Four encore careers for teachers outside of the K-12 classroom

You’re a practicing teacher who enjoys working with your students, but some days you wonder about taking a step outside the classroom and venturing into something new.

Whether you want a change just for a short time or you’re looking for a possible encore career that still lets you use the skills you gained in front of students, here are four possible options to explore outside the traditional classroom setting.

1. Virtual schools and online programs

Do you like instructing but prefer a more one-to-one experience? Consider being a virtual school instructor. In contrast to most traditional education settings, virtual schools can offer built-in flexibility for curriculum and daily schedules.

If course development or curriculum writing is your strength, innovation and out-of-the-box thinking is typically encouraged in virtual settings. Use your imagination to build interactive lessons or simulations into the content. These environments are perfect if you want to stay in contact with students and content.

2. Standardized testing

Millions of standardized tests are administered and scored yearly across the country, including basic skills tests for K-8 learners, comprehensive course exams for high schoolers, and college admissions exams like the ACT and SAT. These exams are analyzed and revised annually by teams of educators who write, review, and evaluate test questions.

In addition, short answer and essay questions need to be hand graded by experts. In many cases, a group of evaluators is flown to a central location to work together over several days. At first glance standardized testing specialist might not sound all that thrilling, but spending time with content experts and like-minded instructors can offer energizing professional development opportunities.

3. Educational technology development

Edtech companies regularly hire qualified teachers who can contribute to formative and summative assessments, video creation and delivery, and curriculum design. Teachers are the “market experts” relied on for evaluation of the experience. These companies often work closely with school districts to ensure district needs are understood and met.

4. Public speaking and blogging

You may not have considered a speaking career, but this can be an extremely fulfilling and flexible option. Some of the most highly regarded speakers in education are former classroom teachers who share their experiences to motivate thousands at conferences.

If speaking in front of crowds isn’t quite your style, try blogging, which can be another platform to explore and test out entrepreneurial pursuits. Gather inspiration from Teach100, a daily ranking of education blogs.

Capella University offers flexible online education degrees, certificate programs, and professional development courses to help you move forward at any stage in your career.