The data reveals a deep dissatisfaction among teachers.  What are your options for a teacher career change?

Are you experiencing serious teacher burnout but still love the mission of education? Or maybe you’re looking to refresh your career without blowing up your entire life?  You’re not alone – the statistics reflect a current crisis in the teaching profession.  

• An American Federation of Teachers survey found 79% of teachers felt unhappy in their job and 75% would not recommend a career in teaching
• The Wall Street Journal cited a survey reporting that 55% of teachers were looking to leave the profession sooner than initially planned
• Vox reminds us that almost half of the new teachers quit in the first five years

The stats are sobering.  The good news is that there are a ton of career transitions out there for teachers.

Reasons for teachers to remain in the field of education:

• Ease of getting a job – you already have highly relevant job experience and, in some cases, you know the school/district leaders personally
• Minimal financial upheaval – for better or worse, your new salary will be roughly equivalent to a teacher’s salary – and in some cases higher
• Retirement – got nine years in the school pension plan?  You get to stay in and continue adding years.
• Maintain your current work schedule – every job on this list affords similar breaks/time off within the school year calendar cycle
• Comfort/familiarity – if you started teaching right out of college, working in a school is probably where you are most comfortable and most knowledgeable
• A job with “purpose” – do you remember why you became a teacher?  The satisfaction from helping others and bettering society remains intact with every option in the article below. 

Six Teacher Career Transitions, Ranked by Ease of Transition

#1 Easiest Career Change: Teach in a New School or District

This option is perfect for you if: You still enjoy teaching, just not where you are.

I know, the first (and easiest, in our opinion) option is…inside the classroom!?  Hear me out: I’m a firm believer in the notion that the job of teaching can vary widely from school to school…or even from year to year.  It is important to maintain a “professional mindset” that includes a career development plan.  Switching schools is a great option for a teacher wanting a career change.

Over the years, you’ve gained valuable experience, got the hang of this teaching thing (you’re pretty good!), and feel ready to apply for an opening at that well-regarded school or higher-paying district.  

Pre-requisites: To be hired as a teacher somewhere else, you’ll most likely need teaching certification – an estimated 95-97% of teachers are certified.  You’ll also need an updated resume and to bone up on your interview skills.

Pros:

• Minimal life disruption
• A refreshing change of scenery
• Potential to extend your teaching career
• Exciting new challenges 
• Opportunity to teach something new 
• Ideally, you’ve upgraded your salary 

Cons:

• Schools are schools and your new job may only present more of the same challenges 
• A new school might even bring unanticipated issues that you never had to deal with before 
• Leaving your classroom, your friends, and your comfort zone. 
• Some districts may not credit all of your years on their salary schedule

Getting started: Dust off that resume and find the local online job board – sometimes you’ll apply for teaching jobs directly through there.  Don’t forget to focus on your interview skills. If you feel like your interview skills need polish, take a look at our free five-lesson course on how to master the intangibles of the teacher interview.

3rd Easiest Transition: Become an Instructional Coach

This option is perfect for you if: You really enjoy working with teachers.

This option is for teachers who love teaching and working with other teachers.  If you have a history of effective collaboration and prior leadership roles (department chair, conference presenter, professional development lead) have thrilled you, this might be the job for you. 

Instructional coaches partner with teachers to improve their teaching practice – this is known as the “teachers teaching teachers” model of professional growth. 

You’ll most likely become a site leader for professional development and teacher support.  In a profession where teacher turnover is a real concern – that Vox article in 2022 stated that 44% of new teachers quit in the first five years – your support can make all the difference for a talented, yet struggling, young teacher.

Pre-requisites: You’ll need a teaching certificate and a master’s degree (both are “musts” for a  public school instructional coach job). In terms of master’s degrees, there are many types: curriculum and instruction, program design, literacy, or an emphasis on grade level or subjects. You will need successful experience as a classroom teacher and to be well-versed in current pedagogy.  You are an expert in the field.

Pros:

• You get to do what you love: partner with teachers in the classroom  
• You can be a catalyst for real change and help improve instructional practices in a way that will impact students every day  
• You remain on the school site
• Stay abreast of cutting-edge instructional strategies
• Have the time to learn about new and better teaching strategies because that is your job! 
• Most districts place you on the teacher’s salary schedule

Cons:

• These are competitive job openings as there are typically fewer openings than for classroom teachers
• Lack of connection to students, although you do gain a greater connection to teacher colleagues
• Some teachers will resist your coaching 
• In lean budgetary times, instructional coach (often categorized as “teacher on special assignment” or TOSA) positions are sometimes first on the chopping block

Getting started: If you have the necessary master’s degree and teaching expertise, you should start by editing your resume to emphasize your pedagogical knowledge and teaching philosophy.  Consider reading up on the nuances of coaching models.

