Higher Salary Career Changes for Teachers and Educators
We rank the best career changes for teachers in the United States, both in the field of education and beyond.
Key Takeaways
- Teachers and former teachers looking to improve their earning potential have plenty of options.
- It may be possible to apply your teaching skills through a variety of well-paying career paths.
- Classroom teachers typically have transferable skills that can be applied to a variety of alternative career paths.
The teaching profession can be extremely rewarding, but it can also be extremely demanding. Classroom teachers work long hours planning lessons, grading assignments, providing effective classroom instruction, and more generally maintaining a positive classroom environment. These responsibilities are often compounded by external pressures like educational politics, administrative and contract negotiations, and even the occasionally contentious parent teacher conference.
For many teachers, these high demands may be leading to teacher burnout. This experience has only been magnified by the challenges imposed upon teachers in the COVID-19 era. In fact, a LinkedIn survey reports that a record number of classroom teachers are changing careers today.
For many teachers, this transition may simply be a change of scenery to a new educational environment. For others, this may denote a full-fledged career change into a different field. If your primary goal is to gain greater control over your time, get a better work-life balance, and improve your overall job satisfaction, we recommend checking out a few of the top jobs that you can do while working from home.
Otherwise, read on and find out how you can transition from your teaching job into a new career...
What is the best career path for a transitioning classroom teacher?
The best career path for you will depend on your particular set of skills, interests, and passions. If you’re looking to make a change, you should at least take a step back and think about your theoretical dream job. What does it look like?
Do you hope to remain in the educational field? Educational consultants, school administrators, principals often carry classroom teaching skills into these higher paying leadership positions.
On the other hand, teachers are generally armed with extremely valuable skills that can apply to a wide range of alternative careers beyond the education sector. You could apply the skills developed in the classroom to become a corporate trainer, professional development counselor, human resources specialist, and much more.
In most cases, your next step will be into an advanced degree program where you can enhance your ability to seize exciting new job opportunities.
How former teachers can apply their teaching skills in a new field
If you are considering a full career change away from the education field, you may consider pursuing an online advanced degree in the area you hope to pursue. A growing number of master’s degrees are available online and provide the opportunity for self-paced learning. This means that teachers changing careers may be able to earn a master’s degree in business administration or human resources without disrupting their current responsibilities.
The same is true for those simply looking to advance their teaching career. A growing number of online master’s degree programs in education are designed to cater the busy schedule of a working adult.
How We Identified the Highest Paying Career Changes for Former Teachers and Educators
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, we’ve identified and ranked the highest paying career changes for teachers, educators, and individuals with the various transferable skills developed in the classroom. The highest paying education degrees and jobs are ranked using the median salary for 2021.
The 10 Highest Paying Career Changes for Teachers and Educators
The career changes identified below include an array of career options for the former teacher. Many of the most intuitive career changes for teachers are those in higher tiers of the education field. In many cases, the teaching profession offers a natural pathway into administrative and leadership work in a wide range of settings including early childhood education, public or private school, and post-secondary education.
Alternatively classroom educators carry a variety of extremely valuable practice and soft skills into any career opportunity. Ex-teachers will generally display effective communication skills, leadership instincts, and a number of important technical skills as well. These skills may apply to corporate training programs, career counseling, professional development counseling, and much more.
For this reason, the list of highest paying career paths for teachers is composed of higher paying jobs in the education field and job opportunities for teachers changing careers altogether.
- 1
Human Resources Managers
- 2021 Median Pay- $126,230
Human resources managers oversee the human resource personnel and department for an organization. HR managers will apply many of the same planning and coordination skills as a classroom teacher in the context of organizational administration. For the current teacher interested in directly applying their classroom skills to a top paying new job, HR management presents a tremendous opportunity.
The basic threshold for becoming an HR manager is usually a bachelor’s degree in human resources or business administration. However, because this is a leadership role, many HR managers have both significant workplace experience and an advanced degree. As a former teacher, you may already have both leadership experience and a master’s degree. This could improve your candidacy. That said, it may also be a good idea to pursue an advanced online degree in HR to further improve you qualifications and earning potential.
- 2
Training and Development Managers
- 2021 Median Pay- $120,130
Training and development managers are essentially educators working outside the education field. In many ways, you would apply teaching practices identical to those used in the classroom including the curriculum development, implementation of lesson plans, and knowledge assessment. However, these skills would be deployed in an organizational setting such as a corporation, government agencies, or non-profit group.
