To those considering leaving the teaching profession....

What other profession are you planning to get into? Is it something that you already have experience or already went to school for? Why did you decide to go to teaching in the first place and is salary is the main cause that you are leaving? What salary do you all believe is enough to live comfortably with?

 

I'm considering leaving... Actually, I'm planning on it, not just considering it. This year will be my last as a public school teacher.

I am considering going to get a Ph.D. in education policy with further plans to eventually do education research at the state or federal government level or research and lobbying for a non-profit/think tank (whose ideals I share).

I'm also considering starting my own private tutoring company for students in low-income communities in my home city, assuming I can figure out funding and write a business plan (I still have a LOT of research and planning to do!).

The above two options obviously require a lot of work. In the meantime, I'm considering finding any job in the corporate sector. It would be great if I could tie it to education... maybe working for a lawyer who specialized in education law, maybe working for an education publishing company, maybe being a corporate trainer... If I can't tie it to education, I just need a job with reasonable work conditions and a living salary. I have a degree in recreation, sport, and tourism management and past experience in tourism sales and management, so I could always fall back on that, if I need to.

I went into teaching because I wanted to make a difference and do something meaningful for the world. I didn't want to just make money for some old, rich guy to put in his pocket. I love learning and working with kids, plus I like the academic calendar, so teaching seemed to be the obvious choice when I wasn't feeling fulfilled by tourism sales and management.

Frankly, salary has nothing to do with why I'm leaving. I could certainly stand to have more money coming in, but I believe that I've been making a living wage since my third year teaching. It might not be enough to raise kids on, but it's enough to support myself. I'm leaving because I can no longer stand to have my hands tied by administrators and politicians. I can no longer accept that we're doing the best we can do when I see a small subgroup of students not getting their needs met on a daily basis simply because the system is set up in ways that don't make sense. I could go on and on, but for brevity's sake, I'll leave it at that. I love teaching, learning, and all things education, but I feel that, by staying, I'm part of the problem. So, rather than continue to be part of the problem, I'm choosing to leave and find another way to have a positive impact on the world, hopefully still with children and in education.

 

I went into teaching because I wanted to make a positive impact on peoples' lives. I originally wanted to be a counselor or psychologist, but got a master's degree in teaching when that didn't work out.

I'm also planning to leave at the end of this year. I want to go into the nonprofit sector, because I know many people in that area, and they still feel like they're changing lives and making the community a better place. It's partly about the salary, because at my charter school, I would barely be able to afford an apartment with a roommate. My main reason for leaving is that I don't handle stress well, and I feel like the stress of teaching has probably shortened my lifespan by a few years. Teaching is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Truthfully, I could stomach a low salary if I got retirement benefits... but my charter school doesn't offer that, and public schools left me with a bad taste, so I'm ready to look elsewhere.

 

I'm considering it. I'm actually more than considering it after hearing at our last district wide department meeting that we are in something of a financial crisis and I heard the words "our current jobs are safe...for this year." While they tried to keep it positive, saying they hope things will be sorted out by the end of the year, I'm afraid that's just a way of sugar coating it. I'm the lowest person on the totem pole at my school, and while going to another school might be an option if they moved people around to fit numbers I'm not sure I could handle that again. Three schools in three years would be rough. Like missrebecca said, teaching has been very stressful for me and at the end of the day I feel like I would really appreciate a job that was a little easier on my nerves.

I went in to teaching special education because I loved working with the students in a therapeutic horseback riding program for many years. In an ideal world I could get paid to do that, but alas it's a strictly volunteer kind of thing around here. So realistically, my only requirements for another job are decent working conditions/hours and that I make around what I currently do...which as a second year teacher isn't a whole lot! I can comfortably pay my half of the bills (I live with my fiance) and still manage to afford a few "luxury" items- newer car payment, salon visits, etc. while keeping a little bit in savings.

