What jobs for former teachers are out there? Many teachers find themselves unhappy and suffering from burnout. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, some 300,000 public-school teachers and other staff left the field between February 2020 and May 2022. If you’re one of those teachers considering a new path, you might be wondering what other job opportunities are available with your skillset. Because many teachers have no idea where to start, we’ve compiled a list of jobs for teachers leaving education to help you choose your next path.
We know how much you want to pivot out of education into a new career. In order to do that, you’ll need to prove to companies how you’re the best fit for the role, even when you don’t have formal experience! The problem is, trying to change careers on your own on top of your busy teaching schedule isn’t producing results. We believe former teachers are some of the most qualified candidates, but we understand how difficult the job search process can be with limited time, which is why we’ve built the Teacher Career Coach Course. This self-paced course filled with step-by-step support, time-saving templates, and printable guides was designed to help you transition into a new role outside of the classroom – without all the stress of doing it by yourself. Get support picking your next path, rewriting your resume, and standing out in interviews with advice directly from former teachers, hiring managers, and career experts.
How many times have you searched “best jobs for ex-teachers” in the past few months?
Many teachers find themselves in a state of confusion and uncertainty as they navigate the difficult process of transitioning out of the classroom. The idea of leaving a profession they had devoted themselves to, often for many years, can be a daunting and overwhelming thought.
The feelings of burnout, dissatisfaction, and guilt that come with leaving the education field can make it hard for teachers to find a new career path, leaving them feeling lost, aimless, and directionless. The process of coming to terms with a shift in career aspirations can be a challenging and emotional experience for those in the teaching profession. We’re here to make this difficult process easier.
Below you will find our recommendations of the 13 top professions for teachers leaving the classroom in 2024.
- Corporate Trainer
- Sales Development Rep
- Customer Success Manager
- Curriculum Writer
- Marketing
- Human Resources / Recruiter
- Museum Education or Non-Profit
- Administrative or Executive Assistant
- Instructional Design
- Project Manager
- UX Designer
- Higher Education
- Software Engineer
13 Careers for Teachers Leaving The Profession
If traditional teaching is no longer in your plans, there are many other opportunities out there. Absolutely, your teaching skills will translate into a variety of new career options. Here are just a few ideas of roles that will be a great fit for former teachers.
1. Corporate Trainer
Best jobs for former teachers who love presenting
Corporate trainers play a big role in the ongoing education and development of a company’s employees, which makes them a natural fit for former teachers. You’ll be responsible for designing, delivering, and evaluating training programs that align with the company’s goals and objectives.
Corporate trainers work closely with management, department heads, and individual employees to identify areas of improvement. If you love collaborating with other teams to create new materials and trainings for your school, this will also be a good fit.
Trainers are responsible for creating a training plan and designing instructional materials. They also may conduct training presentations in various formats including on-site, live calls via Zoom or Teams, or e-learning.
As a corporate trainer, you will also be responsible for assessing employees’ performance, measuring training impact and making recommendations for improvement. This is very similar to assessing your students and differentiating materials based on their individual needs.
This requires excellent organizational skills, ability to work well in a team, strong communication and problem-solving skills, patience, and adaptability to work with individuals at different levels of the organization and with different learning styles.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median salary for corporate trainers is $64,340 with a salary range of $36,050 to $116,140.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to training roles:
- Corporate Trainer – $69,000
- Learning & Development Specialist – $85,000
- Regional Trainer – $88,000
To learn more about Training roles, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 32: Corporate Trainer Roles With Lisa Spinelli-White.
2. Sales Development Representative
Do not be afraid of sales positions. While responsibilities will vary depending on the company and product, sales representatives are typically responsible for prospecting, research, outreach, cold calls, and emails. Other responsibilities include updating CRM (customer relationship management) platforms, scheduling meetings, and visiting potential customers to conduct demonstrations and answer questions about the product. For teachers with an affinity for building relationships, a position in sales could be a great opportunity.
Importantly, sales positions are not always “pushy” positions focused on selling to cold customers. The sales development representatives at many companies are more focused on picking the RIGHT product for the customer (like the right curriculum for a school based on its demographics), which would be a perfect fit for a former teacher.
Sales roles are great for anyone who likes to do research, beat their data year after year, meet new people, and create their own opportunities. It requires ambition, curiosity, endurance, grit, and organization.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, and many sales roles include base salary plus commission, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $48,140 to $193,470 for sales representatives.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to sales roles:
- Sales Development Representative – $46,000 + commission
- Inside Sales Consultant – $65,000 + commission
- Education Sales Consultant – $60,000 + commission = roughly $100,000
To learn more about sales roles, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 57: A Career In Sales Isn’t Scary With Alexis Scott.
