Career change ideas?

April 12, 2010 8:22 AM

Job ideas for a burned out teacher (preferably in Burlington, VT)?

My boyfriend has been a teacher in the Bronx for the past few years, and he doesn't enjoy his job, but feels like he has to return to it due to (1) the pay and (2) an inability to come up with alternate careers to pursue.

Does anyone have any ideas? He loves the outdoors and would love for his work to somehow incorporate nature, though he doesn't have any real training in it per se. Some other interests include human rights, international relations/foreign policy, and reading.

We may stay in NYC next year, but I'm contemplating a move to Burlington, VT, so ideas for jobs there would be extra helpful. (I was disheartened by reading some earlier posts about how it is hard to find a job in Burlington if you're not a teacher/nurse etc. etc.)

posted by GarotaDaCidade to work & money (6 answers total)

Does Burlington have anything like Outward Bound or NOLS?
posted by dfriedman at 8:41 AM on April 12, 2010

Can he teach at one of those environmental justice schools (Putney, etc?) that they have up there? Or get a job at some local college/community college?
posted by anniecat at 12:28 PM on April 12, 2010

As a former resident of Burlington, I can tell you that jobs aren't easy to find and "fun" jobs like the one that it sounds like he would be interested in are popular in BTV. I have technical skills and I couldn't find any FT job like what you're describing in ~3 years of job hunting there.

I'd recommend that he subscribe to a Burlington, VT alert at Idealist.org and see what pops up.
posted by k8t at 12:41 PM on April 12, 2010

I used to be a teacher. It was a career that I liked quite a bit, and I was very successful working as an educator overseas.

I returned to Canada in 2004 and due to a number of circumstances was unable to find work as a teacher.

I had done freelance business writing for several years and was somehow able to leverage that into a speechwriting job in the government town where we live.

Later on I volunteered with an industry association (writing articles for their in-house magazine) and they hired me as a project manager. A couple of years later I was hired as a business development officer by a government agency in the same space (and was unfortunately laid off in November).

I guess my advice is leverage your skills with your passion. I am a writer, and I'm passionate about tech companies. I searched for organizations that would need my help.

You also have to be business-minded - how will you add value to an organization?
posted by KokuRyu at 12:44 PM on April 12, 2010

He should check out Vermont Youth Conservaton Corps.
posted by pintapicasso at 9:15 PM on April 12, 2010

Have you checked out the Northeast Organic Farming Association? I have frequently seen outdoor-educator/youth worker positions there.
posted by scrim at 6:07 AM on April 13, 2010