Teacher ISO New Career: Writer's Should Apply

A recent scroll through fellow teachers' posts reveals some of the fallout coinciding with the mass exodus of teachers. Rants and regrets about the profession teachers poured their hearts into for years comprise the bulk of negative comments posted in many teacher social media groups. Groups that once shared classroom management advice and lesson ideas now share their quest for new career options. Like many other businesses, the public education system realized it could function fully online, resulting in new opportunities for teachers who may have been a little tech-shy pre-pandemic. Online and non-traditional educational companies exploded and created a whole new educator workforce for certified teachers to consider. Those who have already fled figured out that trading the classroom for corporate America can also be quite a lucrative move compared to a barely above-poverty-level teacher salary.

Note to Principals-

the jig is up.

Teachers are updating their resumes, requesting

letters of recommendation, and scrolling online job posting

sites for career leads outside of the traditional classroom.

And why not?

Teachers are some of the most educated professionals in the workforce. Add their organizational and management skills with their ability to work in such an unpredictable environment, and BOOM, educators are the new CEOs.

Ask any business owner or manager how they might handle an irate fifteen-year-old client who shows up high, wearing spikes around his wrist and cussing you out. He would likely either call security or run. Not a teacher, though. A teacher would easily be able to minimize the situation and still make it to lunch duty on time without breaking a sweat.

In my quest for a career outside the classroom and possibly the public education sector, I discovered that educators have the skills employers are looking for. Whether 9-5 with a big company or working remotely, or even freelancing and calling your shots, exciting careers beyond the classroom as fulfilling, more lucrative, and with less stress are just a few Google searches away.

Many websites suggest alternative careers, from Human Resource Director, Social Worker, or Public Relations Specialist to Project Manager, Corporate Trainer, or Freelance Writer.

Depending on how desperate you are to leave the classroom, these suggestions are probably sounding somewhat appealing and perhaps more prestigious right now.

High school teachers specializing in specific content can easily find career swaps in the same discipline. For example, Math and Science teachers have found lucrative positions in the finance and healthcare industries. Actuaries and scientific researchers can easily earn six-digit salaries. The publishing and journalism industries have scooped up English teachers for their copywriting and editing positions. But copy and content writing is something any teacher can do. There are thousands of freelance writing jobs posted on job host platforms for any content subject that you can imagine.

All teachers are at least decent, if not excellent, writers. You can count on at least four years of academic writing in college, the professional and technical writing required for communicating with parents, administrators, and the community at large, and the technical writing required for curriculum and lesson development. Let us not forget the reading required for your content and subject matter. A writer's most important assets are extensive reading, researching, and analyzing skills. Combined, these skills and abilities have prepared educators for the demands needed to become successful content writers. Add your knowledge of the subject matter you teach or your passions and interest outside of the classroom, and you have the makings of a best-selling author/blogger.

Even if the thought of composing a piece of writing brings just a tinge of dread or worry. Fear not. An easy solution is finding a writing and editing platform or resource to make the job tolerable and more accurate.

This is not like writing compositions for your college professor back in the day. Most content on the internet is intentionally written on an 8th-grade reading level. Plus if you are writing about topics you are passionate about, writing is not the burden you remember it to be in school.

A niche, the topic or subject of your writing focus, can be strategic or something you are passionate about. Strategic means you research the hot topics people want to know more about and then write about them. Or you can write for travel blogs or sports websites. Do you follow social media influencers? Social media and email content writing are in high demand. Curriculum writing seems like a no-brainer, but consider blogging about the curriculum. Review and compare curriculum in blog and social media posts about pedagogies and methodologies in the subject you’ve taught.

Getting your writing published is important to start a portfolio, but this doesn’t have to be a major roadblock to starting your online writing presence.

A quick YouTube video or two on how to start a blog using a template-based host site like Wix or WordPress can help you start your website to post your articles. Don't worry about the design and fluff elements too much, in the beginning, this is what I’ve learned in my first few months of market research. I am trusting the process and suggestions that the aesthetics are less important than getting your words out there and building an audience. There will be plenty of time to touch up and add design elements to your site as you go.

Whether your blog or website develops into something you can monetize is not necessarily important in the beginning. If you would rather write for other websites, than bother with building one of your own, consider posting enough articles to showcase your talent and web skills and use your site as a portfolio you can provide a link to.

Having samples of your writing style and skills will make you more marketable when applying for freelance writing jobs.