When you go to college, they never really tell you how hard it can be to find a teaching position (in some states), and the politics of teaching aren’t discovered until you have your own classroom.
And with the educational pendulum so far to one side, lack of support, parent demands, the never-ending-paperwork, little to no curriculum, large class sizes… let’s be real, it’s no secret that many teachers are leaving the profession altogether.
But the kids are why we do what we do. The kids are our why. The kids make all of the hardships worth it. That will never change.
And for some of us, being an educator is what we feel we were meant to do. We were put on this Earth to be a teacher. That, also, will never change.
We don’t want to give up being a teacher, but the demands of the traditional classroom are breaking us. Myself included, as I’ve publicly documented my struggles with teacher anxiety and how I left my Texas classroom mid-year.
As educators and professionals with degrees (many of us with multiple certifications, Master’s Degrees and PhD’s) we have so many more options than what society leads us to believe.
In this blog post, I am going to outline a few options you have as a special education teacher (outside of the traditional classroom setting), given the skills you possess as an educator.
You’re a teacher! That should be a skill in itself… a drop down menu option on online applications… “What skills do you possess?” … #teacher
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as a drop down menu to list out all of the superhero skills you have. But here are a few that you do have (and feel free to use these on your resume!):
- desire and ability to work with children
- enthusiasm for educating others
- ability to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of multiple learners within one lesson
- patience
- ability to manage and supervise staff and students (in and across multiple settings)
- team player, but able to work independently
- ability to multi-task
- ability to follow directions and rules / laws
- ability to speak and write clearly
- respectful and ability to develop rapport with students, staff, admin, and parents
- sense of humor
- confident and committed
- flexibility and adaptable to change
- strong imagination and creativity
- love of learning
- problem solver and decision maker
- data collector and analyzer
- ability to maintain confidentiality
- organized
- ability to manage time efficiently and effectively
- ability to incorporate technology into lessons and everyday learning
- Other abilities: consulting, training, instructing, advising, mentoring, critical thinking, assessing, monitoring, analyzing, evaluating, grading, planning.
TIP * if the time comes where you are updating your resume for a new job in education, but outside of the traditional classroom and you need more skills, I recommend looking at job postings for the position(s) you want and using those associated skills as strengths (if you have them; don’t lie or stretch the truth!).
These are jobs that will keep you within the field of education, but don’t necessarily look like the traditional classroom teacher. And I’ll break them down into two categories, online jobs and conventional jobs.
CONVENTIONAL JOBS
- Private Tutor
- Private Homeschool Teacher
- Educational Sales Rep
- Admissions Consultant
- Day Care
- Nanny
- College Professor
- College Academic Advisor
- Youth Organizations / Camps
- Corporate Trainer
- Education Consultant
- Financial Aid Counselor / Director
- Advocate
- Curriculum Specialist
- Social Services Manager
- Instructional Coordinator
- Vocational / Technical Teacher
- Rehabilitation Counselor
- Coach
- Educating prisoners
- Adult GED Course Teacher
- Educational Nonprofits
- Child Life Specialist
- Paraprofessional
- Substitute Teacher
- Librarian / Library Consultant
- Media Center Specialist
- Interpreter / Translator
- Education Product Company
- Student Teaching Supervisor (through a college/university)
ONLINE JOBS
- Master IEP Coach® (learn more here)
- TeachersPayTeachers Author + Creator (see my shop here)
- Teach ESL Students Online
- Social Media Manager for Educational Companies
- Online Test Scorer (for example, through ETS)
- Standardized Test Developer
- Online Professor
- Educational Consultant
- Educational Technology Content Writer (Digital Learning)
- Virtual Assistant
- Sell Products (MLM and non-MLM companies)
- Writer
- Proofreader
- Educational Mentor
- Advocate
*Some jobs listed may require additional training and/or degrees.
