16 of the Best Non-Education Jobs for Former Teachers

There are many opportunities for education professionals considering a career change. Teachers have transferable soft skills that employers value, especially in fields like technology, design, human resources, and marketing.

It’s never too late to explore new opportunities, and it’s possible to find jobs that require little to no additional training for teachers.

In this article, we’ll go over 16 of the best jobs for former teachers.

Technology Jobs

The tech sector is growing quickly, with over 4.2 million jobs available in IT (information technology) alone. Many positions are accessible after a short program or certificate, such as an instructional designer or UX researcher.

Instructional Designer

Instructional designers develop training and learning resources. These professionals work in the eLearning industry, corporate training, and more.

You can thrive as a teacher in the instructional design industry thanks to your hands-on experience in the classroom or a remote learning environment. Additionally, you can leverage your first-hand knowledge of the formats and strategies that help people learn to develop effective training resources.

UX Researcher

As a UX researcher, you’ll primarily work on apps and websites. Your job is to develop designs and experiences that support the user’s journey.

UX researchers must analyze users’ behaviors and identify the barriers that stand in the way of accomplishing a goal. Once they understand what users want to accomplish on a site or app, they create or optimize designs that facilitate the tasks users want to accomplish. As a teacher, you likely have excellent communication and facilitation skills, which can aid you in this career.

Plus, UX research isn’t very different from the process of developing lesson plans or learning resources that will help students build up knowledge and achieve an academic goal. Your analytical thinking and problem-solving skills will be valuable in this career path.

Customer Success Manager

Customer care is more important than ever, but many businesses face a talent shortage. Your background in education puts you in a unique position to succeed in this career since you possess a strong sense of empathy. You also have interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities.

Working as a customer success manager is an exciting and rewarding career. Your main goal is to identify and implement solutions that enhance the customer experience, but your day-to-day tasks can vary greatly depending on your employer.

Product Manager

Product managers oversee the process of developing a new product or service. They typically start by identifying an existing need and finding a solution that addresses this need. Their job also entails defining objectives for the new product or service, overseeing the design and product processes, and creating a strategic plan for distribution and marketing.

As a product or project manager, you must rely on your leadership and organizational skills. You’ll also need to think outside the box and apply strategic thinking.

Human Resources Jobs

Many businesses are taking a new approach to recruiting and managing talent. Addressing retention issues is a priority for many organizations, but an increasing number of businesses are also investing in their human capital to achieve sustainable growth.

Thanks to your background in education, you possess valuable transferable skills, such as emotional intelligence, empathy, and communication, which can help you excel in this field.

Recruiter

Recruiters find and onboard the best candidates for companies. As a teacher, your job includes assessing knowledge and skills through evaluations — which overlaps with a recruiter's mission. Developing an evaluation strategy for your classroom isn’t very different from what recruiters do when they vet candidates.

Plus, your experience in education will help you stand out from other candidates since more employers are looking for ways to offer positive onboarding experiences that help newcomers find a sense of purpose.

Benefits Administrator

Employers need talented benefits administrators more than ever amid labor challenges. Creating a benefits package that meets the expectations of employees is emerging as an effective retention strategy, and employers need administrators with strong interpersonal skills.

This job entails analyzing plans, making decisions, and potentially resolving conflicts.

Corporate Trainer

Becoming a corporate trainer is one of the best jobs for former educators. Many aspects are similar to working in education, but the work conditions are drastically different.

For starters, corporate trainers earn an average salary of over $60,000 a year, but their income can reach $100,000 a year.

Teachers can thrive in this position and help employees learn and grow through programs designed to improve product knowledge, safety, compliance, or professional development.

Health and Wellness Jobs

Factors like the aging of the population and increasing interest in wellness mean there is a vital job outlook for many health-related careers. While some professions have advanced education requirements, there are a few accessible career options for former teachers.

Therapist

If you’re passionate about helping others, working as a therapist could be an excellent career choice. There are many opportunities to explore, including working as a recreational therapist, marriage therapist, or occupational therapist, just to cite a few examples.

You’ll need a license to practice, but you might be able to use your current master’s degree to qualify.

Physical Trainer

Your ability to engage and motivate students will translate well to a career as a physical trainer if you have an interest in fitness. Plus, creating customized fitness programs is similar to developing lesson plans.

Working as a physical trainer will open a wide range of opportunities, from becoming a private trainer to finding employment as a physical rehabilitation trainer.

Masseuse

A masseuse provides massage services and even therapeutic ones as well. Experts believe the job outlook for massage therapists will grow at an annual rate of 20% in the near future. There is a strong demand for this service, and it’s a versatile career where you can launch your own business or work for an existing practice.

You’ll need a license to work as a massage therapist, but the accredited programs tend to be short.

Freelance Jobs

If you’re looking for a flexible career option, working as a freelancer or contractor could be a good fit for you. And with 24% of freelancers saying they chose this career because they enjoy the work, a freelance gig could be the key to a more satisfying career.

Plus, you can temporarily work as a freelancer while figuring out your career interests or seeking additional training.

Writer or Journalist

As a teacher, your strong written communication skills and impeccable grammar make you an ideal candidate for freelance writing jobs. There is a wide range of opportunities to explore, from copywriting to contributing to newspapers.

Your passion for learning will also be an advantage as you write about topics you’re not familiar with.

Graphic Designer

Graphic designers use their problem-solving skills and creativity to generate aesthetic and functional interfaces.

Your creativity and communication skills can transfer well to a career as a graphic designer. You can also further your education by obtaining a certification or using online training resources.

Working as a freelance graphic designer is an excellent option if you’re new to this field. You can work on a few projects to build a portfolio and consider applying for a graphic or UX designer position.

Voiceover Professional

Teachers spend a significant portion of their day speaking before an audience. Over the years, you’ve probably noticed that your tone impacted how attentive students are.

Voiceover work can be a rewarding freelance gig. There are opportunities in the entertainment industry, but you can also do voiceover work for commercials or instructional videos.

The ability to convey information clearly and express emotions will help you succeed.

Marketing Jobs

Successful marketers need strong communication and presentation skills. They also need to excel at solving problems and finding creative solutions. Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills are a plus.

If these skills sound familiar, it’s because there are many similarities between teaching and marketing. After all, a marketer's goal is to educate their audience about a product or service.

With employment growing at an annual rate of 10% in this field, many opportunities exist to explore.

Social Media Manager

Social media managers represent brands on digital platforms. They create content strategies, participate in content creation activities, and implement engagement strategies to build strong online communities.

This position isn’t so different from keeping a group of students engaged and interested, especially if you have experience with online classes.

Content Strategist

Brands need quality content to connect with their audiences. Content strategists build plans for creating and publishing content on various platforms, including blogs, social media, email, and more.

A successful content strategist needs strong communication and analytical skills. As more brands focus on educating their audience to support purchase decisions, your experience as a teacher will translate well to this role.

Marketing Analyst

Marketing analysts work with data to learn more about users’ behaviors. They can also measure the results of different marketing campaigns. Their findings help brands adopt better marketing strategies or offer customized experiences.

Marketing analysts need to be curious. They need to ask the right questions and enjoy looking for the answer. Working with data can be technical, but there are analytics tools that make these tasks accessible.

Conclusion

These career options above are a non-exhaustive list of the best jobs available to former teachers. If you think it’s time for a career change, start by inventorying your skills, education, and experiences.

Former teachers have an advantage over other candidates because working in education requires varied skills, and their love of learning helps them adapt to a new career quickly.

So, don't sell yourself short on where you could go next!