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How to Transfer Teaching Skills to a Different Job

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A wide range of different skills are associated with the teaching profession, ranging from organization and planning to communication, coaching and mentoring. If you decide to pursue a profession outside the educational realm, you likely qualify for a number of employment opportunities based on your teaching experience and credentials.

New Career Search

Take an introspective look at your new long-term career objectives and look for lines of work that allow you to use the skills and education you already have. If you enjoy the instructional aspect of teaching, consider a role in corporate training, adult job skills training or human resources employment assessment. If you had a particular education specialty, like art instruction, you might opt to pursue a related career as an art gallery manager or a museum docent. If you taught chemistry, you might want to go into medical lab work. Once you have an idea of the line of work or industry you'd like to pursue, create a functional resume that details your specific skill sets and describes your previous work experience and education.

Organization

Regardless of the line of work you ultimately pursue, the planning and organizational skills you utilized as a teacher will be beneficial. Apply these skills in positions that require project planning, corporate strategizing and business planning. This is useful in jobs including office management, career counseling, corporate consulting, program development and high-level executive administrative positions. You might also find opportunities in the government and non-profit sectors, such as fundraising and grant administration.

Communication

The communication skills and attention to detail that you used as a teacher can be applied to a variety of new professional endeavors. You may find rewarding opportunities in publishing, marketing, public relations or other journalistic fields that allow you to use your good grammar, editing and writing skills. Consider textbook and standardized test development, educational policy development and training and instructional manual creation.

Management

Working as a teacher requires exceptional classroom management and time management skills. These are transferable into positions including management and supervisory roles, as well as jobs that require coordination of group activities, such as social and recreational programming and event management. You might also find challenging positions in workshop presentations or labor relations.

Multitasking

Teachers are required to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities simultaneously. These skills are valuable in industries that require the ability to effectively multitask, such as office administration, human resources management and sales management. Other opportunities are available in social services program management and industrial relations.

References
Writer

Lisa McQuerrey has been a business writer since 1987. In 1994, she launched a full-service marketing and communications firm. McQuerrey's work has garnered awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Associated Press. She is also the author of several nonfiction trade publications, and, in 2012, had her first young-adult novel published by Glass Page Books.

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