Is there life after teaching?
The short answer is a resounding YES!
Whether we retire or leave the profession, we will all need to think about life after teaching at some point. The earlier we start preparing ourselves for this transition, the better.
So the question isn’t so much…
Is there life after teaching?
The real questions are…
When?
How?
What next?
You have more control over the answers to those questions than you may think. 💪❣️
My Life After Teaching Story
I’ve left teaching twice. And twice I’ve been back.
The first time I left teaching I thought I had completely lost my love for it and had to get out of the classroom.
That was true. I wasn’t wrong.
What shocked me is that a change of scenery, students, and colleagues in a new state revitalized me more than I could have ever expected. Relocating and taking a year off made a world of difference. The next few years were probably the best years of teaching I’ve ever done.
The second time I left teaching was not by choice. I was sick and I simply couldn’t do it at that time. I needed to find something that didn’t require the rigor of the classroom. I turned to freelance writing because I had some experience and it gave me the flexibility I needed at the time.
Even though I returned to the classroom once again, both of those hiatuses led me to Thrive Beyond Teaching.
They led me to consciously plan out my future in every way.
Having said all that, why should you listen to someone who’s still in the classroom about life after teaching?
Maybe you shouldn’t…
But the amazing former teachers below are definitely worth taking note of.
Thriving Life After Teaching
Kayse Morris
Kayse Morris is a former teacher who helps other teachers live on their own terms. She’s a self-proclaimed 7-figure business owner who shows teachers how to follow in her footsteps- in whichever ways suit them best.
Daphne Gomez AKA Teacher Career Coach
Daphne is a former teacher who has taken on many successful roles since leaving the classroom. She now coaches teachers who want to change careers.
I love following Daphne. Even though I have no plans to enter the corporate world, she reminds teachers everywhere that we are capable of just about anything. And that there are opportunities for us everywhere.
Carrie Blogger
Carrie Blogger is a self-taught, self-proclaimed, six-figure freelance copywriter. She is also a former music teacher. She is another great example of the possibility of carving your own little unique life path after teaching.
Don’t be intimidated by these formidable figures. You don’t have to leave teaching to become an entrepreneur, social media influencer, or freelance writer. (Although you certainly could!)
You can leave teaching for another career. You can leave to be a stay-at-home-mom. You can leave without any other plans on the horizon if that works for you.
You don’t even have to leave teaching permanently. Maybe you just need a break, a year off. Maybe you need a change of scenery- a new classroom, team, city, or state.
Or maybe you leave teaching and never look back.
The point of sharing the personalities above is to show you that the sky really is the limit. There are endless possibilities for life after teaching! And you get to design exactly what that looks like for you.
Especially if you set a goal, have a plan, and start chipping away at it little by little.
Life After Teaching Can Take Any Number of Forms
What can you do after teaching?
You have far more options than you know.
I’m here to tell you that you are highly employable.
Teachers can be some of the worst sufferers of imposter syndrome. But let me tell you- your options abound.
You can definitely transition to another career altogether and you can definitely start a business of your own. There are four pieces of unsolicited advice I’ll offer you whichever way you decide to go.
Keep your teaching certification current.
I’ve now taught in three states and I have up-to-date certification in all of them. This has served me amazingly. I’ve now gone back to teaching twice in two different states. In both cases, I started looking for a job at the beginning of summer and had one before the new school year began.
In one case I even moved states and it was still a simple process. My up-to-date teaching certification allowed me reciprocity in my new state.
Say what you will about teaching, it is hard to find another career that is as secure. If you are certified, you are likely to find a stable position in less time than you could in most other fields without the constant threat of being laid off.
I like to keep that advantage in my back pocket. Why wouldn’t I?
Know what you would need to leave.
I won’t even consider leaving teaching until I’m making over $4,000 a month for at least 6 consecutive months. These would have to be from diversified sources, and I’d also need to have 6 months of emergency savings on hand.
Know what it would take for you to leave your current position and not leave you in a financial bind.
What else would it take for you to leave? Finances are not the only consideration. Anxiety and teacher burnout are real and serious problems. But I’d hate for you to make a rash decision.
Know what your boundaries are. If they’re already being crossed, start building your exit strategy now.
Have an emergency fund.
As stable as teaching is in many ways, it’s not known for paying the big bucks. That’s even more reason why we need to make sure we are building an emergency fund. No matter how long it takes or how slowly you go, it pays to know you have some backup for whenever your life after teaching begins.
It may end up being sooner than you think. Having this cushion will give you more options and peace-of-mind.
Build multiple streams of income.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely on teaching as your sole source of income. I also don’t think it’s a good idea to rely solely on another employer or on one business. So no matter how long you plan on being in the classroom or what you plan on doing what you leave, I’d also start thinking of ways you can get income from other sources too and how you can continue to grow those streams.
