Beginning your career or changing careers to teaching can be difficult if you are not prepared.
You are going from a known career to a totally unknown new job as a beginning teacher. If you have never taught a class in your life, you may wonder how you can show prospective school districts that you actually have what it takes.
If you dig deep into your past experiences, you may find somewhere along your career path you have taught children or mentoring colleagues.
When it comes to making a career change for the private business sector to education, you need to uncover relevant personal or professional experiences.
For instance, if you are an administrative assistant in the business sector and have trained other incoming assistants, then you have “taught.” In that training role, you would have taken the time to outline what is required for the assistant position and explained how each task is to be accomplished.
Maybe you mentor others by passing tips on how to do the job more effectively, enabling your co-workers to catch on quickly. Your manager might have also asked you to evaluate the new employee’s performance and make appropriate recommendations.
Or perhaps you help coach your child’s sports team. This requires patience and the ability to communicate and collaborate with others. During the coaching experience, you would have guided children through the rules of how to play the game. Plus, you would have assisted the children in honing their skills and becoming better players. You will have worked with the team as a whole, as well as with players on a one-on-one basis, much like in a classroom.
Maybe you are a day home provider looking to help children grow in a more formal environment. The time you spend nurturing their individual gifts and helping them learn the basics corresponds to early childhood education. Ensure you highlight these instructional responsibilities in your resume and cover letter and convey them once more during your interview.
If you have never instructed a colleague or coached a child, then you might want to look at doing these things. Even if you have the degree or certification, it does not guarantee you a teaching position. The job market is extremely competitive in many areas right now, and you need to have the edge over the other teaching applicants.
Some extracurricular activities that you may wish to pursue, which could help you land a teaching position include:
• Tutoring struggling students
• Coaching a sports team
• Working as a classroom assistant
• Helping with an after-school program
• Leading a church Sunday school group
• Supervising at a day- or summer camp
Volunteering in your local community is another great way to attract positive attention as a teaching candidate, so make sure they appear on your resume. Different avenues you might want to take include:
• Reading to children at the library
• Serving food at a soup kitchen
• Supervising at a homeless shelter
• Comforting people as part of a victim services unit
• Assisting with local non-profit initiatives
• Fundraising for a local cause
Another excellent idea is to ask for additional responsibilities at work that includes leadership or instructional element. Offer to train new employees or mentor those who may need extra assistance.
Another possibility of gaining experience is volunteering to set up or revise the company’s process manual, which can be similar to developing lesson plans.
As you can see, there are many areas you can review to uncover relevant experience to transition into the education sector. You will need to devote time to dig deep into your past to locate teaching skills and abilities.
If you need help, connect with us. Candace would enjoy writing your resume and cover letter to market you as a viable teacher in the education industry.
