I’ve been following this community for about 5 months now. This is my first post. I have been teaching French for about fifteen years. At the end of last school year, my principal called me into a meeting midweek to tell me my department was being cut due to budget constraints but “thanks for your time” (like I gave directions to the nearest gas station). Btw, this was during afternoon dismissal when this bomb was dropped on me, so I had to make the long walk back to my corner classroom without breaking down. Like a lot of teachers and others in this economy, I lived paycheck to paycheck, so this news gave me essentially 2 months to figure something out. It was mid-May and not a lot of schools were needing a French teacher. Anyway, I’m 40 and going back to school to learn a completely new trade - I’ve had it with teaching. I’ve had it with administrators who play favorites. I’ve had it with entitled students and even more entitled or disengaged parents/guardians. I enjoyed about 30% of my job, I know I made a difference in several young people’s lives and that makes me feel good, but teaching sometimes felt like being in an toxic relationship that you don’t quite know how to get out of - the good times really shine, but not enough to crowd out the unbearable stress. It’s hard right now because I moved across state to live with my mom as I go back to school for a SLP degree. I’m working PT at a bakery. I had been praying for the past few years for guidance because I wasn’t sure what to do next to get out of the classroom. I look at it as God’s way of letting me know my time as a teacher is done. But it’s hard; I have good days where I feel upbeat and excited about the future and then other days where I feel like an absolute failure. I just needed somewhere to express what I’ve been going through. No one else in my family has ever been a teacher or worked in education and I don’t know anyone where I live now. I’m single with no kids and I believe that may have factored into the decision to eliminate my job, idk I’m just speculating. Does anyone have any good advice on how to cope with an abrupt life change? Or living back at home with parents when you’ve been on your own for over 20 years? :)

Former teacher here that left to go to law school. Today, I've graduated law school and have my first legal job. I'm currently studying for the bar. It's been about four years since I've left teaching full time.

In hindsight, I realize that teaching is an abusive profession. That's a heavy word, so I don't use it lightly. As a teacher, I got crap from students, administrators, parents, and society. What I didn't know at the time is that that's not normal, and I don't have to put up with that. I was a solid teacher, but there were problems in the industry outside of my control that just made it an awful environment to work in. Then there were also foreseeable problems like poor salary.

During quarantine, I had the chance to study for the LSAT. At the time, it was a curiosity more than anything. It was hard, but I had a fun time during law school. That's a story for a different post.

Four years later, I have a job. My boss respects me. My coworkers respect me. That in and of itself has felt like the career switch has been worth it for me. Finances aside, I feel such a peace of mind at work being treated like an adult.

I'm planning on what I want to do after the bar. The potential salary I'm on track to make is jaw dropping compared to what I made as a teacher. With that said, I also have $300,000 in student loans to pay off. If I get there, the salary from a career switch will be well-worth it.

I'll say that I thought I was making a difference as a teacher. In reality, I saw my students for 60 minutes a day. The 60-minute time slot was to be packed with standards and objectives that half my students couldn't meet for one reason or another. I wasn't building the meaningful relationships that society sold to me as the relationships I'd have and the impact I'd be making as a teacher. The "follow your heart" argument to me was shallow.

As a lawyer, however, I see people when they're in hard times. I help people work through conflicts that will have life-impacting consequences on them. I help domestic abuse victims. I help drug addicts. I help children. I help these people in big, meaningful ways. Without a doubt, I do more for the welfare of children as a lawyer now than as I did as a teacher.

Last, I'll say that teaching still has a role in my life. I had the opportunity to work with a school group the other day when they did a field trip to see jury selection. I'm going to be working as an adjunct professor at a community college, and will be doing so outside the subject of law. There are still opportunities for me to teach. There are still opportunities for me to mentor and help other people. In sum, I'm glad I made the jump.

Got my first interview request today for a Client Service and Product Support Specialist with ADP! I know it probably means nothing but feels like a step in the right direction. It is not salaried and I would get less pay, but it is hybrid and that would change the game for me.

Any pre-recorded interview advice would be appreciated!!

I am going to resign from my public school job as the expectations and the work load are far too high. I have yet to draft my resignation letter (deciding if I want to stick it out for the last few weeks to get paid through December) but I'm looking forward to the relief of finally being out of there. I grabbed a ton of my personal stuff yesterday from my classroom, and I didn't feel sad at all. Just weird.

