Teaching is a wonderful career. You get to inspire young minds, and truly make a difference in the world and to the lives of so many that cross your path. You go to work knowing that you’re contributing to shaping the future generation and that can be incredibly satisfying. But despite its rewards, there may come a time when you feel like it’s time to move on from the classroom. This might be because of burnout, seeking new challenges or simply wanting a change of pace. It might be due to the pay, or indirectly due to cuts in schools and education leaving behind something you just dont feel you can work with any more. And thats ok- there are plenty of opportunities out there to leverage your teaching skills and experience in other ways. In this blog post, we’ll explore some alternative career paths and side hustles that former teachers can pursue to continue making an impact and earning a living.
Childminding or Babysitting
Chances are you enjoy working with children which is one of the reasons you got into teaching in the first place. But maybe you want a more flexible schedule, this could be to suit your health or mental health needs, or it might be because you’ve started a family of your own and need to be able to work around them. If so, consider becoming a childminder or offering babysitting services. Your experience in managing classrooms and engaging with kids will be highly valuable in this role, and parents will be very keen to snap you up to work with knowing that you’re a qualified teacher! You’ll have the freedom to set your own hours and rates, you can work from your own home and look after your own children at the same time.
Creating and Selling Educational Resources
As a teachers you’re an expert at developing lesson plans, worksheets, and educational materials. Why not monetise this expertise by creating and selling these resources online? Platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers allow educators to share and sell their teaching materials to a global audience. Many new teachers and homeschooling parents are in need of these kinds of things so definitely look into how to sell educational incentives as a way to earn extra cash.
Social Media
There’s so much money to be made in social media these days, so why not share your knowledge and expertise with a wider audience by starting a blog, YouTube channel, Instagram or Tiktok focused on education? You can offer teaching tips, lesson ideas, classroom management strategies and more. With dedication and consistency, you can grow your audience and potentially earn income through advertising, sponsorships and affiliate marketing.
Tutoring
This is a great way to put your teaching skills to use by offering tutoring services to students who need extra help outside of the classroom. You can earn more as a private tutor per hour than you likely ever would as a teacher, so would be able to work less hours and have a better work/ life balance. Regardless if you’re specialised in a particular subject or grade level, there’s always demand for qualified tutors. You can work independently or join a tutoring center to access a larger client base. With the rise of online learning too, there are plenty of opportunities for teachers to teach remotely or create their own online courses. Whether you’re passionate about a specific subject or want to share your teaching expertise with aspiring educators, platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Coursera allow you to reach a global audience and earn passive income.
Freelance Writing or Editing
Freelance writing and editing is a job that many people are able to do from home, and as a teacher you likely have strong writing and communication skills. So consider pursuing freelance writing or editing opportunities many educational publications, websites, and companies are in need of content creators who can produce high quality articles, lesson plans, textbooks and more. This could be something you just spend a few hours here and there doing for an extra income boost, or you could give it your all and make it your full time job.
Curriculum Development
Use your expertise to design and develop educational curricula for schools, homeschooling programs or educational publishers. Curriculum developers play a crucial role in shaping the content and structure of educational programs, and your experience as a teacher gives you valuable insights into what works best in the classroom. If you become a consultant you could offer your services to schools, educational organizations or government agencies. You can provide guidance on curriculum design, teacher training, assessment methods, and educational policy. Your experience as a teacher gives you credibility and authority in the field of education making it easy to get into this line of work once you’re done with teaching..
Education Administration or Leadership
If you’re interested in taking on a leadership role in education, consider pursuing a career in administration or school leadership. You can become a principal, assistant principal, curriculum coordinator or educational administrator. These roles allow you to influence educational policy, mentor other teachers, and shape the direction of your school or district.
Career Transition Coaching
Finally, a great option could be to use your own experience of transitioning out of teaching to help other educators navigate their own career transitions. Offer coaching services to teachers who are considering alternative career paths or exploring options outside of the classroom. Your insights and guidance can be absolutely invaluable to those seeking to make a change in their professional lives.