I have experience in the restaurant industry as a server and bartender, so worst case scenario I'm sure I could find some short term work doing that. Long term, though, I'd be much happier with a 9-5 office type job. Other options include freelance writing (I love to write), tutoring with local tutoring company, or even a combination of things to bring enough money to stay comfortable. I'm hoping I'll have a better idea soon of what my options look like for next year, because the not knowing is almost as stressful as knowing!

 

I should add that a big part of it for me, too, is the stress. If I felt good about what I was doing, or if I was making an unbelievable amount of money doing it, then it might be worth the stress. But I'm don't, and I'm not. There has to be some job out that that allows me the right balance to feel good about what I'm doing, handle the stress, and pays a living salary. Life is too short to feel like I'm running on a hamster wheel for another 25 years or so.

 

I've considered leaving, but ultimately will probably stay. It has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with terrible education policies and increasingly difficult student behavior. My class is okay, but I absolutely know that they would be better if I had resources the really should have, like tech options and engaging reading materials (not just standards-based textbooks, but actual kid-friendly chapter books that they want to read).

ETA: If I did leave, I've considered going back to school for another high needs field. I've thought about engineering or computer science. A nice part of that would be making at least double what I'm making now.

 

I've thought about leaving the profession many times; however, I just don't know what I would get into should I leave. I've thought about becoming an lawyer specializing in education law, but that would cost time and money. I'm still paying off my loan from my master's degree. I've also thought about going to work for that big educational devil known as Pearson in some capacity. This is probably the most viable option for me at this point. At this point, I could stay in my same position for several years to come unless things change dramatically for the worse in the next few years. I would like to stay until my daughter graduates high school which will be in 7 years. After that, more doors will open up.

 

I "left" when I was still in college and thought I would go to seminary instead of becoming a teacher, so I changed my minor from Education to Jewish Studies. That fell through for several reasons. However, my ability to communicate and explain things led me into a decade-long career in customer service for different banking and finance institutions. I was really good at it! You don't need a degree to work in most finance jobs, but you do need intelligence and mental flexibility.

 

This thread is making me sad.

I am, however, really happy that we can all be honest with each other (and most importantly--with ourselves)!

 

It makes me very sad, too, although it's somewhat comforting to know I'm not the only one feeling this. I really wish I didn't feel this way. And, for what it's worth, I do love teaching. That hasn't changed. I love my coworkers. I love my kids. I just don't love the stress, and as bella mentioned, having my hands tied and feeling like I am unable to help my kids the way I should (and could) because of an ineffective and frustrating system. It's especially hard for me to hear veteran teachers at my school voice the same frustrations. Many have said they would leave if they weren't so close to retirement, even teachers I admire greatly and think of as "the ultimate teacher."

 

I don't plan to go anywhere for the time being, but for a while I was thinking about leaving public education. I was waffling between starting up a charter school and returning to school to become a SLP and then starting up my own consulting business.

 

I left the private school where I had taught for over ten years and went into tutoring for an agency that works with privileged students, many of whom are athletes. Now that I am partially retired, it is perfect because I can choose my own hours and focus on just a few students.

 

For a long time, I was seriously considering going back for my PhD and teaching at the college level. I am finally in a "good fit" position and the grass doesn't seem that much greener on the other side anymore. I may still make that move one day, but I hope to stay in my current position as long as I am happy here. For those considering leaving teaching, consider trying a new school/district/setting...it may be a matter of finding the right position for you! I do not at all feel like I "have my hands tied" and I work in a big, suburban public high school. I actually feel like I have all the freedom I need, and (usually) the tools I need to do my job.

That being said, I fantasize about making my living as a novelist, but I know it's not enough of a reality to quit my day job (yet)!

 

I spent most of my high school career planning on going medical. Then the teaching bug got me my freshman year of college.

I'm considering still pursuing the medical field, probably nursing. Yes, it would mean a heck of a lot more school.

