“Everything I put in, I know I’m building something.”

Sarah had always admired entrepreneurs but never imagined starting a business of her very own. After years in teaching and reaching a point where she knew she couldn't continue full-time in the classroom, she discovered Adventures After Teaching and found her path to becoming a Virtual Assistant (VA). 

Now running her own VA business part-time alongside teaching, Sarah is enjoying the freedom to be her own boss, cherry-pick the creative work she loves, and build a future with genuine excitement - all while reclaiming some of the flexibility that teaching never offered.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Building a VA business alongside teaching
• Setting boundaries and choosing your priorities
• The variety of work that VAs can do
• The power of community support from other transitioning teachers
• Acquiring your first client through conversation
• Overcoming imposter syndrome when starting a business
• The "can do attitude" teachers bring to VA work
• Financial planning and identifying your must-haves
• Top tips for teachers considering working for themselves

Links:

Teacher to VA Startup Success Programme

If you're interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant, check out the Teacher to VA Website to find out more about how your AMAZING teacher skills transfer. Sign ups are currently open for our FREE Q&A webinar Teacher to Virtual Assistant: Create Your VA Business 🧡 - 16th February 7-8.15pm (replays available). 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"I definitely wouldn't have got there as quickly as I did without the support from the Academy.”

After 18 years as a headteacher and over 30 years working in education, Kate found herself struggling with mental health and burnout. When off sick, she discovered Adventures After Teaching, taking part in our free ‘Stay or Go?’ event and then making the decision to invest in more support - a choice she describes as "absolutely worth it." 

In an accelerated transition of just three months, Kate secured her current role as Deputy Diocesan Secretary and Director of Operational Support for the Diocese of York. Now she's coordinating operational support for churches, using her leadership experience in entirely new ways whilst maintaining the community engagement work she's passionate about.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Taking small intentional steps towards burnout recovery
• Finding a safe space for senior leaders
• Values-led job hunting - a shift in perspective
• Standing out by narrowing your niche in the job market
• Transferable headteacher (and class teacher) skills for charity roles
• Working strategically without interruptions
• Enjoying more flexibility in working hours
• Managing boundaries and catching old habits in a new role
• Why investing in yourself through the Academy is invaluable
• The importance of peer support from other teachers in transition

If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom! 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"Don't be afraid to speak up and negotiate your terms."

Former Deputy Head and SENDCO Catherine left a role she loved when burnout, wearing too many hats, and increasing expectations became unsustainable. Despite her specialised knowledge and passion for the work, she found herself physically, emotionally, and socially exhausted - struggling to perform her multiple roles as effectively as she wanted to. 

After using the Academy's burnout recovery materials to heal and rebuild, Catherine embarked on a "squiggly journey" that included supply work, a remote Education Navigator role, redundancy, and ultimately a return to a school-based SENDCO position - but this time, completely on her own terms. Now working just two days in school and the rest from home, Catherine has reclaimed her boundaries whilst also venturing into consultancy work supporting families with special educational needs.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• If I’m not this then who am I? 
• The tipping point from passion to burnout
• Taking time to explore a meaningful exit
• Learning from others in the community 
• Navigating a non-linear career change path
• Setting boundaries and negotiating terms in a new role
• Returning to school - but with huge differences
• Recognising and resisting self-inflicted pressure
• Enjoying renewed energy for other aspects of life 
• Trusting your value and not being afraid to speak up
• Opening up opportunities by looking beyond role titles

If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom! 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

“For the first time in my life I was very unsure about where I was headed and what I could do differently to teaching because I'd been doing it for so long.”

Hannah, a primary school teacher for nine years, left the classroom seeking better work-life balance so she could be there more for her teenagers at home. Now a Youth Participation Advisor working globally to end malnutrition, she's enjoying flexibility around core hours, meaningful project work, travel opportunities, and the satisfaction of using her teaching skills in entirely new ways.

With support from the Academy's resources and community, Hannah navigated the confusion of career transition, overcame imposter syndrome, and ultimately received two dream job offers on the same day. She now helps young people lead community dialogues that drive policy changes, creating resources and managing grants programmes that make a real difference.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Dealing with conflicting feelings over leaving
• Getting back on track with community support
• Project management training and its real-world applications
• Redefining what success looks like outside teaching
• Shaking off old ways of working
• Enhanced transferable skills and renewed confidence 
• Building your network through LinkedIn
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and believing you haven't "missed the boat"
• Coping with rejection 
• Tips for finding roles in charities and NGOs focused on youth work

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"There is another side, and it's life-changing."

Former Head of School, Sarah spent 13 years in teaching before deciding to listen to her inner voice and pivot towards a completely different path.

Now an Employer Engagement Manager working in the not-for-profit sector, Sarah has found a role that utilises her communication and engagement skills across different audiences whilst offering the work-life balance and well-being she was missing in education. She's no longer in constant "crisis mode" and finally has quality time back for the things that matter.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Comfortable timelines for career transitions
• Treating your job search like a strategic project
• Recognising stress addiction and living in crisis mode
• Why engagement roles are perfect for teachers
• Hybrid working and reclaiming your evenings
• The difference between being tired and being mentally drained
• Sarah's only regret: not leaving sooner
• Hugely transferable teacher skills

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

“I do not feel that sheer tiredness that I did when I was finishing a school day.”

