You love to inspire your students and see them grow up in front of you, but sometimes, the career path of a teacher is not always a linear one that stays in the classroom. Many teachers aspire to progress up the ladder and become a headteacher, but others look for alternative routes to build upon their teaching journey. What alternative career paths could you partake in?
Education Liaison
If you are passionate about the teaching profession, you may want to take some form of a behind-the-scenes role. For example, the Teach for America program provides a number of resources for teachers who are looking to work for a non-profit organisation. There are many opportunities where you could recruit and train new teachers for different organisations. You can become a school partnership manager and organise different teaching placements, and there are a number of sector skills councils that have this type of role.
Tutoring
Of course, this is a very logical progression, but if the role of the teacher in a school environment is not for you anymore, you may consider a different environment. For example, you could try private home tutoring, or you could provide community education classes. You could also set up your own freelance tutoring business. There are many educational franchises that allow you to run your own school. These approaches give you a more comprehensive handle on the situation and can direct your passion for learning and teaching in a different way.
Educational Supplier
There are many companies who are looking to target products to schools. For example, trading courses and facilities management companies. With experience as a teacher, you can provide insight into the sales process, help with their marketing, and develop products or services. Being a teacher can give you an advantage.
Corporate Learning
One of the benefits of being a teacher is that you learn how people can process information. You could use this to great effect in a corporate environment. You can use learning and development organisations to help people go through training courses, or you could become a coach or a mentor. You can work in a freelance capacity to deliver specific courses such as ICT, and develop training needs from within an organisation.
Museum Educator
If you’ve been to a museum recently, you will see how much effort goes into making the visit a meaningful learning experience. The museum sector has learnt how to engage visitors and provide effective content. If you’re looking to create a fun learning environment in a different setting, this could be an ideal option. You can liaise with schools to encourage them to visit and show how museums engage different audiences with different materials.
There are many paths for a teacher with a number of entryways that demand different and unique skills. It doesn’t have to be the logical career path. These days, there is a lot of pressure on teachers, which is partially why they work towards being a headmaster, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t stay within the school environment. It’s about making sure that the role fits your skills.