Salary is not the reason I'm considering leaving. Between my salary and that of my husband's, we live comfortably. It really is just that lingering interest. I'm quite happy teaching, but I suppose I'm itching to try something else just to shake things up.

 

I don't know if I plan on it anytime soon, but I do eventually want to try out engineering.

I LOVE teaching. It's so much fun, and I honestly will probably come back to it once I get bored of engineering (which I know will be boring), but I really want to become an engineer for a while and make contributions to science and technology.

What actually sparked that was my teaching of physical science. It's made me want to become a part of the field I teach, for one because I just think it's cool, but also because I think it will make me a stronger teacher in the future.

Also I'm the type that can't really sit still in one kind of job for too long. I'm always reaching for something else. As it is, my bf is having issues with his job, he's on disability, and we're getting somewhat tired of the area we live in. He's eventually going to have to move for his job, and when we do, I figured, I have enough money set aside that I can take classes that I'm interested in, in whatever state we move to. The only thing that will be killer is out of state tuition fees.

 

I wish I could say that that is still an option for me, but I'm already on school #3. How many more schools do I try before I just accept that they're all the same? I believe I could probably be happy in a private school somewhere, where the government policies are a bit further removed, and maybe I'll look into that someday... but at this point, I'm already content with the idea of moving on to something else.

 

I have come to the conclusion long ago that teaching has drastically changed since I took my first job (in 1974). Teachers used to stay for their entire career, sometimes in the same school. Education actually educated students and didn't focus solely on learning how to take a test. Students received a complete education, not just the tested subjects.

Teachers were excited, appreciated, energetic, and motivated. It's different now. Legislation has replaced teaching. Testing has squashed enthusiasm. Micromanaging by districts and administrators has replaced excitement. Salaries tied to testing has left many teachers collecting food stamps.

I am not saying that every teacher and every district has been adversely affected by the changes in our education system.

But, one has to wonder...would 50% of teachers be leaving in the first five years of their career if our education system weren't broken right now?

 

I'm not teaching this year. I work for a title company and I prepare documents for mortgage closings. I had no experience in anything remotely related and they trained me. It is pretty boring, and definitely not what I will do forever. My company has tuition reimbursement, so I will probably go back to school next year sometime. I'm not sure what I will pursue. Accounting is the most likely. Part of me wants to go for public administration or even law school. But the practical side screams accounting.
Salary was not the reason I left, but I had been stuck at the same pay rate for my entire 8 year career. It was tiresome and I've been carrying the same debt for years, unable to pay it down because my salary stayed the same while the cost of other things went up. At my new job, I bring home $100 less per month if I don't work overtime and you ignore my bonus check. We have mandatory overtime during our busy week, so working my scheduled hours actually has me bringing home $200 more per month, and I can work more hours if I want them. I also get a bonus check. I was still in training for most of the month last month, but my bonus was $840 before taxes. This month it will be either $1,260 or $1,540 depending on where my final numbers fall. (There are tiers and I will for sure make the $1,260 mark, but whether I reach the $1,540 will depend on how busy we are.) We are overstaffed right now or I could be earning more. Once we take on our new client in January, I should be able to make the maximum bonus every month, which is over $2,100. Basically I have a lot more control of my earnings and I make more right off the bat.
I left because the reason I went into teaching were no longer enough. I feel like my freedom had been stripped away and all that was left was teaching to a test. Creativity was frowned upon and scripted lessons were expected to be followed. Class sizes keep going up (I had 34 last year), making it more difficult to really connect with each kid. Plus, I am not OK with guns being brought into school buildings. I reached a point where I couldn't give anymore- too many demands, not enough time, and less time actually working with kids. If the culture shifts, I will gladly go back to what I ultimately loved doing.
Part of me seriously contemplates getting a masters in either technology or literacy so I can still work in a school but not in a classroom. But the market is so tight here, and I fear that all of my issues will not disappear. I'd hate to invest more money in something I'm not sure if I can/want to do. I want my freedom, creativity, and connections back.

