Being a successful teacher requires a varied set of skills. Every student is unique, and each requires a specific approach to get the concept of the lesson. Having strong interpersonal intelligence and being a great leader and motivator can take you to great places within the educational field.
However, all of these skills are also incredibly sought-after in many different fields within the competitive job market. It does not matter whether you suddenly realized teaching was not your calling in the first place, you want to end your career for a different reason, you are taking a sabbatical or you are just looking to expand your professional horizons by aiming at higher-paying jobs.
From taking care of children to becoming a prominent real estate agent, the list below will show you eight alternative careers for teachers that will most definitely draw your attention.
1. Childcare Worker
Job Description: Sometimes known as daycare workers, these professionals supervise and take care of children in residential homes, childcare centers, hospitals or kindergartens (among other places) while their parents are working or are otherwise busy.
This job requires setting up routines and schedules, feeding, cleaning, and nurturing learning and socialization skills such as good manners, sharing, communication, etc.
Average Salary: $23.2K
Why It Fits: You get to spend time with children and care for them without having to worry about meetings, parents’ complaints or grading papers, and you get to work with children of various ages.
Becoming a childcare worker is one of the most relaxing transitions for people looking for an alternative career outside the classroom, particularly if you already have previous experience in dealing with children.
2. Substance Abuse Counselor
Job Description: Substance abuse counselors help people to bounce back from substance abuse as they reenter their social circles and turn their lives around. You usually start working with a broad array of people, but you can quickly specialize in smaller sub-groups, like veterans or foster-care kids.
Not only can you deal with drug abuse, but you may also help people with eating disorders and other kinds of addictive behavior, such as gambling. You’ll spend one-on-one time with your clients as you listen to their stories, identify their struggles, and make plans and strategies for recovery.
Average Salary: $41.0K
Why It Fits: Although accessible with a bachelor’s degree, employers usually look for a master’s. Helping these people in need will give you the same level of satisfaction as teaching, if not more.
Becoming a substance abuse counselor is one of the most sought-after jobs for teachers outside of education. Besides the required degree, what matters most in this field is being legitimately compassionate, patient and having strong communication skills.
3. Museum Curator
Job Description: A museum curator is responsible for acquiring, storing and exhibiting works of art, historical and scientific items and artifacts at museums. Curators also provide information to visitors, design and envision new exhibits at the museum, and verify both the history and authenticity before putting anything up for display.
At smaller museums, being a curator might include management tasks, such as public relations (PR), marketing, fundraising, budgeting and staffing.
Average Salary: $47.3K
Why It Fits: Good teachers make for excellent researchers. Being a curator requires having a creative eye, as well as being a proper skeptic to know how to ask the right questions. Pair these with strong interpersonal and negotiating skills, and you will see why this is one of the top choices in jobs for former teachers.
4. Event Planner
Job Description: Event planners are responsible for organizing and coordinating events, such as weddings, meetings, conventions and more. Event planners usually must find venues, arrange for transportation, and coordinate all the logistics behind both public and private events.
Planners act as links between clients and service providers. You have to meet with your clients regularly to understand what they want and need, plan the overall event scope, negotiate with service providers and monitor all the details to ensure your client’s ultimate satisfaction.
Average Salary: $49.3K
Why It Fits: Most teachers have previously engaged in organizing field trips and school rallies. These skills are easily transferable to the profession.
5. School Counselor
Job Description: School counselors help students figure out what they want to become in life, as well as the skills required to achieve those goals. More than just managing college applications, school counselors foster academic achievement, personal development and social skills to ensure today’s kids become healthy and functional adults.
Average Salary: $54.6K
Why It Fits: If you feel like taking a different direction in your professional life without leaving the education world or losing touch with students, this career change may be the right fit.
6. Copywriter
Job Description: Copy writers produce blogs, manuals, whitepapers, press releases and other written pieces for websites, magazines, companies and freelance agencies.
A writer can start ghostwriting for other people while slowly making the transition to write their very own material. Writing requires minimum contact with your clients, but it does involve a great deal of research and drafting.
Average Salary: $60.6K
Why It Fits: It can be a perfect transition for people who felt teaching was driving them toward a burnout. You could start writing as a freelance gig on your terms, and start climbing up the ladder from the comfort of your own home.
7. Life Coach
Job Description: A life coach helps people find their strengths, acknowledge their flaws, identify the bad habits holding them back and set tangible steps towards a larger goal.
A life coach is more than a motivational speaker. They create tangible and down-to-earth strategies to produce the most out of their clients’ potential without losing track of their very own essence.
Average Salary: $61.9K
Why It Fits: It’s all about how much you believe in people paired with the fact that you never give up on anyone. More than motivating others, you need to draft a plausible step-by-step journey to monitor your client’s development and be ready to make slight adjustments along the way – much like teaching a lesson and switching the approach to get the message through.
8. Real Estate Agent
Job Description: As a real estate agent, you will be working closely with both home buyers and sellers to mediate and facilitate these housing transactions. You will also educate people about first-home purchases and local communities.
Realtors do not only negotiate housing transactions. They must also establish a strong and honest rapport with their clients to develop trust and promote an open dialogue.
Average Salary: $86.1K
Why It Fits: The main difference between ordinary realtors and highly successful ones lies in both how well they listen and how well they know exactly when to speak and what to say. Real estate agents thrive when equipped with strong interpersonal and communication skills, making this career one of the highest-paying job options for former teachers.
