Are you a teacher looking for other jobs with summers off? If you’re considering leaving teaching but afraid of losing that months-long summer vacation, you’re not alone. Many teachers consider having the summers off as one of the greatest perks of the job. It’s a time to recover from the school year and enjoy life. And for many teachers, having a work schedule that aligns with their children’s schooling is a top priority.
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When it comes to considering a career pivot, giving up summer and other extended breaks becomes a roadblock. This is often the first non-negotiable in a teacher’s job search. “What other jobs can I get with summers off?” is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive from teachers, and understandably so.
Any kind of big change, especially a career transition, is difficult. Considering a change to your entire, year-round schedule can feel overwhelming. However, there are options available to you. In this post, I’ll share several jobs that offer summers off and flexible scheduling as well as offer some alternative solutions to consider.
Top 5 Jobs With Summers Off
Besides classroom teacher, there are a several alternative jobs that traditionally include summers off. However, you’ll find that most roles that follow an academic year are related to education. With a background in teaching, you likely have many transferable skills that will apply to these positions. And if education is your passion, one of these might be the perfect fit.
The following list is far from exhaustive. Many job titles fall under these broad categories. You’ll find this especially if you are looking into larger companies or institutions that need to dedicate an entire department to these positions rather than one or two people.
Instructional Design Roles
Instructional designers create learning materials for a variety of demographics. The most common being higher education or corporate. They develop courses or curricula, informative training materials, assessment pieces, teaching manuals, student guides, and workbooks. This position helps to bridge the gap between learning and technology and create an engaging educational experience.
Positions and schedules in ID vary. Some companies employ designers full-time and year-round. However, ID jobs in higher education often follow the academic schedule and many corporations also offer contract work can align with summers off. Additionally, many ID positions are partially or fully remote. Depending on your situation, a year-round remote job may be a consideration.
To find success in this career, you’ll need to be able to create assessments (quizzes, tests, essay prompts) and analyze and apply learning methodologies and trends in a specified learning environment. You’ll also be working with new Learning Management Systems and course creation software, so an aptitude for learning new technology platforms is key. For more information on Instructional Design see this post.
Curriculum Writing Jobs with Summers Off
Curriculum writers are responsible for researching and developing lessons that target specific learning goals, including finding or creating resources and learning activities. These roles may also be listed as educational writers, curriculum specialists, curriculum design, or instructional coordinators. Regardless of the title, these are likely to have similar responsibilities including updating old curricula and/or creating something new.
While curriculum writers can work with school districts to improve student experience and education, there are also opportunities within companies, organizations, and government agencies. Similar to ID, curriculum writing can be year-round, contracted work, follow an academic schedule, and/or may be offered as a remote position. This can give you the flexibility to meet your scheduling needs.
Teachers bring many transferable skills to this career change, such as creating outlines, technical writing, data analysis, time management, and organizational skills. Educational companies also higher subject matter experts to write and update curriculum. So teachers with expertise in a specific area can put their skills to good use.
Jobs in Higher Education with Summers Off
Another option for roles that follow the academic calendar are jobs in higher education. Frequently, colleges and universities employ a larger number of people in the fall and spring semesters and cut back in the summer. This creates a variety of jobs with summers off.
If education is your passion but you no longer want to be a teacher, working in higher education is a great option. You are not limited to only the colleges and universities in your area. These roles may be offered for in-person or remote work, depending on the institution.
There are many positions available in higher education outside of being a professor. Office-type roles include positions in departments such as admissions, registrar, student housing, financial aid, human resources, and administration. There are also roles specific to education departments that support students. Some of these include field experience coordinator, intern supervisor, assistant professor, and school liaison, just to name a few.
Virtual Teaching Roles with Summers Off
Many teachers we’ve spoken with have expressed that while they love being a teacher, they don’t love their current situation. This is sometimes brought up by changes in policy or leadership within a school district, but located in an area where changing schools or districts is not an option. If that’s the case, you may want to consider a virtual teaching position.
There are a variety of companies offering virtual positions for teachers from online public schools to tutoring companies, homeschool programs, international virtual schools, and private K-12 options. Virtual teachers may be asked to deliver lessons via live stream with synchronous instruction as well as oversee asynchronous lessons and assignments. Positions include elementary classroom teacher, subject-specific instructor, and special education roles – similar to what you see in a brick-and-mortar school. Additionally, there is often room to grow into academic coaching, curriculum development, or administrative roles.