 

Curious for those of you who did leave teaching... how challenging was it to "sell" yourself to your new employers based on your experience in education? Did the skills that you gained as a teacher have value in your new workplace?

 

It was easier than I thought. If you focus on interpersonal skills, it is hard for them to deny that you would be an asset. I even was offered a sales job after convincing them that teaching was the same as sales (and it is- you are getting your students to buy into your lesson). I turned it down because I have no desire to work 60-80 work weeks. (I had only applied as a last resort.)
I can't say that I've used my teaching-related skills at my job. It is more along the lines of investigative and analytical with some data entry. I rarely get my work sent back for a revision, but I've always been good at spelling and conventions, so I can't attribute that to teaching.

 

I wasn't in teaching long at all to begin with. I was a substitute for a good 11 yrs in total, while in grad school part of that time. Then was an RSP teacher for just a year. I went back to school for Speech-Language Pathology & subbing (part of that 11 yrs). If not teaching (special ed or general ed), I could do the following:

- Speech-Language Pathologist aka SLP (what I'm in school for now)
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistant aka SLP-A
- Customer Service
- Clerical/Secreterial
- Certain Information Tehcnology (IT) work, which I've done a few projects in the past
- Probably tutoring
- Retail, which I hope to never return to!
- Notary Public (got my certification long ago)
- Dabbled in a real estate course, which I completed, so I could continue if I wanted

 

I'm thinking of leaving "eventually". I'm in a good school right now and since we plan on moving in the next three years or so it'd be silly for me to try to start a new career right now.

But I've been thinking about either going into a biotech (for which I would not need a new degree) or go back to school to be either a physical therapist or physician's assistant. Those are two things I have always been interested in studying, and I know they pay way better. I also like the idea of working your own hours, since I sort of hate working and would love to work less.

 

Yes, I am looking ahead towards leaving teaching after this year. Nothing to do with salary (I am prepared to take a pay cut), but because of what a previous poster mentioned, having less control over what/how I teach and little opportunities for creativity. I used to really enjoy lesson planning, now I dread it. It is so boring and so convoluted and takes way longer than it should--we now have a digital platform with lessons and resources but it is not user friendly to say the least, you need to search in several locations just to locate all the resources you are supposed to be accessing and it takes a long time to load each page etc. And the pressure we are feeling from the administration for everything to be picture-perfect is getting insane--the workload is way more intense than even my first few years of teaching. Like somebody previously said, I don't want to keep feeling like I am spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.
Also, we are spending way more time than ever on testing. Not standardized testing, just the end of unit tests we are supposed to give for each subject. They easily take 3-4 days because of how complex they are. This is in elementary school! I feel bad for the kids, the lessons are boring and they spend so much time doing assessments.

 

How long have you been in school for this? It has been at least a few years, right?

 

Oh yeah about the salary of teacher staying the same and everything is going up, it's ridiculous. That's one of the reasons why I would most likely leave my current teaching job. Rent goes up, salary stays the same. That's less money to save and spend.

 

I bought a foreclosure in 2008 and I put the carpet and paint on a credit card. Then a few things broke over the next few years. Again, credit card. We also went on a pay freeze later the same year. I sold the house for a $4000 loss in 2013. Guess what? I'm still paying for those repairs on my credit card I've been busting my butt at my new job so I can start to pay these off. I dug myself out of credit card debt once and swore it'd never happen again. But I never predicted a pay freeze.

 

I have been considering it more and more. I changed schools two years ago because I thought it would help, and it did for a while, but not so much anymore--I'm at the point now whether I wonder what is the real problem--is it the school, the subject, the grade, or am I just done. I'm in my eighteenth year, and I'm not sure what I want anymore. I've temporarily put my Ph.D on hold because I don't want to waste the time and money if I quit the subject or the field. I'm toying with the idea of getting a 3rd credential, maybe a change of subject matter will help, and I'm definitely looking for a new school--we have a new principal this year who is an absolute loon--but I feel really sad when I think that this may be it.

