“I do not feel that sheer tiredness that I did when I was finishing a school day.” Former Early Years Teacher Tina Harrison spent 13 years in the classroom, working as both an Early Years Lead and Forest School Lead, before making the decision to leave teaching. Now a Team Support Administrator at a large national energy company, she's enjoying hybrid working, better sleep, and a workplace culture that genuinely celebrates wellbeing. Tina's journey wasn't without its challenges - from the emo...
"Life is far too short." Former primary school teacher Emma spent 10 years in the classroom before making the leap to a Programme Officer role at a university. While she knew early on teaching wasn't her "forever career," the decision to leave was still incredibly difficult. After facing rejection in education-adjacent roles, Emma found support through the Adventures After Teaching community, learning to translate her experience and work through the grief of "if I'm not a teacher, then what a...
“It’s the best feeling when you’ve made that decision … it took a weight off my shoulders when I said ‘I’m gonna do this.’” Former primary school teacher Barbara spent 12 years in the classroom, mostly teaching years five and six alongside middle leadership roles. By her seventh year, some of the excitement that she once had for the classroom had waned, and trying to fix it by changing schools or year groups just wasn't cutting it. Facing burnout and declining health, she made the brave choic...
"There is light at the end of the tunnel." Former secondary school French teacher in Scotland, Laura left the profession after five years, having experienced burnout due to staffing crises and increasing workload pressures. As the only consistent staff member in her modern languages department amid post-Brexit staffing shortages, the isolation and pressure eventually led to her being signed off with workplace stress. Now an Employability Team Leader, Laura is enjoying the freedom and flexibil...
The right role at the right time for the right people. Two former primary teachers, Emma and Victoria, share their inspiring journey of leaving the classroom together - though they'd never met before! After teaching for 12 years each, they both secured roles as primary curriculum writers for Developing Experts. Now they're enjoying creative freedom, collaborative culture, and the chance to use their teaching expertise in exciting new ways - building curricula from scratch, integrating r...
"I've never had so many people literally bending over backwards to support me with anything that I want to do." Former secondary science teacher Jen left the profession after 23 years, feeling lonely and lost about what to do next. Initially unsure of her direction and at "rock bottom," she found the community and structure she needed in the Academy. Now a Project Support Officer in the Civil Service, Jen is working to support various projects - from organising team away days to risk an...
"If all these people are able to get jobs, I'm able to get a job." Former teacher Rich had been in the profession for a long time when the stress and lack of sleep began taking a physical toll. Despite working at a school he loved, he knew he needed a break from teaching itself and, after personal life events put things into a new perspective, Rich knew it was time to make the career change he'd been contemplating. Now an Apprenticeship Coach, Rich is enjoying a transformed work-life balance ...
"I definitely felt loaded with more tools and belief in myself." Secondary English teacher and Head of KS3, Camilla left teaching a few years ago, seeking different ways to make an impact outside of the classroom whilst still taking the bits of teaching that she loved with her. Now a Sustainability Consultant, she's enjoying working across different industries and projects, with growing confidence and increased leadership responsibilities. She's also recently taken on the role of a school gov...
“I just knew that I had to make that change.” In a supportive school but with her own changing priorities, Primary and Early Years Teacher Georgia was tired of missing out on quality family time and feeling exhausted by the demands of teaching. Leaning into her subject specialism as R.E. Curriculum Lead, she’s found her “dream role” as a Regional Advisor for an education group, providing curriculum programmes and specialist support to schools. Now working remotely, Georgia enjoys increa...
“If they can do it, I can do it.” Former Primary Deputy Head Natalie was on her second maternity leave when she decided to explore her career options outside of teaching. With creeping anxiety about returning to work and worries about not being present enough at home, she shares that “it had been a long time coming for me.” Now a Neurodiversity Family Support Practitioner with the NHS, Natalie is enjoying flexibility, renewed confidence, time for professional development, and family balance i...
