Have you ever heard of teacher burnout?
It is a stage when a regular teacher gets exhausted by their profession. The collective symptoms of negative emotions, like overwhelm, boredom, fatigue, anxiety, frustration, apathy, stress, and depression is what is known as “teacher burnout.”
If you are one of these people and feel like you are done with this career, you can move on to alternative career paths. When working as a regular teacher, you are developing skills that can be transferred to other fields.
Here are a few examples of such fields that you can make a career if you don’t want to be a regular teacher.
1. A special education teacher
This role includes teaming up with regular teachers to serve the needs of specially-abled children. You will help modify the curriculum, physical environment, and management system to create an inclusion setting. There are different programs that you can be a part of, like a reading program designed for autism affected students. An instructional assistant will support you in handling your duties and providing academic support to the children.
2. Administration
If you want, you can take your career to the next level and become an administrator. You will be responsible for certain facets of your school, including meeting with parents, helping teachers modify their instructional approach, etc. Since you are transferring from a teacher to an administrator, you will already be familiar with the students and their families, giving you an upper hand instantly.
3. Standardized test developers
If you are passionate about ensuring that the students have optimal learning outcomes and don’t mind doing the hard work, you can work as a standardized test developer. To work in this role, you need to have expertise in one subject area as well as in creating assessments with questions varying in difficulty level.
4. Homeschool consultant
Parents who homeschool their kids want the best possible education for them, and sometimes this means hiring an expert. As a homeschool consultant, you will be ensuring that the kids get a great education without delivering the instructions. You will work with parents in refining the educational process. This includes observing parents when they are teaching, helping them assess their children, create curriculum design and lesson plans, and ensuring that the children are meeting learning objectives.
5. Child psychologist
This role is perfect for someone who wants to transition from the role of a regular teacher but still wants to help kids. As a child psychologist, you can either have your own practice or work in a school. Also, since you will be spending time with them one-on-one, you will understand them on a completely different level than you would have in a classroom full of students.
6. Author
As a regular teacher, you will have expertise in a subject area. You don’t only have the knowledge of the subject, but also can explain it in a manner that resonates with the students. You can use this expertise to transition as a textbook author.
As mentioned before, alternative career paths for a regular teacher doesn’t mean revamping one’s current skills and knowledge. However, it may require getting an advanced degree or a certificate.
Changing your profession can seem overwhelming and daunting. However, if you do your research, this change can take your career to the next level. Explore the options and choose the right path for you.