On a similar note--I was at a tech conference this past weekend--which was so great--and one of keynote speakers told a story about a student of his who was behind by three grade levels, was considered special ed--then when that child finally found his passion-blogging-he improved 3 grade levels and went on to the honor roll. It made me sad that I don't think I can do that anymore--there is no room in my world of passing the test.

 

It makes me so sad to hear about what teachers around the country are dealing with. It also makes me feel lucky to be where I am! It's still a hard job, even under the best of circumstances.

 

I think about leaving a lot. Salary is a small part of it. I can live on my salary, but it's frustrating when costs keep going up and my salary is going down (I make less than I did last year due to furlough days). Education funding is an absolute mess in my state and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Student behavior is the thing that is really getting to me this year. I work in a title 1 school, but we're certainly not "inner city." However, our students' behavior just seems to get worse and worse every year. It used to be maybe one or two kids in the school with severe issues (screaming/tantruming all day, destroying classroom, violence/aggression, etc.) and now it's a least a couple of kids in every single class! Yesterday a Kindergarten (non IEP, btw) broke a piece of metal off of a window and charged at his teacher with it. This stuff is now an every day occurrence. The police have come several times already this year. Several times, even they have not been able to calm the students down (yes, more than one student). On top of this, half of our students are below grade level and the public/politicians blame the teachers. I also get very frustrated with sped in general- the disrespect from other teachers, the paperwork, and spending tons of time on red tape stuff that does nothing to benefit kids. My state is now telling us to write IEP goals so that students will catch up to grade level in one year. Apparently having anything but a severe cognitive disability is "not an excuse" for not being on grade level and if they're below grade level, it's because we're doing a bad job. Sometimes I think about trying to go back to gen ed in a wealthier school where maybe so many behavior and academic issues aren't present, but those jobs are so hard to get, especially for someone like me who has only worked in title 1 schools.

Unfortunately, I just don't know what else I would do besides teach. I know I'm good at it. I don't feel like I'm as talented at anything else. I don't want to go back to school and the thought of wasting all those years I spent getting my BA and MA absolutely kills me. Really to "break even" I'd have to find something with a significantly higher salary, since other jobs don't offer all of the breaks/time off that teaching does, and I don't know of any such jobs that I could get with an education degree.

 

My mom has been a kindergarten teacher for nearly 30 years. She and I both work in the same district. Although I've only been in the district for a decade, we wholeheartedly agreed that yes--the kids' behaviors have gotten worse and worse each year. It's very disheartening; it's quite sad, too.

 

It is very sad to hear that kids' behaviors are worse than ever. I have noticed that at some rough schools, the small number of students who do want to learn get permits to go to other schools. Either that or their parents move to another area with better achieving schools.

YoungTeacherGuy, I am glad to hear that you are fully aware and understanding about the fact that kids' attitudes have changed since the time that you and your mom first became teachers. I know of other schools in which the administrators won't even acknowledge that the students' behaviors have gotten worse. These administrators also seem to forget that there's a lot more pressure to be a teacher especially in rough schools compared to ten or more years ago.

 

It's a 3-yr program in which I should have graduated the summer that just passed (summer of 2015), but I didn't completely pass my final exam to graduate, so I have to retake just the parts I didn't pass. It's been tough because I've been burnt out from school for about the last year of the program (this is my 2nd grad degree I'm working on), so graduating when I should have would have been great. I STILL have to do a year of what's called CFY in which while I'm working, I have a supervisor still. I'm actually glad of that rather than being completely thrown out to the wolves.

 

I was ready to quit yesterday (this is my 8th year); I'm just done and the stress has started to make me physically sick and mentally drained - I am truly burnt out.

