Considering change of career but….

[Semiforthewin]

I’ll try and keep it short

20 year + Qualified teacher. Middle level management. Lots of training and people management experience. Salary of upper £40k and not unhappy at work per se. Itchy feet is more where it’s at.

Main breadwinner. Husband lower earner (not the point of this thread) and he does all the school run stuff so no scope for increasing. My job means holidays are largely covered so childcare costs are £0 between us. This obviously has value.

I would like to make a move to something else possibly in the charitable field where I’d feel like I made a difference. Don’t get me wrong I’m a teacher I know we make a difference but in the 20 years I’ve done the job it’s become such a hard won battle and work life balance isn’t great at all.

I’ve tried many times to make a start but all entry level salaries are £30k or less and I simply can’t afford to cut our income so much, especially when it also impacts the school holidays. I joined a FB group about leaving teaching and promptly left as it was unhelpful (lots of whining and not much in the way of actual suggestions).

Am I just being unrealistic? Has anyone done this and if so how?

You’re very welcome.

Another thing to think about is safeguarding roles in multi academy trusts. I’m not in England so we don’t have academies but a good friend moved from teaching to safeguarding in an MAT, she’s on a very good salary and while the job has its challenges it’s also interesting and uses her skills well.

Another thing, my kids have regular tutoring through an agency. The person who runs the agency is a former teacher who has a team of tutors he matches with kids, he does all the initial contact and assessment, links up the tutors and runs the business and steps in if there’s a problem. I have no doubt he works hard but the business is thriving - he takes the leg work out of finding tutors which is priceless when you have kids with differing needs.

Not in teaching but be wary of charity sector roles. Definitely some threads in the mature study group about leaving teaching to do that and it was worse!

I agree with looking at education roles but policy making…DfE? BBC Bitesize and other learning platforms recruit ex teachers (White Rose, Oak Academy?)

Have you considered working for an exam board or educational publisher? Depends where you are geographically of course, but plenty of ex-teachers work there.

We have a lot of MAT schools round here. I’m in the South East. So this is definitely something I would explore thank you. Safeguarding sounds like a good use of all my skills. In fact I recently considered (and still may) applying for a role working with CLA so thats even further into safeguarding. It would also require one upskilling so again something I’m very interested in pursuing. You guys have all been so helpful. I’ve gone from not really know what how or where to having some concrete things to explore.

I’ve done tutoring in the past. My subject is quite niche however. I’m not going into detail as it’s pretty outing but I’m open to this definitely. At one point I earned more doing this than teaching but I work very full time now so it’s harder to find the additional time

I’ve actually done both things. I work for both major boards already and did some work with a publisher in the past reviewing text books. Unfortunately neither are steady streams. However the exam board work is a nice windfall each year!!!

I never even thought of things like the bbc and dFE. Again you guys are fantastic as I’ve gone from not really having a clue to some really solid leads to follow. Thank you so much.

@Semiforthewinin my la they are recruiting family suppprt managers with relevant degrees and teaching is one. This is part of mcallister reforms and families first. Every la has to implement this by 2026.

Do not go into local authority social care if you want to feel a sense of your work being complete!!!

Loads of ex teachers have come into my line of work, it's quite a rigorous selection process (aptitude rather than experience/knowledge) but then you start on £34K and after 3.5yrs if complete the programme successfully you get promoted and get £55K. But no school holidays off.

I was a teacher and retrained as a social worker people don't believe me when I say it is leas stressful and I do fewer hours (it is and I do) I did take an initial salary dip was ups 1 but am back up to above where I left now 4 years in and actually probably more as I have a full time condensed hours contract where as I had a part time teaching contract when I left. Lots of people i work with like Send Case workers, virtual school people etc were teachers so maybe look at LA jobs?

Can I ask what you do? Thanks

I’ll look into this as well. I’m so glad for the holidays at the moment and I can get my head around all of this!

I’ve had a look at both local authorities (we straddle a boundary) and I’m considering looking into retraining for this very reason!!

I moved from teaching to the charity sector (youth work charities) in 2018 and have enjoyed it. I would say you are likely well-skilled to make the move - I am one of many ex-teachers or similar that I know employed in the charity sector. (For charity sector specifically not sure extra qualifications are the way to go).) BUT I took a pay cut to do it. My role would probably be about right for your level of experience but my salary is mid-£30k. If I'd stayed in teaching, I would definitely be earning a lot more. (Although not necessarily per hour, I do enjoy the 9-5 approach!!) And of course, some charities do pay better than others.

Worth noting that one thing that certainly didn't change when I moved sector was that sense of never finished, always more that could be done, never enough money to do what is needed, compromises, the balance of actually helping people vs needing to meet stupid requirements (by funders in the charity sector rather than the curriculum/gov).

There have been some great other suggestions on here that I am also storing up for the future! (Although also contemplating a return to teaching as my DC get older... those school holidays off starting to look more tempting rather restrictive these days!!)

The hols are just one consideration. Admittedly a big one with children of school age 🫣 As my kids get older they need me less and the time will come where it doesn’t matter so much. So I’m trying to get my head around what that might look like longer term!

Yes the salary cut is the biggest hurdle to me unfortunately. I think rather than that sene of completeness maybe I mean something i can leave at work a bit more? Know it there tomorrow but can walk away for now? If you know what I mean? Over the years my ability to maintain division has been seriously eroded :(

I was really worried initially about not being off with DC in the holidays but it has been fine (they were ks2 when I left to retrain) also in lots of ways easier as can be more flexible with leave (when I taught they were often in a different LA and hols didn't always match)

Definitely know what you mean! That's my favourite thing about my new career (and the biggest thing putting me off going back). Good luck! Hope you find the right thing for you.

Tbf I did used to have a term time only contract and am now managing full time, all year round, partly because it's very flexible (work your hours anytime 7am - 8pm), hybrid wfh and office days and kids are older now.

@Semiforthewin how old are your kids? My DS has just finished primary, needs me less hands on in the holidays but still to work around him at home!

@clareykbyes I concur with this having worked in LA’s for a couple decades.
op there are non teaching opportunities within virtual schools and send provision in the LA. These jobs were hens teeth 20 years ago but not now - there’s lots of progression. For example an old colleague of mine ran wrap around childcare -now she is the childcare advisor in the LA and loves it - good money too after a while.
im also a social worker and I teach sw too. LA’s have loads of flexi options with hours.

also I would look at teaching adults in further ed or uni situations.

don’t know if you would fancy this but a group of teachers I know left their school and set up an alternative provision. It’s booming they are now on 4 sites across the city.

15 and 9 so young-ish still

You’ve got solid people skills, so leaning into roles where coaching or training matters could be a nice fit. I also found it handy to scan totally different fields just to spark ideas; for example, I once looked to find out more about hvac technicians to see how other careers structure training and progression. Sometimes seeing how other jobs work helps you figure out what you actually want next.