Former Early Years Teacher Tina spent 13 years in the classroom, working as both an Early Years Lead and Forest School Lead, before making the decision to leave teaching. Now a Team Support Administrator at a large national energy company, she's enjoying hybrid working, better sleep, and a workplace culture that genuinely celebrates wellbeing.

Tina's journey wasn't without its challenges - from the emotional ups and downs of supply teaching to standing out among 400 applicants - but she successfully leveraged her transferable skills in organisation and relationship-building to secure her new role. Tina shares her honest insights about what she wishes she'd known earlier, the power of building rapport in interviews, and how she's learning to shed the teaching mindset around urgency and productivity. Despite some initial imposter syndrome, Tina is thriving in her new role and looking forward to what the future holds. 

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Starting your transition earlier to lay the foundations
• Supply teaching as a bridge - and its unexpected challenges
• Pivoting from initial career ideas when they don't align
• Standing out in competitive interview processes
• Teacher transferable skills for thriving in administration roles
• Reframing urgency and letting go of the "it will get done" mindset
• Working through imposter syndrome in a new role
• Company cultures that prioritise mental health and wellbeing
• The messy middle - and remembering it's temporary
• Life after teaching: happier for both Tina and her family

Sign up for our FREE webinar 📆 From Classroom to Project Management to discover how your teaching skills translate directly into PM roles ✨

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"Life is far too short."

Former primary school teacher Emma spent 10 years in the classroom before making the leap to a Programme Officer role at a university. While she knew early on teaching wasn't her "forever career," the decision to leave was still incredibly difficult. After facing rejection in education-adjacent roles, Emma found support through the Adventures After Teaching community, learning to translate her experience and work through the grief of "if I'm not a teacher, then what am I?"

Now enjoying a hybrid work schedule and supportive team environment, she's rediscovered what it means to feel lighter, more present, and aligned with her values.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• The grief of leaving your teacher identity behind
• Dealing with rejection sensitivity
• Breaking the hyperachiever cycle and learning to rest
• Translating teacher skills for Programme Officer roles
• Why the journey might take a little longer than you think (and that's okay)
• The (good!) culture shock of starting a new job outside of teaching
• Enjoying simple freedoms in a new role (toilet breaks and uninterrupted lunch!)
• Finding camaraderie in a supportive team and asking questions without guilt
• Hybrid working and workplace adjustments
• Being present at home and improved work-life balance

If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom! 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

“It’s the best feeling when you’ve made that decision … it took a weight off my shoulders when I said ‘I’m gonna do this.’”

Former primary school teacher Barbara spent 12 years in the classroom, mostly teaching years five and six alongside middle leadership roles. By her seventh year, some of the excitement that she once had for the classroom had waned, and trying to fix it by changing schools or year groups just wasn't cutting it. Facing burnout and declining health, she made the brave choice to start putting herself and her well-being first. 

Now a Grants Officer at a charity celebrating young people's achievements, Barbara loves her varied role, hybrid working, true control over her schedule, and - best of all - having her evenings back!

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Making the emotionally difficult decision to leave teaching
• The critical importance of foundational work on values and mindset
• Identifying transferable skills as a confidence boost
• Breaking burnout patterns before entering a new role
• The "squiggly journey" to finding the right role
• Navigating first interviews and assessment tasks
• Salary negotiation for teachers used to pay scales
• Daily responsibilities as a grants officer
• Core teaching skills: attention to detail and adaptive communication
• Work-life balance and managing your own timetable

If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom! 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"There is light at the end of the tunnel."

Former secondary school French teacher in Scotland, Laura left the profession after five years, having experienced burnout due to staffing crises and increasing workload pressures. As the only consistent staff member in her modern languages department amid post-Brexit staffing shortages, the isolation and pressure eventually led to her being signed off with workplace stress.

Now an Employability Team Leader, Laura is enjoying the freedom and flexibility of her new role, mentoring a team of employment coordinators and working with clients who face barriers to employment. With autonomy over her schedule and a varied day involving travel, meetings, and relationship-building with employers, she's found a sustainable career path that allows her to come home with energy for her personal life rather than feeling like a "zombie."

In this episode, we're talking about:

• Navigating burnout and being signed off work
• The emotional difficulty of job searching while dealing with workplace stress 
• The value of Academy well-being calls and community support
• Separating self-worth from professional output
• Finding roles with movement and client interaction
• Day-to-day life as an Employability Team Leader
• Using LinkedIn for networking
• Regaining work-life balance and personal energy post-teaching 

If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom! 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

The right role at the right time for the right people.

Two former primary teachers, Emma and Victoria, share their inspiring journey of leaving the classroom together - though they'd never met before! After teaching for 12 years each, they both secured roles as primary curriculum writers for Developing Experts. 

Now they're enjoying creative freedom, collaborative culture, and the chance to use their teaching expertise in exciting new ways - building curricula from scratch, integrating real-world careers education, and finally having the time and headspace to problem-solve away from the high intensity of the classroom. 

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Feeling validated through connection
• The power of community for dealing with rejection
• Career change accountability and motivation
• Translating ‘teacher speak’
• Dealing with the scary bits of career change 
• Securing competitive roles 
• Enjoying a comfortable interview experience 
• Skills for curriculum design 
• Remote work and prioritising mental health
• Being in control of your own day

Links & Resources:

www.jobsafterteaching.co.uk

If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom! 

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