I have applied to over 200 jobs since September, the majority are with the Federal Government (USAJobs.gov), the Maryland State Government and the governments of every county within 1.5 hours from where I live. I have also applied to every college, university and community college within 1.5 hours from my home. For all of these "companies," I literally apply for every single job that matches my professional experience and requires a Master's degree. Also, these sites make it easy to apply to multiple jobs within the company and I check these sites every day-or-so for new job postings.

I have used Indeed.com to find private companies looking to hire Curriculum Writers, Instructional Designers, Educational Consultants, Corporate Trainers, Professional Development Managers, etc. I have applied to over 30 of these types of jobs.

Lastly, I have applied to other school districts' for Board of Ed/Central Office staff positions, but some districts do no like to poach teachers from the classroom or from other districts because the district losing the staff member can suspended the staff mermber's Maryland teaching licensure.

 

This. I am so stressed to the point where I have to take medication to get through the day and another to sleep at night. The stress come from dealing with disrespectful and defiant kids all day long and being told that there is nothing that can be done (unless they attack a teacher) with them. I have been hearing this nonsense for 8 years and have had enough of a lawless system where the Code of Conduct is used to protect the student behavior. Life is too short for me to dread every aspect of my career.

 

I can't afford to go back to grad school right now, but if I could I would get a degree in IT or software development. Everywhere I look, companies want IT and Web Developers and Content people.

So, I have applied to a few of these jobs at the entry-level position and expressed that I am eager to learn new skills in a new arena.

 

Go Blue!, can you share how you altered your resume to apply for these non-teaching jobs, assuming you made some changes? I've been looking elsewhere too, but I haven't actually applied yet, because I'm not sure what to do with my resume. I have experience from another field I briefly worked in prior to teaching, and I don't know how much of that to include, if any, nor do I know how I should change the bullet points under my teaching experience. I'm still brainstorming all of that. I've never considered paying someone to do my resume before, but the thought has crossed my mind this time, since I'd be trying to take experience from two different fields and make them relevant to a third. Thoughts?

 

After the second butt chewing this week by my principal, I am ready to leave. I am done. I have been teaching over 20 years and I am ready to walk away. I am not sure what I can do, but I am ready to look.

 

I'm sorry. That makes for a very negative work environment.

 

If I had done something wrong, I would be okay. But our principal gets someone on her radar and she attacks. This is my week. I have stayed holed up in my classroom all week. I am so frustrated.

 

I was reading through this thread a bit and a lot of what has been said is relative to me. I am a first year teacher, teaching 8th grade. I subbed for a bit last year and never had any intern experience being that I am actually a history major. I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of working for this school in the first place. They lost my resume twice, took two weeks to call me back, told me I didn't get the job and then (two weeks later) told me I did (and it wasn't the job I even applied for). I was pretty adamant after subbing that I would never teach middle school and here I am teaching 8th grade with almost no experience (except for subbing). I didn't mind the planning and getting into what I would be doing for the first two weeks; but, I do have to say that after the first day of school I cried. I did not want to go back. I still feel this way at the thought of having to return the next day and every Sunday evening when I know I have a full week ahead of me. I have another part time job that I have been at for the past five years that I absolutely love and miss like crazy (I am still employed there). The problem was they only pass minimum and I can survive on that pay but not as well. I have had no assistance from anyone and feel like I'm stuck in jail. The thought of having to continue on like this until May is too much for me and makes me incredibly depressed. I was excepted back into grad school starting this January because I decided to take a more museum route with my degree instead of education. I find it to be incredibly frustrating with no reward. Plus, I feel like I am too exhausted to do anything in the evening and on the weekends. I am friendly with some of the people I work with; but it is hard to make any kind of connection with them. In fact, I settled on leaving after the holidays as a good mid way point. It's taking me a lot of effort just to make it to January let alone May. I feel incredibly guilty for leaving midway; but, I believe my mental stability is more important as selfish as that may seem. I also wouldn't mind taking the pay cut if it kept me from being so stressed out. I have pretty much made my decision for the most part but I wanted to post and see what everyone else had to say.