The Career Change Route
There are more careers available to you than you could imagine. And there are many companies that love to hire former teachers. I highly encourage you to take a look at the Teacher Career Coach. She will open your eyes to possibilities you never imagined.
Some careers will require nothing more than tweaking your resume and being willing to learn. Some will require you becoming a student again. Most will be somewhere in between.
But if you know you’ve got one foot out the classroom door, start thinking of what you’d like to do and then start taking the steps to get there.
The time will pass anyway..
Note: Most other careers won’t be as fast or easy to lock in as teaching. Plus, I know at least three people who have been laidoff in the last six months. That’s why I suggest growing an emergency fund, cultivating multiple streams of income, and keeping your certifications current.
I don’t say this to scare you, but to prepare you. You absolutely can leave teaching. The more prepared you are, the better!
On another note, the longer you’ve been teaching, the harder it may be to find a salary in your pay range that can match where you are.
Luckily, there’s another option…
The Businesswoman Route
You can put your experience and expertise to work for yourself. Now this may be daunting, but this is the route I’ve chosen after weighing my options.
The corporate world might have higher salaries and more flexible scheduling, but it’s also filled with even more uncertainties that teaching in my opinion. In addition to playing Russian roulette with bosses and companies, layoffs are a very real thing much unlike the teaching world.
Even though building my own business is sure to take longer than finding a new job or changing careers, the time investment is worth it to me.
There’s no ceiling to how much I can make. Most importantly, I can fully and truly be in charge of my own destiny. It’s not a perfect world, but it’s my world, not somebody else’s. And I can build it to suit me without worrying about catering to a boss or principal.
Whether you choose to change careers, start a business, or take another path, make sure you have a financial plan.
Life After Teaching Can Be Bittersweet
I love so many things about being a teacher. I love the kids and the comradery with other teachers. I love how different every day is within a scheduled structure.
I love creating safety and stability for children- sometimes the only experience of it they have.
I can’t really describe all the things I love about teaching unless you’ve experienced it yourself. Then you just know.
But there are some aspects of teaching that are just plain unacceptable and that should be illegal. Unfortunately, in the 15 years I’ve been in the classroom, many of these factors are getting worse and worse.
Both times I’ve been out of the classroom, there were a lot of things I missed. But I got a break from the burnout, the relentless schedule, and from being taken for granted. I also got a glimpse of possibilities I didn’t know existed.
I think it’s wise for every educator to have an exit strategy. Or two. Or three.
By all means, stay in the classroom if you want or need to. But, please do start shoring up some options for when those last classroom days inevitably roll around.
My Personal Plan for Life After Teaching
My plans for my life after teaching have continued to evolve through the years, and they probably always will. But there are some things I’m pretty certain of. And I am building my life after teaching around these pillars.
Diverse Streams of Income
Just as I don’t want to rely solely on teaching or any corporation as my only source of income, the same is true for any one business. That’s why I’m building TBT around affiliate marketing, ads, and product creation. There may also be a YouTube channel in the not so distant future. It’s hard to look beyond that for now, but there are so many other possibilities, like courses and ebooks.
I don’t even know all of the avenues that exist, but I know that building multiple steams of income is a top priority for me whether I’m still in the classroom or not.
Online Businesses With Flexible Schedules
The structure of teaching is really good for me in a way, but it’s also glorious to work when I want from wherever I want. After years of having such a rigid schedule that requires enormous planning even to take one day off, I savor the flexibility.
It’s a priority to me to create business models that don’t require me to show up at a certain time or place on a regular basis. This eliminates some streams of income for me and that’s totally okay. I only want to build streams of income that align with my ultimate goals and values.
For me, as much flexibility and personal freedom as possible are top priorities.
Passive AP (As Possible)
I roll my eyes when I hear “passive income” sometimes. There’s a lot of nonsense out there about making money while you sleep.
But…
I am building my businesses to be as passive as possible. I’m putting in the hours now to create as much quality content and helpful products as possible. So the day I need to take a break, my income streams don’t shut down because I did.
Passive income doesn’t mean no work. It just means the work you did keeps working for you. It’s an investment in myself in a world where the future is always unknown.
Owning My Own Platforms
Even though I plan on selling products on TPT (formerly known as Teachers Pay Teachers) and utilizing social media platforms to my benefit, I am NOT building my business around these mediums.
Why? They don’t belong to me.
The hub of my business will be my own blog. And I will be selling my products and building my email list on my terms.
I hope sharing my experiences and examples of three people championing life after teaching have got you thinking about what you want your post-teacher life to look like.
You can do it. It can be on your own terms. I am so excited to see what you build for yourself in your life after teaching!
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
~Mary Oliver