The majority of these positions are remote and follow an academic year. However, in some cases, especially tutoring and international schools, your hours may be considerably different – starting very early in the morning if you are live streaming in another country, for example. Still other companies allow you to set your own hours. In most virtual teaching positions, you will also be paid for your prep time and a set number of “office hours” dedicated to assisting students and communicating with parents. Virtual teaching is a familiar role for many teachers and can be a smooth transition to a job that offers a similar schedule with summers off.
Alternative Jobs in K-12 Education with Summers Off
There are positions other than general classroom teacher available for those who want to continue their work in K-12 education. Professional growth in schools is often seen as very linear from teaching to administration, and that’s it. However, there may be other roles available in your own district to consider. The majority of these jobs follow the district calendar and have summers off.
Some school districts offer a variety of roles in the district’s main office. Teachers have skills that are transferable for administrative and coordinator positions. However, the number of positions available will depend on the size and structure of your school district. Departments such as Academic Services, which is in charge of curriculum and instructional policy, may be a good transition where you can still work to support students on the district level.
Other opportunities may be available in your own school as well. With technology implementation on the rise, Instructional Technologists or Teacher On Special Assignment (TOSA) positions are increasingly available. Other roles to consider are instructional coach, curriculum specialist, math or reading interventionist, and jobs in special education that support students. Often these jobs require additional training or certificates, so this may become a long-term plan if you decide to go in this direction. However, a strong network in education can help you get your foot in the door. And many school districts provide training and certification programs free of charge.
Alternatives to Jobs With Summers Off
If having a job with summers off is truly a non-negotiable for you, I understand. You do have options like the roles mentioned above, but these are limited. However, I would hate for you to stay in a career that is causing serious strain on your physical, mental, and emotional health if there were other solutions out there for you.
While obtaining a job with summers off is often the first non-negotiable for teachers looking to transition, these roles can be limited. Many of these positions will be paid hourly or only for the contracted time, which can detract from your overall annual salary. Additionally, many former teachers who accept full-time jobs outside of the classroom feel that other benefits outweigh losing summers off.
As you are job hunting, I encourage you to entertain the idea of alternative options. Many roles that teachers are qualified for do not have summers off, but offer other solutions that may fit your lifestyle. I want to take a moment to discuss a few alternatives that you may want to consider before limiting yourself to only jobs with summers off.
Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)
Many companies are adopting more flexible (and sometimes unlimited) PTO. The truth is, this is a great way to recruit (and retain) top talent. Not only is it a desirable benefit in nature, but it gives you the chance to focus on R&R when needed instead of burning out. While this might sound foreign to teachers who stress over taking a single sick day, know that this really is a trend in the corporate world.
Fully Remote Positions
Businesses are increasingly offering work-from-home remote options for a wide variety of positions. Whether you are fully or partially remote, this kind of work can offer a lot of flexibility. Additionally in fully remote positions, companies do not frequently require you to be working the traditional 9-5 hours, so you have an opportunity to adapt much of your work schedule to your needs.
Hybrid Remote Positions and/or Shortened Work Week
Parents may be especially interested in working in hybrid-remote positions or working a shortened week. The idea of the 4-day workweek is picking up steam. This can add extra flexibility to your summer schedule, especially when combined with taking your PTO. Additionally, working in a partially remote/hybrid position can allow you to be home when your kids are. This may mean working partial days at the office or only going in on certain days of the week.
Freelancing
Freelancing continues to be a strong trend as well, as it allows for companies to outsource their needs without paying a full-time salary and benefits. There are many freelancing opportunities for teachers, from virtual assistants and social media managers to content and copywriters. Freelancing is all about honing in on a particular passion and skill set and turning it into a marketable service. And in freelancing / entrepreneur type jobs you create your own hours which can include summers off if you choose.
A note for those who want to continue to teach:
One of our community members reached out with a suggestion for this post. I wanted to elevate this because many teachers do want to continue teaching—just not in the traditional K-12 environment.
“I wanted to let you know that a great place for former teachers to work and still get summers off is at an enrichment center! I just accepted a position to direct the middle school program at an enrichment center! It’s follows the same schedule as the school district I work for. You get paid the same even during winter breaks etc since students pay a monthly tuition. This is for homeschool families, after school tutoring and summer camps (if ya want!). The pay is very similar to my teachers salary with WAY LESS HOURS. Homeschooling is growing for a lot of the same reasons teachers are leaving. Enrichment centers give kids the chance to have a licensed teacher, smaller class sizes, and less stress!“
If you do want to continue teaching but in a different capacity, some places to look are enrichment centers, tutoring companies, education programs in hospitals/medical centers, set teacher jobs, and private teaching jobs offered by athletic facilities. Many of these positions follow the traditional academic year.
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.
