7 Stages of Leaving Teaching
Are you an educator considering a move out of the classroom? You aren’t alone! Over the past two years, I’ve helped hundreds of teachers and administrators leave the classroom. As I’ve helped mentor and coach educators through this transition, I’ve had the honor of observing the various stages of the transition process.
The things I know for sure about leaving teaching:
Everyone’s journey is not the same.
Everyone’s timeline is different.
Transitioning out of the classroom is not easy, but it’s worth it.
I’ve taken all of my knowledge and the experience of my students to create the 7 Stages of Teacher Transition.
Click here to download your free copy
Stage One: Contemplation
So the first stage that I see teachers go through when thinking about leaving the classroom is contemplation. This can start years before teachers or educators ever take any action.
Contemplation is recognizing unhappiness. And that doesn't mean necessarily that you hate the profession or that you're burnt out, or that you are miserable. It can mean those things, it can mean “I don't want to do this anymore.”
But it also can be that feeling like, “Hey, maybe I picked the wrong profession for myself.” Maybe you’re feeling a little bored. It can look like you want to move up, you want to do bigger things and have a bigger impact, but the only choice you have is to be a coach or a principal, and, and that's not really what you want to do.
It can also look like you don't really enjoy working with students anymore. Students have changed. The teaching profession is different.
It can look like all of these things, but in contemplation, it's where you're starting to recognize this unhappy feeling and you're wondering if there are other options for you. You're dreaming of change, but you don't really know what that change is gonna look like.
Stage Two: Decision Making
In the second stage, I call this decision-making. And in the decision making stage, you are realizing, “okay, I cannot be in this role any longer. I am done. It is time to start making a change. I need to find options.”
So in the first stage, you're thinking of and dreaming of it. In the second stage it's no, it's time for me to make a change.
Reflecting on your journey as an educator, you begin to evaluate your career path and consider alternative options. It takes courage and self-reflection to recognize that your passion may lie elsewhere and that there are different paths to explore.
Embracing change can be both exciting and daunting. It's a time to envision new possibilities and embark on a journey of self-discovery. Remember, your skills and experiences as a teacher are invaluable and can be applied to various fields.
Stage Three: Exploration
The next stage is what I like to call the exploration stage, and this is when you begin to go looking for options. You’re learning about new career paths. You start joining LinkedIn and maybe start a little bit of networking. You begin talking to friends about what you could do outside of the classroom.
You might even begin researching coaches such as myself or other coaches that are out there and programs you can join. This is that exploration point where I think you're opening up your mind to possibilities.
Stage Four: Fear
What usually happens after exploration is fear sets in. A lot of times, teachers and educators realize this process is harder than they thought it would be.
You might run into some people who kind of stereotype teachers and their skill sets, people who don't really know exactly what a teacher can do and all the skills they have that transition really well into a role outside of the classroom.
You also sometimes start to let guilt set in about leaving and self-doubt creep in.
Stage Five: Action
Next is stage number five, I call this the action stage. And that's where you realize, if I'm going to make this happen, I'm going to have to take this next phase of my life seriously and invest in myself.
So often this is when I see people kind of pull the trigger and join Classroom to Boardroom and really get an education, really learn about the jobs, get trained up and upskill so that they are a candidate that education companies want to talk to.
Here, you’re ready to start building that resume, applying for roles, seeking help.
Stage Six: Belief
After that action in stage five, I often see people shift, especially after they join my program Classroom to Boardroom, into a belief stage. Their confidence is up. They know they can do various roles outside of the classroom.
So I call this the belief stage, the sixth stage. This is where you understand the various roles. You have identified the roles that would be best for you. Instead of applying for everything that's out there, you start believing in your talent and you're able to speak to them and articulate your skills and say, “Hey, I am the ideal candidate for this role.”
When you're applying your, your resume is now in really good shape. And when you're applying, you're actually getting interviews. And when you're interviewing, you are confident and you believe in yourself.
Stage Seven: Results
Finally, stage seven is the result stage where you land your first role outside of a school setting. I have seen this over and over again, and I have been sharing out a lot of success stories for my students who have made this transition, who have gone through all of these phases.
I hope it makes you feel less alone and hope you realize that other people are going through things that you go through.
