Hey there-
So, you’re sitting at your desk, staring at yet another email about “mandatory professional development” and thinking, There has to be something else out there…
Good news: There is. And better news? You don’t need to go back to school (because let’s be real, you’ve done enough of that already).
There are industries that actually pay well, respect your expertise, and don’t require you to grade 100 essays on a Sunday night.
Here are 10 career paths actively hiring former teachers (that won’t make you regret leaving the classroom):
📌 Instructional Design – You’ve been designing lessons for years—why not get paid $80K–$100K+ to do it for companies?
📌 Customer Success Manager (EdTech & SaaS) – Helping people understand new tools = teaching, just without the detention slips. Salaries range from $75K–$110K.
📌 HR & Talent Development – Companies love ex-teachers for training and coaching employees. Pays $70K–$90K and you’ll never have to enforce a bathroom pass policy again.
📌 Project Management – If you can manage a classroom full of kids, you can manage a project. Average salaries start at $85K+.
📌 Corporate Training & Facilitation – Teach grown-ups instead of kids and make $65K–$95K doing it. Bonus: No parent emails.
📌 Educational Consulting – Help schools or companies improve learning strategies. Pays anywhere from $70K–$120K+.
📌 Copywriting & Content Writing – Turn your ability to break down complex ideas into writing that sells. Freelance or full-time, salaries can hit $60K–$100K+.
📌 College & Career Counseling – Guide students (or even adults) through career paths and college admissions. Salaries start at $55K but can go much higher in private settings.
📌 Operations Management – Schools run on systems, and so do businesses. Your ability to coordinate schedules and solve problems translates well here. Salaries range from $75K–$110K.
📌 Learning & Development Specialist – Design training programs for companies and employees. Basically teaching, but without standardized tests. Salaries range from $70K–$95K.
Curious about more career details + companies hiring right now?
👉 Click here for the full list: [Hottest Careers for Former Teachers]
Summary
✅ You don’t need another degree to make a career change.
✅ Your teaching skills translate into well-paying jobs across multiple industries.
✅ There are 10+ high-paying careers actively hiring former teachers right now.
Your Homework
1️⃣ Pick three roles from this list that sound interesting to you.
2️⃣ Google job postings for those roles and read the descriptions. Notice the skills required—you probably already have many of them!
3️⃣ Update your resume to highlight your transferable skills. (Yes, your classroom management experience does count as project management.)
💡 P.S. Know a fellow teacher who’s thinking about leaving? Forward this their way—they’ll owe you coffee (or wine).
That's all for this week.
See you next Saturday.
Steph Yesil
Find me on LinkedIn , Get My Career Change Kit , or Book a 1:1 Call
