12 Jobs for Ex-Teachers (With Average Salaries and Duties)

Updated 22 February 2023

If you have worked as a teacher and are now hoping to gain employment in a different industry or job position, there may be several careers worth exploring. Your experience as a teacher likely provided you with an abundance of transferable skills that can help you gain employment in varying industries and roles. By reviewing several relevant careers, you can determine a job role that suits your personality and existing skill set. In this article, we define jobs for ex-teachers and provide a detailed list of careers that might be suitable for your skills and experience.

What are jobs for ex-teachers?

Jobs for ex-teachers typically refer to careers suitable for an individual with teaching experience and skills. A teacher typically refers to an educational role in junior and senior schools. Teaching careers may include early childhood, primary, secondary and specialist teachers. Regardless of the teaching role, most involve similar skills and knowledge in developing young individuals to become beneficial members of society. The expertise in teaching can apply to many other careers in varying industries.

Teachers possess many soft skills and interpersonal qualities, such as leadership, time-management, communication, empathy, patience, research and management. These skills can make ex-teachers excellent candidates for any role that involves training, supervision, care, research and conflict management. Some roles might be suitable for teachers but may require additional work experience or training. For example, a teacher can be an excellent paralegal but may require a short certificate or experience as a legal assistant before hiring organisations consider them a suitable candidate.

12 jobs for ex-teachers

There are many career options available to teachers. Some careers can require extra professional development before becoming eligible. These careers usually involve unique procedures but may share skills and overall job functions. Several careers may also have varying employment requirements and average salaries. Below, you can explore 12 careers that can be suitable for ex-teachers, along with their national average salaries and typical duties:

1. Corporate trainer

National average salary: $69,962 per year

Primary duties: A corporate trainer is similar to a teaching role, as it primarily involves teaching employees to develop new skills. Corporate trainers liaise with managers and human resource (HR) professionals to determine the skills the organisation requires. They may plan and develop training programs to help employees develop these skills. Corporate trainers typically implement their development plans through seminars, workshops, online learning content and individual training sessions. Corporate trainers often gain employment with large corporations that regularly hire new employees. They might also operate as contractors or consultants and provide training services for a ‌specific period.

2. Legal assistant

National average salary: $73,503 per year

Primary duties: A legal assistant helps legal teams by gathering, organising, reviewing and filing legal documents. They may create reports from information extracted by lawyers and paralegals. Depending on the law firm, a legal assistant may also help research legislation to identify legalities relevant to the case. This role can be similar to a teaching role, as it involves extensive administrative and research requirements. Legal assistants with extensive experience might eventually become paralegals and conduct more responsibilities.

3. Onboarding manager

National average salary: $75,071 per year

Primary duties: An onboarding manager helps new employees assimilate into a new role. When employees begin new careers, there are typically many aspects and factors that may be new and unfamiliar to them. An onboarding manager helps these employees feel comfortable in their new environment. They develop informative documents that detail workplace policies, safety procedures, typical work schedules, payment information, workplace amenities and employee benefits. An on-boarding manager's primary functions are typically to make new employees feel comfortable and become productive in a short period. They have similar skills to a teacher, such as communication, leadership and patience.

4. Paralegal

National average salary: $75,280 per year

Primary duties: A paralegal is similar to a teacher because they have excellent attention-to-detail, research capabilities and communication skills. A paralegal assists lawyers and legal teams by researching legislation and preparing documentation for court proceedings. One of their primary responsibilities might be to prepare briefs for lawyers. When creating a brief, paralegals may organise documents chronologically, highlight important legislation, detail collected evidence and summarise the proceedings and case history.

5. Curator

National average salary: $83,539 per year

Primary duties: A curator can be an excellent role for an ex-teacher, as it involves research, education and administrative duties. A curator typically specialises in a type of history, such as a time period or culture. They collect pieces of history or replicas to include in an exhibit. A curator often displays these exhibits in museums or in temporary displays. They usually have excellent procurement skills, as they might negotiate prices for rare items. A curator also conducts extensive research to determine pieces of history that can contribute and relate to the associated exhibit.

6. Recruiter

National average salary: $83,667 per year

Primary duties: A recruiter can be an excellent career change for a teacher, as both roles typically have great awareness, evaluation and communication skills. A recruiter often works as part of a team within an HR department, assessing candidates to fill a vacant job role. They conduct several administrative duties, such as organising and filing job applications, sending emails to candidates and entering information into a database. Their primary function is typically to determine candidates who have the right credentials to conduct the responsibilities of the vacant role.

7. School counsellor

National average salary: $87,837 per year

Primary duties: A school counsellor might have extensive employment requirements, but it can be a suitable role for teachers to transition into, as they have an excellent understanding of student environments and feelings. A school counsellor provides emotional support and advice to students with social, behavioural or academic issues. They listen to students' feelings and situations and advise them on how they can resolve their issues. A school counsellor may develop reports and provide information to parents and teachers on how they can help make students' schooling experiences more productive and comfortable.

8. Camp counsellor

National average salary: $99,377 per year

Primary duties: A camp counsellor and a teacher share similar responsibilities, such as educating and supervising youths. A camp counsellor typically plans and develops fun and engaging outdoor activities to engage young people. They may teach young individuals leadership skills through group activities. A camp counsellor typically coordinates these activities in a remote location with basic accommodation and amenities. They often have excellent planning, management, supervision and awareness skills to ensure the children are safe and comfortable.

9. Event planner

National average salary: $103,886 per year

Primary duties: Event planners and teachers share many transferable skills, such as communication, interpersonal skills and organisation. An event planner plans and develops events for several reasons, such as entertainment and marketing. They identify the goals of the event and plan activities, schedules and resources to ensure the event achieves its goals. An event planner may allocate and review budgets, research venues, organise contractors and determine attendance rates to ensure there are enough resources for the event. There are typically many unique events to plan, such as product launches, concerts, seminars, trade shows and conferences.

10. Human resources manager

National average salary: $118,000 per year

Primary duties: A human resource manager position can be a good career change for a teacher as it involves extensive supervision, research and performance evaluations. A human resource manager oversees a marketing department and implements policies and strategies for several reasons. They may develop strategies to improve the workplace culture, conflict mediation, recruitment processes, on-boarding procedures and employee management processes. Their primary function is typically to ensure the HR department operates effectively and efficiently.

11. Employee relations manager

National average salary: $120,227 per year

Primary duties: Employee relations managers are often experts at conflict management, so it can be an excellent career change for a teacher, as they also usually possess this ability. An employee relations manager often works for unions or large corporations with many employees. They review wages, benefits and working conditions to identify aspects that might cause conflicts or unhappiness within the company environment. They determine effective methods for improving working conditions, mitigating conflicts and resolving interpersonal issues in the workplace.

12. Learning and development manager

National average salary: $127,831 per year

Primary duties: A learning and development manager shares similar responsibilities and goals as a teacher. They evaluate learning and development programs and the company's needs to determine effective methods of developing employee skills and expertise. A learning and development manager may develop training programs and monitor their success. The overall purpose of a learning and development manager is usually to ensure employees receive effective training that ensures they can conduct their responsibilities to the standard of the company.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

12 Jobs for Ex-Teachers (With Average Salaries and Duties)

What are jobs for ex-teachers?

12 jobs for ex-teachers

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