Opinion

Life after teaching

By 2016-02-19T11:51:00

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Leaving teaching can be a huge decision. Stephanie Musson talks about how the skills she honed in the classroom prepared her for a new career

Making the decision to leave teaching was one of the hardest things I have done in my career. I loved what I did – working with the students and seeing them progress, the lightbulb moments and their personal progression – but I needed to leave. 

There are some quite terrifying statistics around about how many teachers are choosing to leave the profession. According to a recent survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers nearly a quarter of new teachers don’t think they will still be working in teaching in five years. 

I had no idea what to do next, or what options were open to me. Where could I make the best use of my skills and experience? I remember feeling like I would have to start all over again. I realise now that I was massively undervaluing the skills I had gained and demonstrated in the classroom. 

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