You have read part one of Alternative Careers for Teachers and started to think about your options. And you have DEFINITELY uploaded your CV to our Partner Recruiter? If you still need convincing why this is a good idea, read this!
The list continues, the following jobs are worth considering if you are looking for an alternative career as they closely align with the reasons many of us teach. Remember to let me know in the comments if you need specific advice, or what jobs have inspired you to hand in your notice.
Widening Participation Officer
Widening Participation (WP) is a national approach to encourage University application from those less likely to apply. Generally, this includes students from areas of low socio-economic status and directly targets young people where neither parent has attended University or who live in areas that are under-represented at University. Think of WP as grown-up Pupil Premium and you are thinking along the right lines. There are a huge number of WP based roles in Universities across the UK, it remains (just as PP) a high priority so roles are readily available. Job focus will differ but might involve visiting local schools and FE colleges to offer opportunities to PP students, organising events and workshops and researching the impact of socio-economic barriers. Apply at Jobs.ac.uk
Social Worker
Social Work in many ways mirrors the challenges of being a Teacher; often vocally overworked and underpaid. However, if you simply want to apply your expertise in a different area and need a new challenge – this might be an option worth considering. As a career changer, you should consider the Frontline programme which does for social work what Teach First has done for education. You get to train on the job, and get paid during the process, meaning your financial concerns are removed as you prepare to enter a new job.
FE Lecturer
Further Education has had a rough few years but my time in FE was a time of bliss compared to my time in Secondary. If you find a good College you will likely have more ownership over curriculum and approach than you have ever experienced and scrutiny tends to be handled within the Faculty; meaning it is usually someone who has taught the subject rather than a QA expert dropping in to share their wisdom. This is a good experiment if you NEED to retain holidays and pension service but also NEED to quit teaching. You will probably find your in-built rigour outpaces the expectations of an FE College meaning you can find your stride easily. The possible downside is pay is unpredictable. Salary can vary College to College, I always earned a salary that exceed Main Payscale but I know people that earned very little in their FE careers. Pay attention to Job Adverts and if salary is not shared, phone and ask before you apply. I used FEJobs to track down vacancies.
Student Services
Another University based pathway. Student Services involves many different job roles but all focussed on providing the student with the best possible experience. These are appealing as you will be working closely with young people in an education setting, often in a suooirt role, but without the planning and marking and SLT breathing down your neck. Jobs.ac.uk is the place to find these roles, and as the spectrum is broad you will find a volume of them each time you search. Take the time to find out the sort of role that appeals the most. Once you find something you like, search for that role specifically – you will find that most roles share a name nationally – there is a lot of collaboration in HE so this make life much easier!
Educational Supplier/Sales
This is a bit trickier as you will have to do some research. Think about the volume of companies that have one target audience, schools. They need people that know how schools operate – that’s you! These roles can be paid well, but usually the ones that focus on commision based sales. Remember that time your Headteacher announced they were using a new Performance Management software, or you had to use Show My Homework etc? Someone, somewhere in the School Trust had met with a salesperson and been sold a vision. You could be that person. To start you will need to see what companies exist within commuting distance – Google your town + education supplies or education software – and then email the Company Director explaining your interest in a role with them. Just fire off prospecting emails and see if any stick. Sales roles are about tenacity.
Hopefully one of these roles has inspired action? If so leave me a comment and let me know your next steps. Remember to get your CV working away in the background – upload it today!
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