Anyway, I accepted a position at a local international school, and I will be teaching English. My dream was always to teach English to young kids, and now I'm going to have a chance to do that! The biggest win for me about this job, is that it is PART TIME. I have ~20 hours of teaching per week, and they are giving me benefits. I feel like I won the lottery.

I hope that it turns into something great, and that I am able to maintain a better work life balance through it all. Keep your fingers crossed for me! (I will update once I start, whether it is amazing or terrible lol).

Don't know how. Tips. Tricks. Advice?????!

Hi! I’ve been always looking to get into education. I originally started my undergraduate degree as an Art Ed major but changed it due to not feeling as though I’d be ready to teach at my age I would have graduated in, 21. I ended up getting a BFA in drawing and now at 23, I’m looking to go back to school for my masters in education. I’ve just been really struggling with this, as I live in Chicago, the only program that would offer what I’d want would require me to drive out to DeKalb twice a week for a year, quit my full time job and i have around 2,000 worth of expenses each month. I’ve always wanted to get into education and everyone in my life believes it’s where I belong. I teach at a summer camp for the last two years as well and I feel like I’d be prepared to do it. I just don’t know how I can possibly afford this and what to do. Can someone please offer me some guidance and support? Also: I don’t want to move from the city and would like to teach within a reasonable distance from the city. How possible is this?

• Primary/Junior (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6)
• Junior/Intermediate (Grades 4 to 10)
• Intermediate/Senior (Grades 7 to 12)

I am doing my BComm and want to do a masters in teaching to become a teacher. However, I not sure which speciality to apply for and become? I want an above average pay and want to choose a speciality where there is lot of jobs. I dont want to do supply teaching for long. I love kids and want to give back to the next generation. Getting gifts before winter break is a plus point:), and I want to be that teacher that kids love.Also, I am not too smart, average student in high school and university. Do you know which sector might be fit for me? Can someone please give me advice?

I quit mid-year. I can’t take the commute. The kids don’t care and I was a long term sub.

I’m starting a cleaning company. Wish me luck.

I sent my resignation letter yesterday and I have to hear from admin.

Looking to see if any former teachers in here have gotten jobs in HR. If so, I have a few questions:

1. How did you go about finding the job?
2. Where did you find it? (Business website, Google, LinkedIn, etc.)
3. How did your alter your resume to fit the description of the job?
4. What was the interview like? (Questions they asked, vibe of it, etc.)
5. Do you like it? Not asking if it's a passion career. Just asking if it pays the bills and your content.

I've started to formulate a plan to leave by going back to school and getting a degree in accounting. There's an online program id be able to take while teaching so I wouldn't have a gap in pay. I'll be either to start the program in either April or August, depending on how things work out. Hopefully either this will be my last year, or I just have one more year after this. This job has been horrible for my mental health, but tonight this plan hit me and the relief was immediate.

First year theatre teacher, planning on leaving at the end of the contract year or asap if I find another job tbh. I have a BFA in theatre with a focus on education. This means that I fully run our theatre department on my own and wear a lot of hats including doing tech, directing, marketing, etc. Before starting my teaching job I also ran an Etsy shop that had over 1,000 sales and was pretty fun but I had to pause from lack of free time. I am currently doing a marketing course from Google to just amp up my skills. I would prefer wfh but I’m not opposed to working in person as well, I’m just not sure which areas or jobs to apply for. Any advice is welcome.

First year teacher struggling to make it past every single day. I want to stick it out till the rest of the year if I can but I do not plan on coming back to education after. I would like to go into EdTech or something remote, I’m doing a marketing course right now to try and amp up my resume. I plan to sub after contract is over while I am in between finding a job but my question is, have any of you applied while still working your teaching job? I have not told my admin that I do not plan on coming back so I am afraid that the new employers would call them? I am not sure how the process works so if someone who has gone through it could share their experience please. If you were hired during the year somewhere else, what was the process like of quitting mid year for us. I believe our contract requires 30 days notice.

Hi! I am a first year teacher and I am just honestly not happy. The amount of behavior problems I have is ridiculous and the fact that the principal does not help at all is just beyond me. What are some other jobs that I could apply to? Online preferably. My husband and I are ttc as well and all this stress from school is making it really hard. I’m just tired of coming home crying every day and just not being happy. TIA!