“It’s about the right role at the right time.” After spending 14 years teaching mostly in Further Education, Head of Faculty Gareth left the classroom to pursue new opportunities. Whilst he found his time in education both valuable and enjoyable, particularly at the start of his teaching journey, he began to question the work-life model he was providing to other members of his team. Now a Senior Product Manager at a university, Gareth walks us through his top tips and offers a skills br...
This week, we hear from the wonderful Selini, a former primary school teacher who has made an inspiring transition to become a Community Education Coordinator for a large international charity. Selini shares her journey out of the classroom and into a role that allows her to continue making a real difference in the world on a much wider scale. As an Academy member, Selini embraced the support and resources available to explore new possibilities after feeling the need for a change from teachin...
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Former Primary Headteacher Adam, loved the job but wanted to move on before he reached the point of burnout. Securing an interesting ‘lifeboat job’, he quickly realised how valuable his skills could be to the world outside of the microcosm of teaching. After taking part in our free Summer Bootcamp event, Adam joined the Academy and started to dive into all the practicalities of job hunting as he looked to re-position his skills for a new direction. ...
“It’s given me my life back.” Head of Drama Lauren loved many aspects of teaching but found that the out of hours working expectations were simply unsustainable, sometimes hitting 12 hours a day for 6 days a week! After taking a few months off to rest and have fun, she spent some time freelancing and then started her job hunt for a full-time role. Now a Project Manager for an education research charity, Lauren is enjoying a job that’s interesting, varied, and challenging in all the righ...
“I didn’t realise it … I think I was slowly burning out.” Reception Teacher Georgi followed her passions into the world of education, but felt numb and burnt out by her last year in the classroom. Stumbling upon the Adventures After Teaching Academy, she loved the supportive community, practical resources, and tools to navigate all the ‘what ifs?’ of career change. Leveraging the power of LinkedIn to make connections, Georgi explored her passions once again, landing herself a job as a Z...
Once a Secondary Drama Teacher and Head of Drama, Serena felt frustrated with the “other elements” of teaching and wanted more time to focus on the “important stuff” with her students. Returning from maternity leave, and battling exhaustion both at work and at home, she was driven to seek a new role that better aligned with her values and passions. Initially taking on her job search alone, Serena joined the Academy last April and went on to secure a fantastic role as a Schools Resources...
“I’ve got to try something different.” Former History Teacher and Assistant Head, Simon remembers “running on empty all the time”. Following a conversation on the playground, Simon experienced a moment of realisation that teaching was no longer sustainable for him or his family, feeling “a weight off” after handing his notice in. Now an Account Manager for Unifrog Education, Simon’s new role involves problem-solving, relationship building, and continuing to make an impact on the world o...
“It had taken over my entire life.” Associate Assistant Headteacher and Head of Geography, Victoria found her ‘4 day working week’ became a 50-60 hour commitment, frequently working 12 hours on a Sunday. Struggling with feelings of not wanting to let people down, she eventually gave herself permission to move on to a new adventure. Now the Deputy Director of an education charity, Victoria enjoys a varied role that leans into her relationship building skills and strategic expertise. She ...
“It was fantastic until it wasn’t so fantastic anymore” Primary Deputy Head Giselle took a lot of positives from her teaching career, spending 23 years working in the same school with a “lovely team and a lovely community”. But, as a self-confessed people-pleaser, she eventually found herself wearing too many hats and, with increasing classroom commitments, the workload became unsustainable. Now an Operations Manager and Employability Lead for a CIC (Community Interest Company), Giselle...
“It wasn’t a choice anymore … I had to go.” After 21 years of teaching in Secondary schools, Lucy found herself falling out of love with the job. Throughout her career she’d tried different role and different schools, but no longer felt the same passion for the profession that she once had. “I just didn’t feel like I was myself anymore,” she shares in this episode. Now a Teacher Resources Production Manager with OCR, Lucy has no regrets about embarking on her new adventure and is enjoyi...