Alternative Careers For Educators
There’s more to life than teaching. Here are some alternative careers for educators who want to break out of the mold.
- Teacher-entrepreneur. If you’re looking for a change and want to stay in education, why not start your own business? You can teach online classes or create your own courseware. Or maybe you could use your experience as a teacher to help other teachers get started on their entrepreneurial journey.
- Writer or editor. Spend your days writing and editing articles, books, and blogs—not only is it a great way to express yourself creatively while making money, but you’ll get plenty of time to read those books you’ve been meaning to read!
- Freelance writer or editor. If you’re more into being your own boss than working within an office setting, consider freelancing as a writer or editor for magazines, websites, or other publications that need content creators on a regular basis!
- TED Talk speaker! TED Talks are all about sharing ideas with others—and if you have an idea worth sharing with the world (and have an engaging speaking style), this may be just the career path for you!
Alternative Careers For Educators
1. Administration – Principal, Vice-Principal, Superintendent
If you love helping kids learn, and you’re ready to take your career path to the next level by searching for jobs in education field besides teaching, it may be time to step your game up and become an administrator. As an administrator, you may be responsible for a specific facet of your school or district (such as operations, instruction, or culture) or you may be responsible for several aspects of your school or district’s success. An administrator wears many hats throughout the day, from meeting with parents to helping teachers refine their instructional approach. If you’re moving into administration at a school at which you were previously a classroom teacher, you have the benefit of knowing your school’s families and employees on a level that will garner instant respect as you step into your new role.
While the requirements for school administrators differ depending on your state and whether you’re in a public or private school, most administration jobs require a master’s or doctorate degree, as well as a principal certification. As a school administrator, you can expect to make $88,000-$118,000 per year.
Average Salary: $88,000-$118,000
2. Standardized Test Developer
Working as a standardized test developer can be one of many great career changes for teachers. If you love doing the hard work of making sure that students are hitting their learning outcomes, developing high quality standardized test questions can help inform students, parents, teachers, and administrators of where students are succeeding – and where they need some extra work. In this position, you’ll not only need to be an expert in your subject area – you’ll also need to be an expert in creating high quality assessments with questions that vary in level of difficulty. In this position, you may work in an office, or you may work in a school (especially if the school is large, and creates their own periodic assessments to prepare for state testing).
In order to become a standardized test developer, you’ll likely need a master’s or doctorate degree in your specialty area. While your exact salary will depend on your education, your experience, and the cost of living in your area, you can expect to make approximately $65,000 per year.
Average Salary: $65,000
3. Educational Consultant
If you’re an educator who is looking for jobs in education field besides teaching, and you still want to be involved in helping kids learn, working as an educational consultant can be a great way to continue to affect young minds in a positive way. As an educational consultant, you’ll likely serve several schools within one district. Most educational consultants have an office at a district building, and travel from school to school over the course of a week. If you work for a private educational consulting company, you may work with several school districts in one area. Your responsibilities will vary as the district’s needs change. Sometimes, you may work directly with principals and assistant principals, and other times, you may work directly with teachers, helping them to improve their instructional process.
While the exact educational requirements differ from district to district, most require at least a master’s degree, and some require a doctorate. Many school districts also require educational consultants to have a valid teaching certificate, as well as keep up with continuing education requirements to maintain a valid certificate. As an educational consultant, you can expect to make approximately $64,000.
Average Salary: $64,000
4. Homeschool Consultant
Homeschooling parents want to provide the best education possible for their kids, and this sometimes means reaching out to an expert for their input. This is where you come in. When it comes to jobs in education field besides teaching, working as a homeschool consultant allows you to help provide kids with a great education – even though you’re not the one delivering the instruction. You’ll work with parents or small groups of homeschoolers to help them refine the educational process. You may observe parents while they’re teaching, help with lesson plans and curriculum design, and work with parents to help them assess their children and ensure that they’re meeting learning objectives. Homeschool consultants can work on a freelance basis, or can work as a part of a larger educational consulting company.
