Find a new teaching job can be an incredibly positive move for developing your career, reducing workload or rediscovering a love of teaching. When I work with people who want to quit teaching I always encourage them to spend some time researching other teaching jobs; taking time to find a role, school and leadership style that suits them. Luckily there are a number of websites dedicated to helping teachers and school-leaders find exciting new opportunities in schools and I have listed some of my favourites here! We can also offer guidance on developing your CV and preparing your resignation letter. Good Luck!
Teaching Jobs Websites
TES Jobs – The first port of call for teachers is usually TES. In my job hunting days I always found TES a good starting point as the search options allow you to find teaching jobs that fit your criteria based on salary, location, institution type and many more. TES is a good way to find overseas teaching roles and tends to be the largest education job market for UK teachers. It can be overwhelming sometimes but is always a good place to start.
eTeach – Smaller than TES, but I found the focus of eTeach to be a benefit. Personally, I have found it easier to find roles on eTeach and their sister sites than TES simply because I am not wading through as many unsuitable options. Don’t be surprised if you find something on eTeach you had previously overlooked on TES; absolutely worth a second-look!
FEJobs – Have you considered a move into Further Education? Prior to my career in Secondary Schools I had an enjoyable time Lecturing in FE. I found that I had more opportunity to develop my subject expertise and was also given space my College Leadership to make the right decision based on the context of my subject and students. If I was to return to teaching it would be in Further Education. The drawbacks tend to be that salaries are unpredictable, although I earned more in FE and progressed fast than if I had followed my PGCE colleagues straight into school. This is a sister-site of eTeach so possesses the same focussed, search functionality.
Jobs.ac.uk – A powerful search engine for Jobs in Higher Education. This is a useful site if you are considering Lecturing or a role away from teaching. I found that the search tends to be somewhat overwhelming and this isn’t helped by the fact that non-teaching roles tend to have institution-specific names; meaning if you don’t know what you are looking for you have to trawl through 100s of listings. That said, it is a great place to start if you are thinking of leaving regular classroom teaching.
Importantly, take time to make sure the school is a right fit. Job adverts and initial visits tend to give fantastic impressions and it is important to be critical whilst not letting the fear of moving roles affect you. There are some fantastic schools in the UK that nurture and develop their staff. Take time to enjoy the process of finding different teaching jobs that excite and promise a positive future!
Looking for a different challenge?
If you think it’s time to quit teaching and find a role in a different industry, I recognise how challenging that can be! I have put together a list of great websites that ex-teachers (or those ready to leave) can find new and exciting roles!
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