This is my second year teaching. I moved schools this year hoping things would be better. Some things are, some things aren't. Recently, I have been considering quitting coming up on Christmas break. Everyone in my life is telling me to stick it out if I want to ever teach again, but I guess the issue is... I'm not sure it's for me.

I've wanted to teach for a long time. I really thought it was my calling. But I can't live with a job that eats up so much of my free time and my brain capacity. I feel like a shell of myself sometimes because I don't have time or energy for my hobbies. I lay awake at night dreading/obsessing over work. Last week, I was diagnosed with depression, and I feel like it was because of this job. I feel like I am a teacher first and a person second.

There are some things I like about my job, but the thing that really kills me is that it takes up so much of my mental energy, even outside of work. I work hours to plan and grade and when I am not doing that, I am thinking about or talking about work somehow. I think the people in my life get sick of hearing about it. Does this get better? I know I should be drawing a boundary and not working outside of contract hours, but it eats at me when I do a poor job, and I can't help from obsessing over it. Does it ever go away?

I have 113 instructional days left until summer (more than a third of the way there! 40% by the end of this week!), and while I keep resolving to tough it out until the end of this year, that's starting to feel less sustainable all the time. I know, if I ever wanted to be employed at a school again, that leaving mid-year might raise questions. Is that true of any other industry when looking at resumes from former teachers? Or is it not as big of a deal?

Alt account for reasons.

Talk to me about pivoting away from teaching! What did you do? What are some options? I’ve poked around here but am hoping to see some more! :)

I’ve been teaching a few years in an environment I’m not in love with. While I love working with children, this just doesn’t feel right anymore. I want to take a year or two off to see if I genuinely miss teaching.

For context, I’m in my 20s. Great performance reviews. BA in anthropology, MAT in education. Interest in science/medicine. Graduated during the pandemic and didn’t want to spend several more years in school. Got my MAT in a year because it had job security and the rest is history. Southeastern US.

I see project management often recommended here, but it’s not an easy career to break into. I earned my PMP certification and still struggled to land project coordinator or assistant project manager roles. Most companies wanted hands-on experience with budgets, deadlines, and tools like Agile or Scrum, which teaching doesn’t fully prepare you for.

After countless applications and no interviews, I pivoted to an admin role at my local community college, which was much easier to get into. While it’s not the PM role I dreamed of, it’s a good stepping stone to build experience, and I’m content with where I am for now.

I still hope to land that PM role one day, but for now, I’m focusing on gaining the skills and experience I need to get there. PM is competitive and requires more than transferable skills or certifications, so start small and work your way up!

EDIT: Thank you all for the advice I took time today and applied to multiple jobs that would be similar entry level jobs but the big upside is they pay more. Once again thank you guys for the advice I appreciate it!

basically the title… I was super reflective over thanksgiving break and I’ve essentially decided this is my one and only year. My principal has been out to get me since September; they’ve set different expectations for me vs other first years in our school have been requiring me to turn in lesson plans for everything while others are only one subject etc. I talked with my union rep and they told me there is multiple violations of the CBA. I have a meeting on Thursday where my principal wants to put me on a PIP. All of this recently got me diagnosed and put on anxiety medication, I’ve been looking at jobs all over where I live and have wanted to apply even if it’s a pay cut . I just don’t know how much the penalty for financial compensation will be and if I could stick it out till end of year with how my class is. For reference I had a kid hit me while others openly curse at me and had to evacuate my room twice with no support and then turned around and be blamed for behaviors. Anyone have any advice for what to do next?

This spot is for any current teachers or those in between who need to vent, whether about issues with their current work situation or teaching in general. Please remember to review the rules of the subreddit before posting. Any comments that encourage harassment, discrimination, or violence will be removed.

So I've posted before saying I'm out. Leaving in 2 weeks. Been teacher for over a decade and moved abroad to teach to see if there was light at the end of the tunnel. There wasn't, Infact I was burnt out and didn't realise it. International teaching is a different ballgame. I found that it's for teachers that want an easy life, but for me the mission of helping the most disadvantaged wasn't there. It killed my mental health

Found out on Friday I've a job starting in Jan for when I move back to the UK. Less money but a slight declining sidestep is all I can ask for. I can't wait to not teach. To not be in pointless staff meetings. To not have to scoff my lunch in 2 mins. To not mark a book again. To not tell kids off for being kids, forcing them to sit for the majority of the day is insane. It's so Victorian.