If you choose to work on a freelance basis, you’ll be responsible for deciding what credentials are necessary for your desired clientele to value your services. Most homeschool consultants have at least a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate, while many have a master’s or doctorate degree. If you work with an educational consulting company, it’s likely that you’ll be required to have a master’s or doctorate and a valid teaching license. You can expect to make approximately $64,000 per year as a homeschool consultant.
Average Salary: $64,000
5. After School Program Director
If you love interacting with kids in a setting that allows them to develop their interests, a great career changes for teachers option for you may be a job as an after school program director. As an after school program director, you’ll work with teachers and coaches to design an engaging, robust program for your school. You’ll likely have an office within the school, but much of your time will be spent visiting various extracurricular activities in the afternoon. The hours for this job are a little different than that of a teacher, as you’ll be at the school after most of the staff has gone home in order to interact with students and educators participating in after school activities.
In most schools, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in order to be an after school program director. You may or may not need a teaching certificate. In this position, you can expect to make approximately $62,000 per year.
Average Salary: $62,000
6. Curriculum Design
As a former teacher (or a teacher who is thinking about leaving the classroom), you know the ins and outs of your subject area. From common misconceptions that students already had when you began your lessons to tips and tricks to make learning sticky, you understand how a curriculum needs to be designed to best meet the needs of students. Working as a curriculum designer can be a great career changes for teachers. The curriculum design field provides many jobs in education field besides teaching to former educators who are experts in their subject area. In this position, you’ll work with instructional leaders within your district to create a curriculum that’s perfect for students.
Most curriculum design jobs require at least a master’s degree in education, as well as experience in the classroom. You may need a teacher’s license to become a curriculum designer, depending on the requirements of your school or district. In this position, you can expect to earn approximately $62,000 per year.
Average Salary: $62,000
7. Instructional Designer
Instructional designers are often teachers who loved creating lesson plans, and succeeded at creating work for students that met them at the nexus of ability and challenge. Working as an instructional designer is a great career changes for teachers who want to help students, but prefer to do so without the pressure and pace of working in a classroom. In this position, you’ll create rigorous objectives, develop hands on activities, and create checks for understanding and assessments that allow teachers to engage their students. You’ll also utilize feedback from teachers and administrators to change current instructional design and make it more effective for the classroom.
In order to become an instructional designer, you’ll likely need a combination of a master’s degree and several years of experience in the classroom. In this position, you can expect to make approximately $62,000 per year.
Average Salary: $62,000
8. School/Child Psychologist
If you love working to help kids fulfill their potential, looking into jobs in education field besides teaching in the area of student psychology can be a great way to transition out of the classroom. As a school/ child psychologist, you’ll get to spend your time working one on one with students, getting to know them on a different level than you were able to while you had a classroom full of kids. You may also lead group therapy sessions, as well as work in classrooms that are struggling with social and/ or bullying issues. You’ll work in an office within the school, or you may travel from school to school to see students.
A school or child psychologist needs a doctorate degree and you’ll need to be licensed by your state. You can expect to make approximately $62,000 per year.
Average Salary: $62,000
9. Corporate Trainer
As a teacher, you know how to talk so that people listen. You understand how to teach lessons in ways that are engaging and appropriate for your audience. Working as a corporate trainer can be one of many great career changes for teachers who are ready to move out of the classroom. You’ll develop trainings, work with employees, and may even teach supervisors how to better explain topics and goals to their employees. You may work at one location, or travel between various locations of the company.
You’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree to become a corporate trainer, and you may need a master’s degree. In this position, you can expect to make $56,000 per year.
Average Salary: $56,000
10. Education Policy and Research
If you’re passionate about helping students, but you want to affect change on a large scale, working in education policy and research can provide many jobs in education field besides teaching. Professionals working in education policy and research can work for politicians, advocacy groups, non-profits, and more. Working in this area provides opportunities for many different types of work, from observing teachers in classrooms in high need areas to working with lawmakers to impact educational change.
To work in education policy and research, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree, but many positions will require a master’s or doctorate. You can expect to make approximately $53,000 per year.
Average Salary: $53,000