4th Easiest Transition: Become a School Administrator

This option is perfect for you if: You’re ready to be a school leader.

Any teacher who enjoys being on a school site, working faculty and staff, parents and kids.  Anyone who wants to have a larger positive impact on the school as a whole.  You’ve participated in and enjoyed school-wide leadership or organizational-type tasks before.  

Pre-requisites: An administrative credential and related master’s degree – programs typically run 12-16 months.  Costs for this program vary, but will range between $10K and $16K.  You should also have about 5 years of teaching experience on your resume, but we’ve seen former school counselors and psychologists with years of experience at a school become effective and beloved assistant principals.

Pros:

• Your work can positively impact the entire school site
• You support teachers as well as students
• And although your work hours will probably increase, you’ve freed yourself from the daily grinds associated with lesson planning, delivery, and grading  
• School administration jobs come with a salary boost – a 20-35% raise can be life-changing money

Cons:

• Entry-level jobs (such as Assistant Principal) typically handle student discipline, an unpleasant duty that can consume entire days and make you feel like your job is a mix of social worker and detective 
• You do very little, if any, formal teaching
• You are often on the receiving end of parent complaints about teachers or your discipline decisions
• School administrators typically work 25-30 more days than teachers – almost all of those during the summer

Getting started: While a teacher, you will need to participate in some type of leadership roles: department chair, testing coordinator, supervisor of the accreditation team, organizer of school rallies, etc.  You will also need to enroll in an administrative credential program.

We suggest asking one of your current administrators for advice – at the very least you should let someone on your administrative team know of your intentions and they’ll likely be willing to informally or formally mentor you–and check with your district office to see if they have leadership pipeline or mentoring programs.

5th Easiest Transition: School Librarian

This option is perfect for you if: You still enjoy teaching but are ready for a different form of it.

The job of school librarian is for teachers who enjoy the pleasure of helping kids read, write, research, learn digital literacy among other topics. You still want to teach and engage in the work, but in a setting that affords you more variety.  You’re excellent at organizing and sharing large amounts of information.

Pre-requisites: Masters in Library Science (MLS).  A 1-2 year program costs roughly $10-12K. 

Pros:

• Variety – in a single day, a school librarian might teach/assist with multiple subjects and grade levels in various capacities
• Opportunity to promote collaboration between subject areas as well as enrich the usual classroom instruction
• Typically won’t have the grading workload of a classroom teacher

Cons: 

• Tasked with curating, growing, budgeting and managing the student use of a large collection of media resources 
• Your job can be isolating
• Establishing connections with students and other teachers may take more time
• Library positions may not be full time or may be a split position.

Getting started: To learn more about the job, consider shadowing a school librarian for a day. Contact your local school or state professional organization to set up a visit. Once you are in a job, connecting with a mentor will help the new school librarian navigate through the challenges of a new career.

6th Easiest Transition: School Counselor 

This option is perfect for you if: You love working on campus and helping kids.

Being a school counselor is ideal for teachers who love working with students, and are interested in the intellectual, and mental development of young people. You should also have a  strong understanding of and empathy for kids who face challenges. 

You’ll be supporting young people in a wide variety of ways from academic counseling to formal evaluation of learning disabilities to family issues to problems getting proper clothing or food.  You will help kids deal with academic or social pressures and in high school, provide guidance towards getting them into college. You’ll partner with parents and teachers.

Note: What is the difference between Counselor and Social Worker?  While there is some overlap, counselors generally focus on a student’s academics: grades, course credits, and scheduling.  Social workers focus on the mental health and behavioral aspects of a student as well as connect the student to helpful resources in the community at large.  Different educational requirements are explained in more detail in the link.

Pre-requisites: We chose this as the most difficult transition due to the education requirements: a master’s in school counseling which takes 2-3 years to complete and costs $25k and up.

Pros:

• As a former teacher, your understanding of student-teacher dynamics would be highly valued
• Have a positive impact on young people
• A working relationship with students without having to grade them…. a more helpful bent as opposed to sometimes adversarial teacher/student relationship when grades are involved
• Support teachers by being a liaison between teachers and students and parents
• The position of school counselors is projected to have steady job growth
• Salary-wise, you’re typically on the pay scale with teachers

Cons: 

• A lengthy master’s program – two or three years
• You’ll also have a longer work year (approximately 10-15 more days) but many districts do compensate for that time with an increase
• Hectic days in the counseling office as you manage numerous and unpredictable student challenges

 Getting started: Enroll in a master’s program for school counseling.  

Take The First Step

There are plenty of mental obstacles in your way as consider a career change away from teaching. Chief among those is the uncertainty that comes with leaving something you know.

Start by taking a small step: research graduate programs or maybe get out your resume and spend an hour updating it.  Your future self with be glad you did.