Getting Out of Teaching

October 4, 2022 12:00 PM

Like so many, I'm a school administrator/teacher looking to leave the field. My expertise is in behavioral management and kids with trauma and disabilities; my inability is to actually figure out how to translate those into a remote career.

TikTok seems to have a plethora of teachers who've moved on but it all seems scammy. Let's assume I have a bunch of degrees, I do not want to spend any money to get out of teaching, and I really have literally zero idea what to move on to, and I do not want to write code. Anyone? Bueller?

posted by yes I said yes I will Yes to Work & Money (9 answers total)

I wonder if you could become an educational consultant for attorneys who work with parents of children with disabilities. I have no idea of how you'd go about it, but it seems to me they would value someone with your skills. I imagine you could help with translating legalese into teacherese.
posted by mareli at 12:15 PM on October 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

I agree - educational consultant is great. In addition, you could offer your services directly to parents as a guide?
posted by heathrowga at 12:20 PM on October 4, 2022

Everyone I know who has tried to get therapy for their kids has run into long wait lists lately, so if you're open to 1:1 in person therapy, seems there's a real market.
posted by slidell at 12:20 PM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

Look at state jobs with children youth and families divisions, public education divisions, or any department that hires access and functional needs staff (health departments etc).
posted by Ardnamurchan at 12:30 PM on October 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

A remote career, like online? I'm not sure you can really work with kids with trauma/behavioral issues effectively online. Being an effective educational consultant also requires a lot of work in person. Agree that your best bet is to probably find a human services administrative job in the government with some WFH.
posted by haptic_avenger at 5:05 PM on October 4, 2022

I don’t know what your current qualifications are for this, but a friend is making a go of being a remote therapist for the adult caregivers (mostly parents) of children with special needs. She gets referrals from, and is paid by various public agencies.
posted by rockindata at 5:16 PM on October 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Do you specifically want to be remote? In our area there are a great many museums that have former teachers in charge of educational activities (field trips and summer camps)
posted by aetg at 5:42 PM on October 4, 2022

I gave this same answer to a similar question the other day. USAJobs.gov. The federal government is really starting to embrace remote work. Your skills might translate to something in Dept. of Ed. or VA. I don't know if VA has a lot of fully remote opportunities, but all my former colleagues only have to go in one day a week as claims examiners. That job was tedious, but you knew what you had to do every day and never had to take work home with you.
posted by DEiBnL13 at 9:03 PM on October 4, 2022

Someone I know went from classroom teaching to corporate trainer. Yes, this person also had a master's degree, but it wasn't in the field of teaching nor was it in the field of her new industry.

Nthing being an advocate for students with disabilities (and helping their parents navigate school bureaucracy).

I would also think there's room in the space of ensuring materials are Section 508-compliant. You might need to learn Microsoft Word/ Acrobat Pro for this, but I don't think you need a formal credential. Look for"508 compliance jobs."
posted by oceano at 12:01 AM on October 6, 2022