Related Careers
Classroom teaching is but one of many options for educators to engage their talents, make a contribution, make a living, and have a rewarding career. Many BEd. graduates and experienced teachers pursue related careers for a variety of reasons including:
- Classroom teaching may not be the best fit for one’s temperament, skill set, careers aspirations or personal circumstances.
- In a tight job market for classroom positions, some teachers are open to related careers.
- Some teachers consider related careers as back-up plan in case a desired classroom position doesn’t materialize.
It is important to know that teachers have a wide range of transferable skills that can be applied in other roles and contexts. Teachers are extremely versatile, more so than many of them realize!
- effective communication with people, verbal and written
- teaching and instruction
- program planning
- organization and record-keeping
- working under pressure and meeting deadlines
- motivational skills, creativity
- working autonomously, decision-making, problem solving
- research skills
If you are interested in careers outside of the classroom, we’d be happy to speak with you. You might also like to investigate Queen’s University’s Career Services offices and web site as they offer a wealth of career-related resources to students and alumni. Click here to log into MyCareer with your NetID to access a database of jobs.
When considering related careers teachers may be in one of the following situations:
- Exploring a specific occupational interest such as corporate training, outdoor education, educational publishing, working with at-risk youth, etc., possibly open with respect to location.
- Limited by a need, or preference, to be in a specific geographical area because of personal circumstances, but possibly lacking an occupational focus.
- Neither of the above, meaning that one is open to many possibilities in terms of both location and role. However, that leaves the challenge of finding a focus.
For those in the first two groups you may decide to move on to examining some of the resources included in this web site.
If you find yourself needing some assistance in finding a focus there are various strategies available.
Central Career Services at Queen’s University provides the following tip sheet to help determine your interests. Information Interviews can also be a very effective tool in finding a focus. In brief, it’s a matter of speaking with people working in a particular field, not to apply for a position, but to learn more about their responsibilities. This type of research can help determine if a potential career path would be a possible fit.
One key to finding a good fit is determining your strengths and skills. Recommended resources include:
Strengths Finder 2.0 http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx
The Truth About You http://strengthscampus.com/page/the-truth-about-you
What Colour is Your Parachute http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/