Teachers who decide to leave the profession often have multiple options for a new career. The skills necessary to be an effective teacher can be used in career fields such as communications, writing, child care or consulting. A former teacher with knowledge and experience in a particular field might apply them in an alternative career. A math teacher, for example, might become an accountant. Some jobs may require additional training, licensure or certification.
Jobs That Require Good Communication Skills
Communication skills are critical to effective teaching. In addition to reaching students, teachers must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with parents, peers and principals. These skills could be used in the field of public relations, where PR specialists use verbal, media and written communication to create a favorable public image and shape public perception of the organization they represent. Reporters and correspondents, particularly in television or radio, use communication skills to inform the public.
Careers in Writing
Teachers, especially those who teach adults in settings such as postsecondary schools, must have good writing skills. Postsecondary teachers often publish original research and analysis. A former teacher who wants a new career might become a technical writer. These professionals prepare instruction manuals or other written tools that help communicate complex information. A teacher with a particular specialty, such as science, might write textbooks or curriculum in that field. You can also use writing skills in commercial fields such as advertising or fiction and nonfiction writing for magazines and books.
Jobs Working with Children
Most teachers have good interpersonal skills and many enjoy working with children. These talents can be used in a new career. For example, educational consultant and author Angela Watson suggests working as a nanny. Wealthy families, especially those who have children with learning disabilities, may welcome the opportunity to hire a nanny with a professional educational background. Some ex-teachers might set up a tutoring business or become consultants for families who home-school their children. Others may want to continue teaching but prefer to work outside the school system as online instructors or teaching one-on-one with home-bound children.
Careers Requiring Specialized Skills and Knowledge
Teachers who work in the secondary and post-secondary field typically specialize in a particular area. A background in one of the physical sciences, for example, might lead to a new career. Someone who teaches atmospheric science could become a meteorologist for a local television station. A forestry teacher might move into conservation science or become a forester. Other careers in the sciences include zoologist, wildlife biologist, environmental scientist and chemist.
Jobs That Need Your Transferable Skills
Teaching in a school is not the only place to use the occupational skills of a teacher. As a former teacher, you have many skills that are transferable to other careers such as corporate training. A corporate trainer must be able to design learning plans and teach the material. Teachers who are skilled in technology might find work as instructional learning specialists, working with schools and teachers in the use of instructional technologies. Instructional designers create online learning courses and teach instructors how to maximize the use of learning technology.