As a teacher, you hopefully have great people skills and enjoy helping others to develop.
As a career advisor or counselor, you would offer guidance and assistance to individuals needing career guidance.
In essence, you would assess their skills, interests, and aspirations, and based on your insights into various career options and educational routes, suggest some options to them.
The support you provide can also include job search strategies, resume writing, and interview preparation.
20. Content Writer
Whatever subject/s you taught as a teacher, you will inevitably be an expert of sorts in those areas.
If you have been teaching Math for 5 years, you will know a lot more than the average person about methods for teaching and understanding Math.
Likewise, if you teach science and physics, then you have the potential to be a good writer for magazines, journals, and publications in these areas.
If you enjoy writing, then consider contacting publications in your area of teaching and seeking out opportunities.
As a career change for teachers, this will not, perhaps, pay what you are used to, though.
21. Technical Writer
The main purpose of this role is to make technical information much simpler for non-experts, i.e., understandable in a user-friendly way.
You would achieve this as a technical writer by creating clear, concise, and comprehensive documentation for technical concepts. The role also tends to include:
- Research and Gather Information – You would research and gather information from subject matter experts, engineers, developers, or other stakeholders to understand the technical content they need to document.
- Organize and Structure Content – As a technical writer, you need to organize and structure information logically. To achieve this, you would break down complex topics into manageable sections and ensure that the content flows smoothly and sequentially.
- Write Documentation and Ensure Clarity and Accuracy – Write various types of documentation, including user manuals, online help guides, technical specifications, training materials, and troubleshooting guides. This documentation can come as text, diagrams, screenshots, or videos.
- Edit and Revise – also incorporate feedback from users or stakeholders to enhance the quality of the documentation.
- Collaborate with Teams – collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineers, designers, product managers, and quality assurance testers, to ensure that documentation aligns with the product or project requirements.
22. Podcast Host or Producer
A job that can make you a living but is more likely to be a part-time endeavor is to create educational podcasts targeting teachers, students, or parents.
This is an especially good option if your teaching is on a niche topic and that is well-suited to a podcast.
An example of a great educational podcast is The Grammar Girl.
23. Museum Educator
A Museum Educator designs and implements educational programs and activities within a museum setting to enhance visitors’ understanding and appreciation of the exhibits.
Your responsibilities in this type of role would typically include:
- Developing curriculum-based tours and workshops for school groups
- Designing interactive exhibits
- Creating educational materials such as guides and worksheets
- Leading tours and presentations
As a museum educator, you would often collaborate with teachers, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
Additionally, you would potentially need to conduct research, evaluation, and outreach to continuously improve and promote educational initiatives.
24. Grant Writer
For some people, the idea of being a Grant Writer might be a boring job, but if you enjoy researching and writing, then this can be a great job for you.
As a grant writer, you would be responsible for researching and identifying potential sources of funding to support organizations or projects, such as government agencies, foundations, and universities.
There are tens of millions of dollars available for universities, for example, and universities highly value a grant writer who has the skills to get the funding.
In terms of job tasks, you will:
- Interpret grant guidelines and requirements
- Develop proposals or applications
- Develop budgets, monitor progress, and report on project outcomes
For this type of role, you will need to possess strong writing, research, and communication skills to secure funding successfully.
25. Professional Development Coordinator
A Professional Development Coordinator is responsible for organizing and facilitating professional development opportunities for employees within an organization. Their duties typically include:
- Needs Assessment: Identifying the training needs of employees through surveys, evaluations, and discussions with managers and team members.
- Program Development: Designing and developing training programs, workshops, seminars, and other learning activities to address identified needs and improve employee skills and performance.
- Training Delivery: Facilitating training sessions either in-person or through online platforms, ensuring that participants have access to necessary materials and resources.
- Assessing training program effectiveness: Analyzing participant feedback, performance metrics, and various evaluation methods to gauge their influence on employee development and organizational objectives.
