Deciding whether to leave your teaching career is a significant decision that requires careful consideration.
Here are some factors to consider that may help you determine if it's time to leave your teaching career:
Burnout: If you are feeling exhausted, stressed, and emotionally drained, you may be experiencing burnout. Burnout can affect your motivation, engagement, and overall well-being, which can ultimately impact your teaching performance.
Lack of fulfillment: If you are no longer finding joy or fulfillment in your job, it may be time to re-evaluate your career goals and aspirations. The teaching environment now is not what you signed up for. If you are realizing that your goals as an educator are not aligned with the educational climate, it might be time to bring your skills to a different field.
Health concerns: If your job is causing you physical or mental health problems, it may be time to consider leaving your teaching career. Many teachers report that teaching has impacted their physical health such as increased migraines, gut/ digestion issues, chronic pain, and even infertility. Additionally, teaching in high stress environments can severely impact mental health, presenting in ways like anxiety, depression, insomnia and emotional dysregulation.
Limited growth opportunities: If you feel that you have reached a dead-end in your career and there are no opportunities for growth or advancement, it may be time to move on. Growth within the school setting is known to be fairly limited. The categories teachers are located within are very structured and rigid. If you are a person who is seeing growth, you may find greater opportunities beyond the classroom.
Workplace culture: If you are unhappy with the culture of your school or the relationships with your colleagues, it may be time to consider a change. Think about the daily or weekly frustrations, conflicts and discomforts you experience as a classroom teacher. If those had been described to you during the interview process as a normal day in the life expectations, would you have accepted the position?
Personal or family reasons: Sometimes, personal or family reasons may require you to leave your teaching career, such as relocating to a different city or caring for a sick family member. There are many ways to be a teacher, and your certifications and skills are transferable. You have the freedom to do what is right for your family and your needs.
Ultimately, the decision to leave your teaching career is a personal one that depends on your unique circumstances and goals. If you are considering leaving your teaching career, it may be helpful to speak with trusted friends, family members, or a career counselor to explore your options and make an informed decision.
43 comments
I am a paraprofessional lll I have my bachelor in education but I refuse to teach back then while I was going to school for my bachelor’s it was a tough as it looks now. I have all the experience in all grade level from Pre.k to 8th grade basically and EBD emotional bahvior disorder. Last November was my 25 th year and I took off on FLMA under my mother because she needed me. But then I have been extremely exhausted 😩 like everyone else. I am looking and I need some assistance please in finding a good fulltime job 🙏 because I have no income coming in under FLMA unless I quite and I want to quite but I need to have that perfect paying job before I do so. Please I live in Miami florida dade county if anyone 🙏 can assist please I am stressed out nit working everything is behind all my bills struggling.
I am a paraprofessional lll I have my bachelor in education but I refuse to teach back then while I was going to school for my bachelor’s it was a tough as it looks now. I have all the experience in all grade level from Pre.k to 8th grade basically and EBD emotional bahvior disorder. Last November was my 25 th year and I took off on FLMA under my mother because she needed me. But then I have been extremely exhausted 😩 like everyone else. I am looking and I need some assistance please in finding a good fulltime job 🙏 because I have no income coming in under FLMA unless I quite and I want to quite but I need to have that perfect paying job before I do so. Please I live in Miami florida dade county if anyone 🙏 can assist please I am stressed out nit working everything is behind all my bills struggling.
I graduated with my Bachelor degree 8 yrs ago with the excitement of going into education. I never made it past the first semester. I didn’t get my degree in education so I had to go through an EPP (ACP) program. Those are a joke. They teach you nothing. I went in to that first classroom with my intern certificate and left not long after feeling like a failure. I tried 2 more times to give it a go at different schools, same thing. I finally let that ambition go, but by then years had passed and I had nothing to put on my resume, so I started substitute teaching and that just really made me realize that I do not want to be a teacher (at least in a public school). Then I started tutoring students online in ESL and I enjoyed it, it was fun, and flexible and not stressful, but it’s definitely not about the income, because as an tutor without a standard teaching license, I barely made any. So it’s years and years later now and the only thing on my resume is teaching and tutoring, so it’s no wonder I get no job offers from any other career. The education system (public school at least) is so backwards, no one is actually teaching those kids anything. And its not the teachers fault, it’s the system. It is set up to teach specifically to get the students to pass a test and the teachers have no time to do anything else but that. It is just sad.
I am an IA in a school and it is hard to get by day to day. I do love children but it is becoming harder and harder to work in schools.
This blog, well, the author just read my mail. I left a school this last February that was so toxic that it literally made me physically ill. I was mentally, emotionally, and riddled with chronic pain. I am just now thinking what it would be like to change careers, but I’m scared to death.
I feel like my old self is beginning to come back and that I know who “Kim” is again. I will get there.
Thank you for writing this blog!