A few weeks ago, I wrote about crafting an escape plan, but as I looked over it, I realized it was a bird’s-eye-view kind of post. Good info, but very “big picture.” Today, we’re going to focus more on the details of getting out of teaching and into another career.
Do your research
Once you have figured out what job titles you are interested in, research what qualifications companies are listing for that position. (Quick reminder: You do NOT need to have 100% of the qualifications to apply. Many people advise that you apply if you possess 60-70% of the desired “required” qualification.”) Often, you’ll see skills that you already have, but that don’t show up in your resume, partly because it just comes so naturally to you.
Look, I know teachers can design curriculum, and you know teacher can design curriculum. But sometimes there’s got to be a line on your resume that states you can design curriculum. So as Natalie Merchant says, “Hey, give ‘em what they want.”
You have a couple of options here. First, you can re-work your resume to make those skills more obvious. For example, add a line that states, “Designed and implemented a complete physical education curriculum for grades 1-6, with a focus on age-appropriate activities and reinforcing and re-entered previously-acquired skills.” Obviously, you’ll need to tailor it to your specific situation, but ensure that the words “design curriculum” are on the resume.
Second, you can fill that gap with volunteer, contract, or part-time work. For example, if you keep seeing “supervisory experience” as a required qualification, you can either make it clear that in supervising your classroom you demonstrated the necessary skills: providing feedback, monitoring progress, assessing work, etc. Or, you could ensure that summer and volunteer activities include a supervisory component. Which brings us to our next point.
Build your resume and make $$
When I am considering which job postings to share in my weekly newsletter, I love to include contract or part-time opportunities that provide a specific job title. If you want to go into corporate training, your resume will look stronger if you have at least some experience teaching adult learners. Volunteer work counts, but if you can build the emergency fund up a bit WHILE you are building your resume, that’s even better, IMO.
And in case you are thinking, “How can I even consider doing anything outside of what is required at school? I can barely manage now!” I understand. Keep reading.
Limit your teaching hours
This one is tough for so many of us, but I just keep hammering on it. You are paid to do a job. Do the job. Then stop. If they require more, respectfully list the items on your to-do list that THEY are requiring, and ask which you should de-prioritize.
For decades, teachers have sacrificed their personal time to create engaging lessons (that are often not appreciated), provide meaningful feedback (which recent studies show doesn’t significantly improve student outcomes) and do all sorts of “above and beyond” work. I was cool with that for a while, but when the commitment is all going one direction (from teachers to the system) and never the other way, it becomes an unhealthy relationship. Start distancing yourself now. Do your job, and protect your personal time.
Be open to pivots
I have now started 3 different businesses. One of the maxims of the small business community is “You don’t have to get it RIGHT; you just have to get it GOING.”
In other words, no matter how much research you do, there are certain things you can learn only by taking action. For example, I originally thought I wanted to run Classroom to Home 5 days a week and quit teaching. But I realized that I missed teaching horribly, and wasn’t as happy when I sat in front of a computer all day. Even though I love this blog/business, I still need time in front of a classroom to be truly happy. There is no amount of research that would have told me that, because I could only learn that by trying it.
You may be convinced that you want to be a corporate trainer or a real estate agent, only to realize once you get into that position that it isn’t what you thought it would be. That doesn’t mean you made a mistake. It means you learned something. As Chandler from Friends says, “PIVOT!!!!!!” And don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s 100% part of the process.
Network in person and online
Get in touch with people you haven’t talked to in a long time. No, I don’t mean in a creepy way, as if you are selling something. But all those people that you have been thinking, “Wow, I miss so-and-so. I need to shoot them an email,” and then you get busy and don’t. Well, do!
Ask them how they are. Remind them of a memory you have together. But again, do it because you genuinely like and miss them, not because you want to gain something.
I once interviewed with a woman that I really clicked with. Unfortunately, because of a change in my personal situation, I had to turn down the job offer when it turned out I would not be moving to that city after all. But during the next 3-4 years, I would drop her a quick line every year or so when something in my classroom made me think of her. By chance, I DID move there a few years later, and she had a position open. Martha Finneran was one of my best bosses ever, and even became a dear personal friend. Come to think of it, I need to give her a call!
Believe in yourself
I am currently listening to Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo, who I just adore BTW. If you ever need a pick-me-up, you’ve got to check her out! One of the things she hammers home is “The Magic of Belief” which also happens to be the title of chapter 3. And I am 100% with her on this one.