Check out Aspireship to learn the skills needed to transition into a Sales Development Rep.
3. Customer Success Manager
Jobs for former teachers who love relationships
Without a doubt, customer success positions are great jobs for former teachers. Especially at education companies. Customer success (not to be confused with customer support, which is more like the “help desk” of supporting customers) relies on relationship building. Customer success is a proactive role that ensures that the customer is happy and using the company’s product to its full potential. While the overall goal of customer success is to ensure renewals for future purchases, they may also be tasked with implementation and training. If you’re pursuing work at an education company, customer success is a fantastic fit for you. As a former teacher, you’ll know the customer’s needs and potential objections or pain points without them even having to express them!
Customer success managers are responsible for managing the customer’s relationship with the company. They will meet with customers to understand needs, coordinate and facilitate meetings, manage the onboarding of new customers, and ensure successful implementation.
This requires strong communication, experience organizing schedules, calls, and meetings, and aptitude in identifying the needs and wants of customers in relation to sales goals. Customer success is a great option for empathetic teachers who enjoy building relationships, solving problems, and helping others to improve.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $45,669 to $132,804 for customer success managers.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to customer success roles:
- Customer Success Associate – $60,000
- Customer Success Manager – $73,000
- Associate Customer Success Manager – $80,000
To learn more about customer success roles, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 102: Megan Wardwell From Teacher To Customer Success.
Educational companies that hire ex-teachers are looking for these skills
Customer Success Managers are great with client communication; experience organizing schedules, calls, and meetings; and aptitude in identifying the needs and wants of educators in relation to sales goals. Check out Aspireship to learn the skills needed to transition into Customer Success.
4. Curriculum Writer
Curriculum writers are tasked with researching and developing lessons, including materials, and activities. Your work will contribute to the structure of programs for lower, middle, and higher education. A career in curriculum design can easily translate into various opportunities, including companies, organizations, and government agencies.
These roles involve writing, editing, revising, and continuously evaluating curriculum units and academic materials. Materials may include student editions, teacher editions, assessments, practice materials, and other resources that contribute to education. There are often contract and freelance opportunities in curriculum writing if you’re looking for a part-time flexible option outside the classroom.
Do you have a knack for writing outlines and curriculum mapping, as well as supreme time management and organizational skills? If you’re a teacher who loves lesson planning, has great attention to detail, and enjoys collaboration, you may be able to easily transition into curriculum writing.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $48,630 – $129,440 for curriculum writers.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to curriculum roles:
- Curriculum Designer – $60,000
- Curriculum Developer – $83,000
- Content & Curriculum Math Specialist – $90,000
To learn more about customer success roles, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 112: Kevin Gray Contract Positions In EdTech.
Qualifications needed to land a writing gig outside of teaching
Editors need a strong understanding of the writing process, including editing and revision, the ability to evaluate story pitches, and develop your own ideas in relation to your audience.
5. Marketing
A career in marketing may also be the right fit if you’re considering a career change from education. There are several different buckets within the marketing profession. Most roles in marketing involve conducting research to understand market trends and consumer behavior, strategic planning, campaign management (digital, print, social media, events, etc.), content creation, and analyzing performance metrics to make decisions.
Marketing positions might include copywriting, graphic design, web design, social media management, and tracking analytics. Teachers who get excited about writing and designing a classroom newsletter or website may enjoy a career in marketing. Attention to detail, creativity, time management, presentation skills, and communication are all important in marketing.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $40,040 to $137,040 for marketing professionals.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to marketing roles:
- Marketing Coordinator – $55,000
- Marketing Specialist – $75,000
- Director of Marketing & Training – $110,000
To learn more about marketing roles, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 124: Katie Stoddard Why This CEO Wants Teachers For Marketing Roles.
You can also check out Aspireship to learn the skills needed to transition into B2B Marketing.
6. Human Resources / Recruiter
Another career path that many former teachers transition to is human resources. Human resources is the department at a company that deals with hiring, administration and training of employees. HR typically involves working with a company’s internal information, communicating with stakeholders, organizing employee data, administering payroll and benefits, and managing the day-to-day operations related to all personnel.