The basic threshold for training and development managers is typically a bachelor’s degree. However, because this is a leadership role, earning a master’s degree in an area like business management could improve your candidacy for top jobs.
- 3
Elementary, Middle, and High School Principals
- 2021 Median Pay- $98,420
For many teachers, transitioning from the classroom to the principal’s office is a natural evolution. As a principal at the elementary, middle, or high school level, you are responsible for overseeing your school’s daily operation. This includes providing oversight of classroom teachers, working closely with school administrator personnel, engaging in parent teacher conferences, and generally stewarding a faculty and student body through each school year.
Principals will often bring a wide range of skills and experiences to the job, including a background in classroom education, curriculum design, student psychology, and more. In general, becoming a principal would also require you to earn an advanced degree education administration.
- 4
Postsecondary Education Administrators
- 2021 Median Pay- $96,910
For many teachers changing careers, the university lecture hall represents an appealing alternative to the middle school cafeteria. Indeed, it does pay a lot better to work with college students. Postsecondary education administrators are typically responsible for broad leadership responsibilities including oversight of college and university faculty, administration of student services, and oversight of academics.
It may be possible to become a postsecondary education administrator with just a bachelor’s degree. However, most universities prefer candidates with both an advanced degree and some school administrator experience.
- 5
Speech-Language Pathologists
- 2021 Median Pay- $79,060
Speech-language pathologists work directly with individuals managing and navigating speech and communication disorders. Speech-language pathology is a highly specialized area of teaching dedicated to the needs of the hearing and speech impaired. You may work one-on-one with clients, provide support to other teachers in inclusion classroom settings or overseeing group therapy sessions.
As with teaching, practicing speech-language pathology requires state certification, which generally demands a combination of exam completion and clinical experience. In most cases, you would also need a specialized master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
- 6
Social and Community Service Managers
- 2021 Median Pay- $74,000
Social and community service managers provide coordination and organizational oversight on behalf of community agencies such as public health campaigns, political action groups, and non-profit community organizers. Former teachers typically bring a strong set of highly transferable skills to this area, including strong communication skills, planning experience, and leadership.
The basic threshold for aspiring social and community service managers is a bachelor’s degree. Some work experience may be required to advance to the role of manager. However, it may be possible to transition from making classroom contributions to making community contributions without earning an advanced degree.
- 7
Instructional coordinators
- 2021 Median Pay- $63,740
Instructional coordinators are responsible for the curriculum design, lesson plan implementation, and teaching standards adhered to in a given school district. You will work both as an instructional designer and educational consultant for your district, both developing instructional materials and evaluating their effectiveness.
Most educational consultants and instructional coordinators will earn their master’s degree in teaching or school administration. In most cases, you would also be required to show a current state-issued license for instructional coordination.
- 8
Librarians and library media specialists
- 2021 Median Pay- $61,190
Librarians and library media specialists work in libraries, universities, corporate archives, and more to organize, file, access, and deploy information on behalf of others for research purposes. These research purposes may be personal, educational, or professional. Among alternative careers, this offers one of the most accessible transitions for the classroom teacher. Indeed, moving into a role in library media specialization may allow you to work in a different setting and role while still working within the parameters of a typical school year.
You would likely be required to earn a specialized advanced degree. Most librarians carry a master’s degree in library science (MLS). Though additional requirements vary by state, most public school librarian roles require a state issued teaching certification. And because many public library roles offer a somewhat lower pressure educational environment, this may also be a popular option if you are a retired teacher who wishes to remain active in your educational community.
- 9
Career and technical education teachers
- 2021 Median Pay- $61,160
Career and technical education teachers are those who leverage their teaching skills for practical instruction. Career and technical education may be a particularly versatile field for former teachers. You could apply your knowledge and technical skills to a wide range of vocational subjects including healthcare, auto mechanics, computer science, and more.
The basic threshold for work in career and technical education is a bachelor’s degree. In many cases, you would also benefit from real-world work experience in the vocation that you plan to teach. If you plan to provide this practical training in a public school setting, you would likely also need state-issued certification.
- 10
School and Career Counselors and Advisors
- 2021 Median Pay- $60,510
School counselors work directly with students to advance their academic goals, address their mental health needs, and provide support in pursuit of their high school diploma. Career counselors work with individuals looking to find a new job, advance in their current job, or initiate a career change.
The transferrable skills you have developed as a classroom teacher will be highly relevant in this context. Most counselors will have a minimum of a master’s degree as well as state-issued counselor licensing.