As teachers, we see this all the time in our kids. There are some who just don’t believe they will ever be any good at ________ (math, writing, art, sports, whatever!). And as a teacher, it is really hard to help them with the skills until they have the belief that they can do it.
Guess what! We are the same way.
But overcoming those negative perceptions of ourselves is harder for some people than for others. I am an adoptive mom, and I know that early experiences can make it super hard for some people to trust themselves – to believe that they are good and capable and worthy. But I’m going to tell you right now that I believe so much in you! Honestly, even though I don’t know you. Because I have never met anyone who didn’t have a superpower, and I know you do, too.
Here is a trick that helped me when I was struggling so much with my self-image. I decided what I “wanted” to be that I didn’t believe I was. Then, as I was falling asleep every night, I told myself again and again that I was that. For example, I might repeat to myself, “I am a patient and intuitive mom who trusts herself and her children.” Or, “I am an excellent test-taker. I just seem to get all of the answers right.” One simple sentence, and I would repeat it 100 times.
It sounds so goofy, but your brain doesn’t know the difference between these manufactured thoughts and your “real” thoughts about your abilities. Every single time I do this, within about a week, I notice a change in my confidence level.
So whether you are looking to change careers ASAP or 5 years from now, you will feel better and get farther by implementing these strategies. What do you think? Did I miss any? Let me know!
One of the worries I see from teachers who are conflicted about leaving is “What if I miss it?”
And there is a remarkably, incredibly simple answer: Go back.
You CAN go back, and I’m proof
In the vast majority of cases, you can go back to teaching. Maybe not to the same role or the same school, but often to a position you like just as well, or even better. Let me tell you about how I “went back” to the same school on two separate occasions.
The first time, I was able to return to my exact same position after taking a break of two years. After my first year of teaching, I had a chance to study in France for a year. Yes, please!! It was an absolutely incredible year, and I am so happy I didn’t miss it. When I came back to the US, I worked at my college for a year, and then the person who had been hired for my teaching position resigned. A former colleague called me and encouraged me to re-apply. I taught there for another 3 years.
The second time, I resigned from what I truly thought was my dream job – teaching French at a very diverse high school under an administration I adored and that treated me great! But I had a micro-business and 3 kids (2 under age 5). I felt burned out, and didn’t want to miss the last years before my youngest went to kindergarten. So I regretfully, but resolutely, turned in my letter of resignation.
(True story: The day I turned it in, I noticed at the end of the day that the toes on one foot were hurting. Looking down at my feet , I realized I had worn two different shoes all day long! I took that as I sign that I was at a breaking point and resigning was indeed the right decision!)
Again, it was a good decision to resign, but I missed the students and my amazing co-workers.
Two years later, I bumped into my former AP, who mentioned that they might have a position opening up. She wanted to know if I’d be interested. As it turned out, they hired me for my honest-to-goodness dream position – teaching and supporting students who had recently arrived in the US and had almost no English language skills. I took it and brought a renewed sense of excitement with me. It was wonderful to be back!
Keeping your options open for a return
The bottom line is that very few decisions in life are final. So let’s talk about some best-practices if you want to keep those doors open for the future, just in case.
Leave on a positive note.
This has been a hugely rough year for all of us. You might be leaving with great feelings about your admin or really bitter feelings. My advice is that unless the admin has done something super sketchy, keep that resignation short and sweet, and leave out the drama. (Unless you are leaving because of something illegal or unethical, in which case you may have a duty to report issues.) This isn’t the time to air grievances, especially if there is a chance you might ever want to return. Also, with the passage of time, you may realize that your admin were doing their best during a really sh*tty time in education, just like the rest of us.
Keep in contact.
Once the stress and anxiety have faded and you are once again in a healthy place, go to the occasional concert or sporting event. (Did I mention that it was at a school fundraiser that I ran into that assistant principal, which led to getting re-hired?) Keep in touch with former colleagues, and keep it positive. Let them know you are still with them in spirit. If they miss you, they’ll be more likely to share potential job openings and let you in on the news before it’s public.
Maintain your network of contacts.
Let’s say you’ve had a bad experience at your current school and you never, NEVER want to go back there. That’s cool. But don’t shut yourself off from the teaching community. If you think you’d like to go back one day, stay in your teaching FB groups, especially local ones. Consider volunteering at your state professional conferences, or even presenting, if you have something worthwhile to share. Even though I live on a different continent and don’t ever plan to return to the States to teach, I’m still in touch with a number of former colleagues from each of the schools I taught at, as well as an active member in FB groups for US teachers. It’s not because I’m planning to return; it’s because I genuinely like them. However, it also won’t hurt me to have a ton of active contacts if I ever did need to go back.