Recruiting is a branch of human resources that is also a great fit for teachers. Recruiters find qualified candidates for open positions at the company, conduct screening calls with potential hires, and help guide candidates through the interview process.
Working in human resources requires strong people skills, as you will be communicating with people of all different demographics and socioeconomic status. The ability to keep organized records, track data, research, and deal with conflict are also important when it comes to working in human resources.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $42,900 to $121,800 for human resources specialists.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to human resources:
- Recruiting Coordinator – $55,000
- Recruiter – $60,000
- Human Resources Specialist – $68,000
To learn more about human resources, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 27: Katelyn Samuels From Teaching To Human Resources.
Stand out for the companies that hire teachers
HR Learning & Development Specialists need the ability to create course material and accompanying training instructions. Proficiency in using digital media and communication is key. Insight into how trainee feedback can be used to improve training materials is also helpful.
7. Museum Education or Non-Profit
Best careers for former teachers who love history or art
Museum Education:
If you’re the teacher that finds an excuse to visit a museum for every field trip, consider transitioning to the museum education field. Museum education professionals are tasked with making sure visitors are engaged in learning experiences that relate to the museum’s collection. For those with a passion for storytelling and connecting with the curious of any age, this position can be a wonderful use of your teaching skills. One of the many reasons why museum positions are perfect jobs for former teachers.
There are a wide variety of educational positions within museums that may interest former teachers, and the responsibilities will depend on the needs of the museum. These positions may include curriculum development, customer service, administrative duties, and working to expand education program offerings. Museum professionals also help provide supervision, help with scheduling and training for museum staff, serve as point of contact and coordinator for tour groups, and manage information for workshops and programming.
Working at a museum is all about enhancing the visitor experience. You might be a great fit for this type of role if you enjoy community involvement, have a passion for the arts, and want to continue fostering your love of learning.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $34,310 to $100,510 for museum education professionals.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to working at a museum:
- Museum Coordinator – $15/hour
- Education Specialist, Children’s Museum – $46,000
- Education Outreach Manager – $55,000
To learn more about museum education, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 98: Niles Mattier From Teaching To Museum Education Management.
Non-Profit:
Another similar career path that centers around community involvement and passion is non-profit work. While the teaching profession is a noble endeavor, you can add more purpose points to your do-good ledger by taking your talents to the non-profit sector. A passion for helping others can help teachers make the transition to a number of positions within non-profit organizations. Non-profits require many different types of positions to operate properly. Common examples include management positions, digital media, fundraising, community outreach, grant writing, and program coordination.
As a non-profit professional, you will need the willingness to play a small part in a bigger mission. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are key. A deep understanding of how digital media and communication drive engagement could also be helpful in this mission-driven profession.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to non-profits:
- Recruitment & Outreach Coordinator – $55,000
- Senior Team Lead – $60,000
- Director of Programming – $60,000
To learn more about non-profit work, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 96: Leah Dawdy From Education To Non-Profit.
8. Administrative or Executive Assistant
If you are the teacher with the most organized desk, a seamless filing system, always on top of emails and grading, and never miss a deadline, then you would surely make a great assistant. Companies, and executives at those companies, often have administrative and executive assistants to keep everything organized, on schedule, and on track.
Organization, project management, and communication are essential to the success of any assistant, and you will need to be proactive and self-sufficient to stay on top of your daily tasks. Administrative assistants typically support an entire office, or a specific branch or department, while executive assistants support top company executives like a CEO.
Bookkeeping, invoice management, calendar management, booking travel, and scheduling meetings are often responsibilities of an assistant. Office correspondence is also an important duty, as you will be responding to voicemails, calls, and emails daily. Administrative and executive assistants are like the glue holding an office, or executive team, together. Any scheduling or communication tasks go through you.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $37,890 to $91,330 for administrative and executive assistants.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to assistant roles:
- Office & Project Assistant – $58,000
- Administrative Assistant – $65,000
- Executive Assistant – $67,000
To learn more about becoming an executive assistant, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 115: Kayla Dunne Leaving Teaching With Small Children.
9. Instructional Design
It’s no secret that the internet has altered everything we do. If you enjoy creating learning materials and technology, this may be the right path for you. Instructional designers create eLearning resources and online training for a variety of industries. Instructional design is one of the top roles for teachers outside of the classroom—but it is one of the most competitive as well.
While you have a leg up above someone with NO teaching experience, it’s important to realize you’ll need to learn the industry standard tools for this position. A competitive instructional design candidate will usually have a strong portfolio that shows their ability to utilize technology and design effective learning experiences.