- Continuous Improvement: Analyzing feedback and data to make improvements to existing training programs and develop new initiatives to meet evolving needs and objectives.
- Collaboration: Working closely with department heads, subject matter experts, and external trainers or consultants to coordinate and deliver relevant and high-quality training content.
In essence, the Professional Development Coordinator is pivotal in fostering employee growth and advancement, elevating their competencies, expertise, and effectiveness, thereby bolstering the organization’s overall success.
26. Education Program Director
As an Education Program Director, you would manage all aspects of educational initiatives within an organization or institution.
Responsibilities can include collaborating with stakeholders to develop curriculum frameworks and managing program budgets and resources efficiently.
Furthermore, you would likely supervise instructional staff to ensure high-quality program delivery.
27. Educational Tour Guide
If you want to spend more time outdoors or in locations such as museums, historical sites, nature reserves, or cultural landmarks, then this might be a great fit for you.
As an Educational Tour Guide, you will lead groups of visitors, typically students or learners, on educational tours to various destinations.
The primary role is to provide engaging and informative commentary and deliver educational content related to the place you are touring.
It will also normally be your duty to ensure the safety and well-being of tour groups, manage logistics such as transportation and scheduling, and facilitate discussions and Q&A sessions to deepen understanding and foster engagement.
28. Educational Journalist
If you have several years of experience in teaching, then you might be perfectly positioned to try to move into journalism and writing about education.
As an Education journalist, you will be writing reports on news, trends, and issues related to education.
Responsibilities typically include:
- researching and investigating educational topics
- conducting interviews with educators, policymakers, and experts
- writing articles for the media outlet’s website
Topics can be wide and varied, given the scope of the field of education.
You could find yourself writing about topics such as K-12 education, higher education, vocational training, educational policy, curriculum development, student experiences, teaching methods, and educational technology.
29. Educational Game Designer
Is your experience in teaching related to computer programming or software development? If so, rather than teaching, you could consider educational game design.
Educational game designers often apply elements of workplace gamification, such as offering scoring, leaderboards, and challenges, to make learning experiences more interactive and motivating for adult learners.
They conceptualize and design game mechanics and content that align with specific learning outcomes, ensuring that each element of the game contributes to educational goals.
Through collaboration with educators and subject matter experts, you would customize game content for various age groups and subjects, incorporating quizzes, puzzles, and simulations to enhance learning.
Throughout their design process, you would prioritize crafting engaging and intuitive experiences that cater to users’ needs.
Conclusion: Taking Action Toward Your New Career
Many other jobs also draw on the skills of teachers, and there are likely to be many opportunities related to the specific topics and subjects you taught.
If you are adamant that you want to move out of teaching, the great news, as you can see from the list of job opportunities above, is that there are many great career options available to you.
If you’re considering leaving the classroom for a role in adult education or workplace learning, you might also find our guide on corporate training strategies useful for understanding how businesses structure learning and development today.
Download Ready-to-Use Training Materials
Start your freelance training business with editable, professional training kits:
- PowerPoint slides & trainer guides
- Printable exercises & group activities
- Perfect for workplace & soft skills training
Steps to Transition from Teaching to a New Career
- Think about what you’re good at beyond the classroom – are you a natural presenter, well-organized, or a great people person?
- Scan for jobs that appeal to you and be open-minded. It could be training adults, working online, or perhaps a completely new role involving education and learning. US readers can also use O*NET OnLine to explore occupations that match their existing skills and interests.
- If something catches your eye but requires new skills, consider taking a short course. There are many excellent MOOC courses, for example, that you can do for free to get started.
- Update your LinkedIn profile and make it clear that you are looking for work.
- Consider the possibility of going freelance or starting your own small business. Or think about part-time roles that might give you new and handy experience. Real-world experience matters.
- Remember that you are not alone – join groups, chat with people already doing what you want to do, and apply for roles that really interest you.