Rethink your vision of a teaching career.
When I started teaching, the ideal teaching career was seen as hiring on at a particular school, remaining there for 35-40 years, then retiring. But things do change, you know. Given the current demands on educators, I think a much more manageable career track is to plan for a number of shorter teaching experiences, separated by jobs outside the field of education. Besides teaching, I have worked as a university admission counselor, been a stay-at-home mom, and run a micro-business. These breaks allowed me to re-evaluate my relationship with education. Each time I left teaching, I had to ask myself, “Do I really want to go back?” So far, the answer has always been “Yes.” (But only after a couple of years away!) 🙂 No, there isn’t any guarantee you will be re-hired, but given the teacher shortage, I’d say your chances are pretty good at the moment.
There you have it! My story of returning to teaching and my best tips to make it possible. Have you returned to teaching? What are your best tips to get back into education after leaving?
Any major life change can bring up self-doubt and fears, but leaving teaching can be especially challenging, especially if it’s the only career, you have ever known, perhaps the only one you ever dreamed of.
Uncertainty can be overwhelming at times. What if I miss teaching? What if I hate my new position? What if no one will hire me? What about insurance? Will my kids be sad that I can’t spend the whole summer with them anymore?
Our Big worry: What if I regret it?
That last question is, I think, at the heart of all the others. What if I take this huge, scary step, and then realize that I liked my life better the way it was before? In all honesty, I think it is sometimes the feeling of regret that we worry about more than anything else. What if I realize I made a mistake? What if I feel stupid?
It’s an understandable fear, isn’t it? We have a ton of proverbs and aphorisms that tell us to stay where we are. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” Out of the frying pan, into the fire.” “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
But never taking a chance is also a path to a ho-hum (or worse) life. And that’s not what you want, nor what I want for you.
If you are thinking about leaving teaching (or have already decided you need to), but are still plagued by these worries, I want to share a couple of guidelines with you that helped me stop worrying, and even better, kept me from regretting any well-informed decision I have made.
#1 I will make the best decision I can with the information I have now, and I will not expect myself to know the future.
Let me tell you a little story. As you know, we moved to Norway in 2019, and our kids were a huge reason why. We love the fact that our kids have more freedom, more safety, and less pressure in school (no standardized tests!) than we could have dreamed of in the US. We love the fact that as long as they live here, they will never, ever go bankrupt trying to pay for a medical procedure or have to choose between paying the rent and buying necessary medication. We love the fact that even if they don’t go to college, they can earn a living wage and have a good life. So it’s fair to say that we are pretty happy with the choice we made.
For the record, we didn’t rush into the decision, either. We spent over 2 years planning, researching, talking, and preparing. At one point, I could probably tell you more about apartment availability and food prices in Oslo than anyone who hadn’t lived there!
But you can’t research the future. So when Putin invaded Ukraine, and I was running around looking for iodine tablets for the kids in case – well, you know – I could have had an absolutely huge meltdown/guilt trip/beat up on myself extravaganza.
I’m going to be honest, decisions don’t get a lot more serious than that. Did I move to Norway trying to give my kids a better life, only to put them in proximity to a nuclear disaster? I don’t know. No one does. No one knows what will happen in the next year or two or ten.
You don’t know the problems that would have come from the decision you don’t take
But I also don’t know what would have happened if we had stayed in the US. Would one of the kids been injured or killed in a car wreck? (Traffic fatalities are exceedingly rare in Norway.) Would my daughter have had to learn not to make eye contact with men because they might catcall her? Would my child with test anxiety have spent their school years in a state of “quiet desperation” trying to pass state tests and compete for a place at a top university?
I don’t know. I don’t know how any of this will turn out. But I do know one thing: my partner and I made the best decision I could with the information I had at that time. And it was a LOT of information.
Knowing that, I’m going to be gentle with my present and former self. I’m not going to let myself – or anyone else – make me regret making the best decision I could with the information I had.
Even if the day should come when we do, indeed, need to leave Norway for safety or other reasons, I will always honor myself and the decision I made.
What does that do?