Instructional designers meet with subject matter experts, perform needs assessments, create lesson outlines & storyboards, design and edit eLearning resources, and evaluate learning experience outcomes. If you love designing lessons and projects, have great attention to detail, critical thinking and time management come easy, and you enjoy learning new technology, then instructional design may be the path for you.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, Glassdoor reports a salary range of $84,000 to $132,000 for instructional designers.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to instructional design:
- Instructional Designer – $65,000
- Instructional Designer – $73,000
- Instructional Designer & eLearning Developer – $85,000
To learn more about museum education, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 123: Jess Lighthall Adjusting To Corporate Life As An ID.
10. Project Manager
Project managers are team leaders that help companies meet their objectives. If you are highly motivated and organized, this may be a great fit for you. Project managers use productivity software to help them delegate responsibilities and set goals. Look into this position if you are highly organized, LOVE planning big projects, creating structured timelines, and leading others.
As the leader of a project, project managers oversee the scope, budget and timeline to make sure everything runs smoothly. This could include contracts, procurement, project life cycle, and removing any roadblocks that impede project success. Project management software is a common tool utilized by project managers, so being comfortable with technology is a must. If you enjoy coordinating communications and tasks across teams, keeping people accountable for completing tasks, and reporting on team progress to stakeholders, consider a transition to project management.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $57,500 to $163,040 for project managers.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to project management:
- Project Manager – $60,000
- Project Manager – $85,000
- Project Manager – $100,000
To learn more about project management, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 103: Carol Cobb From Teacher To Project Manager.
11. UX Designer
One of the lesser-known career options we recommend for teachers is UX design. UX stands for user experience, which means you are essentially an architect for websites and apps. This role focuses on making sure the user experience is easy, enjoyable, and meets the needs of anyone visiting the site. UX designers conduct research and usability studies to improve the look and experience for website and application users.
Creative, empathetic teachers with strong analytical thinking and technical skills will excel in UX design. If you enjoy coming up with new ideas to solve problems and create engaging experiences, consider UX design.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $48,210 to $176,490 for UX designers.
To learn more about UX design, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 55: Brittini Fisher From Teacher To UX Designer.
12. Higher Education
As a teacher, you are guiding and inspiring students every day. But if your current classroom position is causing burnout, a transition to higher education might be the answer. Aside from teaching, there are many ways to support students and programs on a college campus. Academic advising, admissions, student affairs, diversity and inclusion, and program management are some examples.
If you’re longing for change, but still want to support students in a different capacity, then higher education is a great opportunity. Take your organization and advising skills to help a new demographic while continuing to support the education realm.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $40,140 to $100,050 for higher education student support roles.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to careers in higher education:
- Student Services Coordinator – $45,000
- Student Services Coordinator – $53,000
- Educational Advisor – $60,000
To learn more about careers in higher education, check out this Teacher Career Coach blog: In-Person And Remote Higher Education Jobs.
13. Software Engineer
For all the tech-savvy and critical thinking teachers out there, software engineering is an opportunity outside the classroom that you may not have considered. While this career path will require upskilling in programming language, coding, and data structures, many teachers have transferable skills to succeed as a software engineer. Technical proficiency, problem-solving, and communication skills are key, and it is also helpful to be a self-starter in this line of work.
Software engineers are responsible for building computer programs. They design, create, and test software, and write code using programming languages to make sure the software works correctly. Software engineers also fix any problems in the software to make sure it runs smoothly for users.
While annual salary will vary based on location and company, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range of $58,740 to $164,520 for software engineers.
Here are three job titles and corresponding salaries from former teachers in our audience who transitioned to software engineering:
- Frontend Software Engineer – $80,000
- Associate Software Engineer – $110,000
- Software Engineer – $115,000
To learn more about software engineering, check out Teacher Career Coach Podcast Episode 6: Jessica Wolvington From Teacher To Software Engineer.
Next steps to a new career
One of the biggest mistakes that we see teachers make is that they try to navigate this process alone. Often, they put off “researching” until the very last minute. Which sets them up for a very stressful application season. I want to help you get some clarity in the options available to you. To know EXACTLY what you need to do (and not do) in order to get your foot in the door.
You don’t have to do this on your own.
With the help of an HR expert with over 10 years of experience and a team of former teachers, I’ve created a guide to support you in the early stages of your transition out of the classroom. Tap the button below to learn more.
