After 14 years as a Drama Teacher and Subject Leader of Performing Arts, Nicola moved away from the classroom and set up her own business as a Virtual Assistant, specialising in all things systems and tech. 

Nicola shares her experience of struggling against an ever-changing educational system, “working harder, but feeling worse”, before deciding to step away to pursue a new passion. In this episode, we talk about all things ‘VA’ (Virtual Assistant) so if you’re interested in building a business or pursuing a pathway as a Virtual Assistant, you’ve got to give this one a listen!

We also explore:

• Feeling like a ‘master of none’ 
• Being surprised by burnout
• Getting out of a cycle of stuckness
• Embracing a slow transition out of teaching
• Juggling full-time work whilst building a business
• Why teachers make fantastic Virtual Assistants
• Setting boundaries in business
• VA niches - finding what you love! 

If you're interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant, check out the Teacher to VA Website to find our more about how your AMAZING teacher skills transfer. 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

A former Assistant Headteacher with 13 years teaching experience behind her, Amandeep transitioned out of the classroom and into an interesting new role as a Senior Education and Development Officer within the NHS. 

She shares her experience of stumbling upon the job advert (whilst on holiday!), nailing the interview and thriving in this position where her skills and expertise are valued and trusted. With her fixed-term contract coming to an end, Amandeep is confident that she now knows what works for her and is looking forward to approaching her next job search with a confident message of ‘I can do this.’

In this episode, we also explore:

• Balancing work with job hunting
• Creating a little space to prepare for a new role
• NHS applications and how these can vary
• Finding your interview calm 
• Transitioning into remote working
• Shaking feelings of imposter syndrome 
• Utilising old skills whilst developing new ones
• Embracing squiggly journeys

Links and Resources
 NHS Jobs

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Join me this week where I’m chatting to Cathie about her empowering secondment into the role of Specialist Teacher for Inclusive Practice with her Local Authority. 

Cathie shares her experience of burnout after 27 years of teaching, and talks of re-discovering her passions in this new role where she’s able to use her transferable coaching and mentoring skills, alongside her extensive knowledge of the education system and inclusion, to reassure and encourage teachers, parents, and children.

In this jam-packed episode, we also explore:

• Recognising the cycles of burnout
• Testing your financial baseline
• Adaptations and gratitude in a new working environment
• Finding a role that allows you to share your gifts
• Making your CV feel like ‘you’
• Connecting at interview with aligned values
• Getting back her evenings and weekends!
• Embracing mistakes whilst enjoying the adventure

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Join me as I chat to Rachael about her move from leading Maths to finding a rewarding new role leading communications and administration in a Franciscan Missionary. Rachael was looking at operations and project management roles when she found this unique role!

Rachael looks after the Sisters supporting with logistics, reporting, communications, helping them to have worldwide impact with their missions. 

In this episode we also explore:

• Feeling torn between the classroom and leadership.
• Finding focused support with quantifying transferable skills. 
• Treating career change as a "job" in itself.
• Five interviews lined up after using the Academy resources!
• Working for a values-drive organisation while creating a new identity. 
• The day-to-day role and similarities with teaching.
• Keeping an open mind looking at admin roles.

Links and Resources
 
Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Caroline was a Secondary History teacher who has successfully transitioned out of the classroom to become an Administrations and Systems Officer for a local charity. 

Her journey out of teaching took a year and she reflects on her need to take the time to explore her value and skills - the result making her comfortably able to showcase why she was the best person for the job!

In this episode we also explore:

• Teaching not aligning with her health and family anymore
• Values being at the centre of making a positive career change
• Every teacher being on their own path when leaving 
• Creating a confident CV which showcases your skills
• The transferabale skills teachers have for admin and systems work
• The day-to-day variety of her hybrid role
• Reclaiming connection with her family and friends
• Top advice for teachers looking the leave the classroom

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Lee was a Secondary Geography teacher with additional responsibility for careers, who has successfully transitioned into Programme Management. He shares with that even though he already changed careers when coming to teaching later in life, he still had a lot to learn about “de-teacherfying” his CV and navigating the world of recruitment. 