What that does is actually massive. It frees you from guilt and regret. As long as you have done your research and acted on it reasonably (Please note: we would NOT have moved to Ukraine in the middle of a war. That would not have been prudent!), you don’t have to feel bad. You shouldn’t feel bad.
Honor yourself and the decision you made with the information you had, knowing you made the best decision you could at the time.
#2 I will pursue this course of action until it no longer makes sense to do so.
This part came from one of my absolute favorite business coaches, Bevin Ferrand. If you have never heard of her, I highly recommend her “Take the Damn Chance” FB group. So good!
But here is the genius in guideline #2. You don’t HAVE to continue just because you have started. Now, granted, there are points at which it is a LOT easier to put on the breaks than others, and I highly recommend listening to your gut here. (I know a woman who cried herself to sleep the night before she got married. She knew it wasn’t going to work out, but she couldn’t back out because everything was arranged and paid for. Please. Don’t. Do. That.)
Let’s say you turn in your letter of resignation. You search for jobs outside of education – no luck. You have already crunched the numbers and know exactly how much you need to make each month. You can make that working part-time at Starbucks, so you start there. But you don’t love it. You miss teaching. There is no law that says you can’t apply for teaching jobs again, possibly at your former school, and possibly at a different district.
This is coming from a teacher who not once, but twice returned to a former school. So I know that of which I speak! But that’s another story.
So let’s say you leave teaching and you miss it horribly. There is nothing that says you can’t go back. True, it can be more difficult as you earn more. Schools don’t like to hire expensive teachers. But there is also a “teacher shortage” of epic proportions, so use it to your advantage.
The bottom line is, almost no decision is truly final. In most cases, you can pivot more easily than you think, especially if you can be flexible. And goodness knows, if the past two years have taught us anything, it’s to be flexible.
There you have it folks, two ideas that will help you manage your transition trepidation.
As I write this, my heart is so heavy. The news of the Texas tragedy is fresh, and I feel broken for the many teachers who have decided that they have to leave the toxic environment that is education in the US in 2022.
I hope this isn’t you. I hope you feel loved and valued and enlivened by your job.
But for those whose future is outside the classroom, let’s talk plans.
For the record, before we moved to Norway in 2019, we spent 2+ years planning, researching, and saving. And while we didn’t foresee every hiccup, we did a darn good job and landed quite firmly on our feet.
Part 1 – Mindsets
Before we start on the tactics, remember that mindset matter tremendously in how well you will manage the transition.
Let yourself feel the feels.
I don’t know about you, but for me teaching brings me alive. It is all I really wanted to do for a career.
I think of my grandma who talked about her 5th grade classroom more and more as she aged. It was clearly her “happy place.” She remembered students’ names and the funny things they said. She told me more times than I can count how she could get a pound of bologna, a loaf of bread, and half a gallon of milk for some small amount, and she would feed all the the kids in her classroom who didn’t bring a lunch. This was during the Great Depression, and to her dying day, she declared with pride, “No kid ever went hungry in MY classroom!”
Now, if teaching is simply a job to you, there is NO SHAME in that. But if, like grandma, it is something you treasure, you will grieve. In leaving teaching, you are losing something you love, something that makes you who you are.
Give yourself permission to be angry, sad, disgusted, whatever. Please try not to judge whatever emotions you feel, because they are real. Yes, of course, at some point we have to move on, but we also have to acknowledge the loss.
Define yourself by “I am the type of person who…” instead of a job description.
Recently, I finished Atomic Habits by James Clear, and one of the huge take-aways was that people who define themselves as “the type of person who” are often able to transition more easily than people who identify themselves with a job title.
Think about what makes you a great teacher, and start identifying yourself with those characteristics, instead of merely as a “teacher.” For example, I am the type of person who cares about vulnerable people, who stands up for justice, and who sees the good in others. All of those characteristics come out when I am teaching, but they also come out through this blog. It’s not a mistake that I spend so much time uplifting teachers, cheering them on, and encouraging them to set healthy boundaries.
So, yes you may be a teacher, but what characteristics make you a great one?
Bonus points: Giving some serious thought to what characteristics are important to you can also help you home in on careers that you’ll love.
OK, now that we’ve talked a bit about some important mindsets, let get to action steps.
Part 2 – Action steps
Read your contract.
Before you do anything else, please read your contract. Contracts contain so many pieces of vital information, and yet very few of us actually read them. Specific points to look for include
*procedures and consequences for resigning mid-year
*required work hours
*whether sick days are paid out or just lost
*unpaid leave options (in case you’d like to take a year’s leave instead of actually resigning)
*required activities out of school.
