Alternative Jobs for Teachers to Start a Second Career

One of the most honorable professions in society is teaching. It’s not only noble, it’s a necessary profession, and all areas of human endeavor depend on it.

Most people find an exciting, rewarding career in teaching. However, others recognize that teaching is just not appropriate for them. Does that sound like you? Is teaching no longer your cup of tea? If you want to start a second career, you’ll find the best alternative jobs for teachers with GradSiren’s expert guidelines.

Recent studies in the U.S. have found that many people no longer want to work in the teaching profession. They want a change of pace because they’re unhappy with their jobs for one reason or another. But you can find a great second career that’s a perfect fit for you and your teaching experience.

As a teacher, you learned many skills during your training as well as on the job. You probably have excellent communication skills, for starters, which is one of the most important job skills for any company. Apart from communication skills, teachers also excel at long- and short-term planning, plus they have solid leadership qualities. And they’re almost always great at teamwork, mentoring, performance monitoring, and many other skills that are in demand across a wide range of opportunities.

Best Alternative Jobs for Teachers

We’ve classified different types of jobs for teachers according to their most common skill sets. To prepare this list, we looked at careers, skills, requirements, salaries, career opportunities, and more. Have a look and pick the most suitable job to start your second career.

Beyond Teaching Jobs in Education

Some people enjoy working in educational sectors but don’t like classroom teaching specifically. If you’ve realized that teaching is not for you, consider these non-classroom jobs in education.

1. Test papers Developer

Test paper and exam development is one of the best career options for teachers who don’t want to continue teaching. These careers will not make headlines any time soon, but according to studies, they do provide an interesting, stable career for those who enjoy creating questions and answers for testing.

Test paper and exam developers prepare tests for almost any field or position, from college admission tests and nursing exams to software and coding tests. English teachers might specialize in grammar and writing exams, whereas science teachers might devise tests for environmental or meteorological college departments and new employees in various companies.

Based on school or other standards, test paper developers create tests to evaluate student or employee skills. Creativity is essential, and you may need to conduct research to ensure the test questions you develop reflect the most recent information and knowledge.

2. School Textbook Sales Representative

Do you have an outgoing, persuasive personality? If you do, textbook sales might be the new career you’re looking for.

Even with the prevalence of digital information, most schools continue to use textbooks as their primary teaching material. And every year, libraries need to purchase plenty of books to provide the best information for their patrons.

Many publishers offer excellent career opportunities for sales representatives in schools, colleges, and universities. They usually provide training and tools like academic textbook suggestions according to class or course syllabi for teachers, professors, department chairs, librarians, and others who use textbooks.

3. School Administrator

A position as a school administrator, vice-principal, or principal is one of the best choices in non-classroom professions. For primary as well as upper-level schools, administrators are required. In fact, most school administrators start their careers in teaching, and teaching experience might even be a requirement.

If school administration sounds interesting to you, and if you can manage students as well as teachers and communicate well with school board members and even local lawmakers, school administration might be a great fit for you and your skills. Find school administrator jobs here.

Other Alternative Careers Beyond Education

With their experience and high-level skills, teachers can also find rewarding jobs in non-educational sectors. Here we are some examples as well as job links for those careers. Have a read and browse the jobs then apply with a click.

1. Human Resource Specialist

Human resource specialists take primary roles in almost any company. They are the backbones of the company because the whole organization works under HR processes and guidelines for everything from equal opportunity hiring practices to salaries, awards, workplace violation procedures, and health insurance. You can check the roles and responsibilities of corporate HR in this article.

A position in HR is likely to be accessible to anyone with a teaching background. Teachers understand management and planning, and they generally have high-level interpersonal skills. This might be the best alternative job for teachers who don’t want to continue their careers in the educational sector. Find the latest entry-level HR jobs here.

2. Corporate Trainer

As a corporate trainer, you’ll be performing almost the same tasks using similar skills you used as a teacher. The difference will be in the nature of the training, the types and ages of people you’ll train, and your environment as well as who you report to. You might even be a part of a training or coaching team.

Since teaching develops and strengthens multiple skills, you’ll probably be a great fit for almost any position in corporate training. After all, communication and interpersonal skills are prerequisites for teachers, and corporate trainers use the same skills. You might also prepare training strategies and onboarding programs for new employees along with mentoring those employees and designing or developing workplace improvement strategies. And as a former teacher, you’ll be able to manage these roles efficiently. Find the latest corporate trainer jobs here.

3. Lawyer or Legal Assistant

If you have an interest in the judiciary process, your teaching experience can help you rock this field. You’ll need additional coursework or a specialized degree for most positions, especially if you want to become a lawyer, but your previous coursework and experience might be applied to basic requirements.

Working in the legal field can be fascinating. During a case investigation and research, for example, the legal team always learns something new in their regular work. If you find the same old routine stifling or just plain boring, the legal profession might be for you.

A career in legal research or as a paralegal or legal assistant might only require a certificate or a two-year degree. But if you enjoy working independently at least part of the time, the legal field might be your perfect alternative career to teaching.

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We hope this information about starting a second career and various job possibilities for teachers has been helpful. And share this through social media pages!