And breath.

Hello Everyone! I’m in need of some advice. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I teach 8th grade ELA and this is my second year. I love teaching & I love my students. However… I can’t continue to work with the individuals on my team. My mental health has deteriorated so much simply because of the “adults” that I work with. I didn’t go to school to become a teacher - nor did I think that’s what my life path would consist of. I love it though. My degree is in psychology and I’m just in need of some advice of what to do & where to look?

Do I stay in teaching and try out another grade level to get away from the issues with the people on my current team?

Do I look for a new job somewhere else? Where could I look and what would I look for? I love teaching and working with middle school age kids.

I’m currently working towards my teaching certification. In my state it’s 5k to obtain a certification. Is this something I should continue to peruse even though I’m not totally in love with my current position?

I’m sorry for all the questions. Ya girl just needs some advice and help 😂😅

Hi all!

I am transitioning away from teaching and I was wondering if anyone has or know other former teachers (well I was a school principal at the end) who transitioned successfully to becoming a HRBP?

It's something I might be interested in but I don't know what skills are overlapping and what I should learn...

Thanks!

Im considering leaving and not returning after the winter break to my classroom. I've checked my contract and I have no consequences and just have to give 30 days notice. I plan to start school to move into data analysis. My question is did any jobs outside of teaching care about you leaving in the middle of the school year?

I’m only in my second year of teaching, but I always felt like that this wasn’t my “calling” and often I felt overstimulated writing lessons plans, on top of teaching elementary age kids. I’m also a music teacher so I didn’t feel as respected as the grade level teachers.

I started my job search back in October when our school district had a week long fall break, applying for any industry I could get into such as IT, insurance, or HR. I even applied for temp agencies hoping to get through.

After countless rejection emails and sifting through fake job listings, I eventually ended up getting a job offer as a customer training specialist for software and professional services for automotive dealerships to use. Admittedly, the company does have a mixed reception, at least from what I’ve read online, but I will treat this as a stepping stone for a different career path and hopefully the grass is greener on the other side.

Even though I’ll be making roughly $10k less than what I currently make as a teacher, I think it’s still worth it to basically work on my skill set. So yeah, I’m definitely excited for my new job, and I should start next year in January. Wish me luck!

Just wondering!!! My school required a 60 day notice and my family thought it was RIDICULOUS! Everyone told me a 2 week — maybeee 1 month. But they said 60 days was not typical?? What about your school??

Hello guys,

I used to work in marketing for more than 5 years, and I would like to explore teaching. I am from Portugal, BsC in Marketing, 30 years old, currently living in NL and have freedom to travel wherever.

My options: — Sociology/Psychology/History - Premaster + master + master in education = 2,5 years —English and Spanish teaching - BsC in Education in teaching these languages - 4 years

I would like to ask your sincere advice and tips for making this big transition. Also for people that have shifted how did it feel, and what would u do differently?

Thanks a lot for your sharing, I really appreciate!

Wish u a beautiful weekend!

Context: currently a 5th-year classroom teacher, ELAR for 3 years and now in 2nd year of speech / debate. 2nd career, coming from corporate.

I have recently become very interested in what our testing coordinator does. Data appeals to me; logistics appeals to me. We make a ton of noise about being data-driven, and the testing coordinator's entire job is to facilitate the acquisition and organization of that data. I am a spreadsheet queen and I love tracking stuff (until it gets in the way of actual teaching, but you know what I mean).

Anyone here with any coordinator experience who might speak to the job itself? My campus's coordinator is more than happy to help me find out more about the job, but I'd like to get other opinions and viewpoints.

Thank you!

I’m in the minority here that loves my school, but I’ve gotten some negative feedback and have been told admin is “considering” whether to renew me next year.

If my contract is not renewed, I of course want to have something lined up. I’d like to stay in the city I moved to for this school, but I don’t have a ton of networking connections here.

Where should I look or reach out for non-teaching opportunities? I have a background in communications, publishing, and media. Also interested in continued involvement in education, even if not in a classroom.