Even if you are not planning to leave immediately, knowing what is in your contract can save you time and heartache. One teacher I know of had been tutoring after school for an hour a week, as had her co-workers, for years. They didn’t like it, but their principal told them it was in the contract. When one of them actually read the contract, surprise, it was NOT in there anywhere, and they had been taken advantage of all that time.
You’ll also want to be very aware of whether there are consequences to quitting mid-year. In some places, you simply have to give 30 days’ notice. In others, your corporation can hold your license or even fine you thousands of dollars. NOT something you want to find out after you’ve accepted another job in October.
Consider your leave teaching timeline and next steps.
Before you make any plans, it’s important to know your ideal timeline. It doesn’t have to be exact, but you do need to know whether you are measuring your time in the classroom in weeks, months, or years.
Now simply knowing your ideal timeline doesn’t mean you will be able to leave on that timeline, but it can help you to make solid decisions that will get you closer to that goal.
Knowing whether you plan to start another career, start a business, or retire can be a major influence on your timeline, as well. Job searches often take longer than we estimate. One estimate says that for every $10K in salary, you should allow a month of job searching. And after starting 4 businesses, I can attest that it almost always takes longer than you think to begin earning significant income. I’m all about entrepreneurship, but it’s probably not going to replace your teaching salary for the first couple of years.
Face your finances.
Money is a source of stress for a lot of people, and that makes it harder to delve into. But this step is absolutely essential, no matter what route you plan to take after teaching. If you plan to retire, start a business, or stay home with young kids, you obviously need to make sure you have a solid plan in place. But even if you plan to switch careers, it’s a good idea to know how much you HAVE to earn, in addition to how much you WANT to earn.
In my weekly newsletter, I recently shared a job posting for an Education Specialist at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. It didn’t list a salary, but with an amazing job like that, I’ll bet it wasn’t too impressive. What if that was your dream job, but it meant a pay cut? You’ll want to know whether it is an option or whether a pay cut is out of the question.
What I mean by facing your finances is knowing how much it takes to pay for essentials each month, as well as how much you usually spend. What’s more, if you are eager to get out of teaching, stronger finances translate into better options. If you have significant savings or lower fixed expenses, you can take a few more risks and maybe even consider leaving before you have a job lined up if your mental health is suffering.
Our Money Master spreadsheet can help you try out various scenarios. By plugging in the numbers, you can see how extra income, lower expenses or more savings will impact your “leave by” date.
Find a support system and resources.
Major life changes take an emotional toll, and there are going to be days you need a group of people who “get it.” There are a ton of FB groups for teachers who want to leave teaching. Of course, my favorite is the Classroom to Home Leave Teaching group. But they all have their own style and personality, and you should choose one that feels right to you.
Podcasts, blogs, and other social media can also be great resources when you’re feeling discouraged. Have a list of favorites that will help pull you out of a funk, because you’ll have some rough days.
Improve your work/live balance by setting boundaries.
I hate to say this, but it needs to be said. A lot of teachers are in completely toxic and emotionally abusive environments. What they do will never be enough. And just like any other toxic relationships, you have to protect yourself.
If you’ve already read your contract, you’ll know what is actually required. It will take some practice but begin saying “no” to extra duties and committees. You’ll need the time to do a decent job search or devote to building your business income.
Also, stop striving for the optimal lesson and go for the streamlined lesson. I know I’m going to get pushback on this, but please hear me out. When you are the only one who cares about the extra hours you spend and NO amount of extra work will ever finish everything, it is time to prioritize yourself. Angela Watson is the master here, and you’ll want to check out her blog for specific tips on cutting the hours you spend on schoolwork while still running an effective classroom.
Here are some quick suggestions, though.
Take fewer grades.
Give more multiple-choice tests.
Have kids trade and grade.
Give them time to read in class.
And focus on building routines that will make your life easier.
For the love of Pete, use some class time to do paperwork, even if it means letting the kids watch an educational video for a while.
Most importantly, get out the duct tape and use it to shut up that little voice in your head that says you should be doing more, or better, or different. You are enough. Your teaching is enough. And you deserve to have free time.
Those are my top tips for crafting an exit plan, but I know there are lots of other things I could have mentioned. Next week, we’ll take a closer look at the details of building a plan. What are your favorite tips for managing a major life transition?