In this episode, we also explore:

• Mapping Lee's varied skills from teaching
• Utilising his event's management experience
• Embracing change without fear and knowing it will work out
• Practical career change support that helped him
• Targeting his energy in the job search
• Actually enjoying the interview process!
• Lee's day-to-day and a different type of manageable pressure
• Having his life back!

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Academy Alumni Ruth was a Deputy Head with experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and SENCO, who is now working for a Local Authority as Domestic Abuse Liaison Officer (Schools). 

Ruth was able to combine her safeguarding knowledge and transferable leadership skills to successfully secure this role, allowing her to make a difference while not taking her work home with her. She shares her experiences of the local authority interview process and the gifts of working in a hybrid role.

In this episode, we also explore:

• Recognising the impact work was having and discovering the choice to choose another path.
• Reflecting on your values to explore what you want from a future role.
• Preparing for the interview using positive visualisation and evidencing impact with clear examples. 
• Ruth’s core responsibilities and day-to-day life delivering training, monitoring data and triaging cases.
• Working flexibly from home, mixing visits to local offices and schools across the local authority.
• The benefits of being able to choose and book your own CPD to up skill your CV!
• Slowing down, enjoying a manageable pace and being able to schedule your own day.

Links and Resources

1. https://www.operationencompass.org/

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Fran's fascinating career change has seen her move from Primary Music Teacher in a rural Primary school (along a squiggly career path) to where she is now as a Learning Technology Strategist. She offers some great insights into the world of learning design and we can utilise our teacher transferable skills.

We explore where we can find roles in learning technology and learning design and chat about the need to put yourself out there - particularly the power of networking on LinkedIn!

In this episode, we also explore:

• Feeling that teaching didn’t align with her values anymore
• Finding a lifeboat job to get out of school quickly
• Branching into e-learning and taking on temporary roles
• What a learning technologist and learning designer does
• Bringing a range of teacher transferable skills to problem solving
• Finding an organisation who has the same values
• Why you need to be on LinkedIn when changing your career!
• Top tips for teachers applying for similar roles

Links and Resources

1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran-harrison-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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Academy Alumni member Gemma talks about her interesting move from Secondary Art teacher to Quality Assurance Leader at NCFE. She shares specific examples of the skills that she evidenced in her application and interview, and how these help her in the day-to-day role.

As teachers and leaders in education, we have a wealth of quality assurance, moderation, assessment and training experiences - this episode shares another way we can use this in a very different setting.

In this episode, we also explore:

• Maternity leave, lock down and competing with her pre-children teacher self
• Financially preparing to leave teaching
• Knowing that feeling sad doesn’t make it the wrong decision
• The wealth of teacher transferable skills and how to reference them
• Translating job specifications and understanding what they mean
• Preparing for her interview and giving great examples
• Struggling with imposter syndrome
• Quality assurance as a day-to-day role
• Top tips for working for an accreditation body

Links and Resources

1.  https://www.ncfe.org.uk/careers/
2. LinkedIn for Teaching Career Change Course

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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.

Amy shares her adventure after teaching, setting up an alternative provision centre where she now employs a small team of teachers.

In business for two years, we talk about her early experiences working in different settings before exploring the practicalities of securing a space, compliance and working with local schools. A must listen for anyone passionate about teaching on your own terms!

In this episode we explore:

• Feeling the call to create high quality holistic provision for young people
• What to know about setting up an alternative provision centre
• How running a centre is similar to managing a classroom or department
• What to consider when looking for a space
• The relationship between the local authority and schools in placing students
• Amy’s day-to-day in the centre and taking the best bits of teaching with her
• Managing and growing the business in the future
• Top tips for teachers wanting to follow a similar path

Links and Resources

1. https://www.alearningplace.co.uk/
2. https://www.acas.org.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! 

Thinking about leaving teaching? Sign up for our new free webinar 💛 Leaving teaching in 2026 for your roadmap to leaving the classroom next year - delivered straight to your inbox on 27th December.