My biggest piece of advice when you begin looking outside of the traditional classroom setting for something new is to keep an open mind. Use your powerful, honed-in skill sets to re-light the teacher fire within your soul.
To find job openings in your area or online in any of these fields, I recommend utilizing Google Search to find the right path for you.
Do you have any jobs that you would add to this list?
You can also do early intervention. I like mixing my babies with preschool classroom teaching, its spices things up;)
Hi, You can become an online tutor in any subject area. I know online tutors in math, reading, chemistry, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, ESL/EFL, writing etc. A lot of teachers start their own online tutoring business.
Brilliant! I have attempted to leave the profession every time I walk back into a classroom…. The only employers that will call me for an interview are schools or Starbucks.
I’m in the exact same position. The only non-teaching job I might be able to get is a legal proofreader, but it only pays $17.50/hour. I’m single and have fibromyalgia. Plus, I’m taking care of my niece, nephew, and niece’s newborn. Nephew works, but we’re barely surviving and might have to move back to the reservation where I can stay at my mom’s house for free. I’m not looking forward to that. Ugh.
What to do to become online tutor?
I recommend utilizing Google to search your specific area for requirements and jobs.
Thank you for the information. I am a media specialist that had to go back into the classroom. I am more than ready to leave the classroom again but getting media specialists positions is cut throat . I have been looking for other options and some of these I didn’t think about.
I am looking for some related jobs for teaching as I have done special education part1 course online .
Mrs. D, I read your blog post about leaving your job mid year. I recently resigned, heartbroken, anxious, and depressed about what I would ever do with my life again. All I’ve ever wanted to do, was teach those with special needs.
You are correct, teachers are asked to do far more than what we signed up to do: ALICE DRILLS, COVID-19, paperwork out the wazoo to name a few.
Thanks for the encouragement, ideas and support. I hope to be using the purchased items from TpT soon.
Peace Out-
After 23 years as a special education teacher I was completely broken. Both because my job itself had broken me but also because I truly did love those kids so very much and it broke my heart to leave them. I was receiving awards, showing up every day with a smile on my face, keeping my class engaged, learning and progressing on their goals. But when I finally got home I was a different person. Exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. I was no good to my own family. That’s when I got an opportunity to apply for a position in our Early Intervention department. It was the best decision for me, my family and my career. While I do feel like a rookie all over again learning to work with babies and their families, I am so glad my special education degree helped me to transition to the new position. I do miss my classroom a ton but I don’t miss all the stress that came with it. I finally fell like ME again! Early Intervention truly is the best of both worlds.
I see you have included librarian on your list. Librarians require a highly specialized Masters degree- this is not something one can do simply with just their teaching degree. School librarians are even more specialized.
Hello Ms. Stephanie
I am a 34.8-year teacher, teacher consultant, and help where ever needed teacher also. I retired from the public district in 2016, after 30 yrs. 5 days. I was in the same shape as many of your responders. I worked from 2016-2020 in a private school as an education specialist.
I totally understand all of the feelings, frustrations, and stories of those who have responded to your post. I am currently, teaching part-time but my heart is not in it as much as it should be.
I am thankful for this post because I have been working on developing a blog since August 2020. There are still many things that I can’t seem to wrap my head around. I have thought about proofreading and freelance writing, but I do not want to go back to school for any more classes if possible.
This post has rejuvenated me, as it has done for many of those who have responded. Why? Well, I think that so much is pulled out of you mentally, physically and emotionally, that you are a wreck and you need time to rebuild yourself.
So thank you for this post.
I want to add that teachers have several transferable skills if you are thinking of leaving education altogether. I was a preschool teacher, now I am an HR associate and will soon be pivoting again to the legal department of my job as a Contract Analyst. The corporate world really likes folks who are organized, team players, and attentive to detail, which teachers definitely are! My experience as a union delegate was a big plus to companies that have union workers, even if the job they hired me for had nothing to do with Labor Relations. So don’t be afraid to try something new!