Why Hiring Former Teachers is a Great Decision

Hard working, skilled, and very adaptable candidates are looking for work.

With the exodus of educators leaving classrooms each year, hiring managers should be jumping on these wonderful candidates. Educators are some of the most high-achieving employees, able to multi-task in the most stressful environments, work well in teams to achieve results, and constantly work to continue their education. Many have Masters degrees, and if you’re needing it, they may come CPR certified or trained in Stop the Bleed.

Comparing an average workday in the corporate office is vastly different compared to a school. Imagine being in a 7-hour long meeting with only a 30-minute lunch break for 10 months out of the year. Think about how often teachers must think on their feet (literally on their feet all day), and how they must manage much of their own content. They study curriculum and requirements, write their own lessons plans (i.e., documentation), they teach multiple classes everyday (i.e., training), they practice conflict resolution frequently, and often take on the role of their own Manager by finding replacements when they’re out of office or must make decisions with parents (I.e., stakeholders). Teachers sometimes joke that if they were in an office job, they would be done for the day within the first few hours, “Now what do I do?”

Let us look at which skills teachers have and how they translate to the corporate world. You will see why these educators are perfect candidates for your company.

Learning & Adapting

Teachers are required to perform Continuing Education every year. They both present and attend lectures throughout their summer breaks on new topics, strategies, and to hear success stories. Not too many professions require constant learning, but teachers are used to learning and adapting to changes every year. They must also keep up to date on requirements given to them from the state, and be aware of any changes to laws that relate to their job roles (for better or worse).

Being able to learn and adapt each year helps promote growth, and they can bring these skills into any industry.

Communication

It may seem obvious that teachers have excellent communication skills, but you may not know that it goes beyond just teaching students or sending a reply email to a concerned parent. Information must be communicated across multiple streams, which includes team members, students, administrators, parents, paraprofessionals, substitutes (when out of office), and district related services such as instructional coaches. Not to mention that teachers have become hardened in the political landscape, forming their messaging in a manner that aligns with school district policy and doing so in a timely fashion (usually within 24 hours). Like most corporate policy out today, teachers follow the same rule of “if you don’t want it read on the local news, don’t write it.”

When in-person meetings are had, whether with administrators or parents, teachers work in teams and try to find solutions to problems together. When communicating to groups they may send out weekly updates, newsletters, use text services, or make direct phone calls. This can also include conflict resolution when discussing with administrators or parents on their student’s behavior or academics, which is never easy. Educators know how to have these crucial conversations and can do so with a smile and welcoming tone. These skills can absolutely translate into human resources, public affairs, sales, or marketing roles.

Time Management

It is well known that companies are heavily dependent on meeting deadlines. If you look at a school year as a year-round project that teachers start in August, and then revamp every 9 weeks, it is easy to see the similarities. Planning and replanning happen every week and most times every day. Educators are masters at redefining timelines and how to reach that same goal that was created months ago. They also understand how to document each aspect of these timelines, from start of planning, redefining, and to reflection on how they can do it differently next project. When bad weather hits or the utilities go out, and students are out of the classroom for days, it is up to teachers to shift gears and redefine their timelines to meet the requirements given to them. Same goes for individual students who miss school in that educators must constantly modify and accommodate schedules to make sure all their students are properly educated on the content they need to know to meet grade level.

This not unlike modern project management that companies use today such as agile methodology. Teachers can be great Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, or even Product Owners if given the opportunity. Seeing as how they are experts at herding cats all day every day, managing professionals on a timeline should be quite doable.

Data Analysis

Data is the bread and butter for educators. There are many teachers that absolutely love to analyze and create plans from data, which includes weekly data meetings to discuss data from an individual view to the entire grade level for students. I have seen heat maps built with color-coded data points, full classroom data binders, and even “data rooms” where the walls are covered in data information for team review. Very similar to the corporate world, teachers collect, analyze, and make informed decisions based off data so often that it has become part of the job. Remember, most teachers have advanced degrees – they have the skillset to learn new things and adapt to them.

Data analysis translates into almost any office job today, as data has become the centerpiece of most private sector initiatives.

Having Fun!

Teachers must make things exciting for children, which can be a daunting task. Many teachers are just naturally energized and able to relate things to students easier than others. School events are also always an excuse to get kids pumped and moving. They do not mind dressing up in silly costumes and doing a line dance on stage to get the kids singing. Teachers are fun people, and the corporate world honestly needs more of them. This can include volunteer roles in company committees such as planning corporate events, fundraising, holidays, picnics, diversity and inclusion luncheons, and so on. If you do hire a teacher, make note that you may see more raffles than ever before, and that candy may be used to incentive participation!

Summary

Teachers have skills that go beyond the classroom. They may need to adjust to the corporate life, which means working in a cubicle or at home, or being able to go to the restroom whenever they want. These types of changes are usually quite welcome and easy to adapt to. But try not to dismiss their skillset as being unique to education only. There is a great deal of opportunity to see how well teachers can fit into your organization. Give them a shot!