Want to leave teaching - do I have any options?

[Anonymous]

I have a degree in accounting but only worked as an accountant for one year and that was 15 years ago.

I am also the breadwinner with an $80,000/year salary so I can't afford to take a pay cut, especially if it means I will be working longer hours at the new job, which would cause more childcare expenses due to after-care.
I have taught several courses over the last 15 years (math, business) and am currently in career education. An ideal switch would be to work at a college in their career center, but I imagine those jobs are hard to come by. Maybe in recruiting, but I am sure you need a human resources background in order to do that.

Anyway, do I have any options? Being 15 years away from "retirement" and at my salary level, is it stupid to leave?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a degree in accounting but only worked as an accountant for one year and that was 15 years ago.

I am also the breadwinner with an $80,000/year salary so I can't afford to take a pay cut, especially if it means I will be working longer hours at the new job, which would cause more childcare expenses due to after-care.
I have taught several courses over the last 15 years (math, business) and am currently in career education. An ideal switch would be to work at a college in their career center, but I imagine those jobs are hard to come by. Maybe in recruiting, but I am sure you need a human resources background in order to do that.

Anyway, do I have any options? Being 15 years away from "retirement" and at my salary level, is it stupid to leave?

TIA

A lot of software companies and device companies hire trainers. You sound like you'd be a good fit for this personality type. Logically starting points are any software you currently use, (if you do any distance learning for instance, Adobe Connect or GoTo Meeting or WebEx would be thoughts).

I would say that SS is calculated based on three consecutive years of highest salary. Is your salary scheduled to keep going up where you are or is it pretty flat? If it's pretty flat and you have three consecutive years at $80K already, you're not going to get much more from SS (at this job.) However, does your company have a retirement package? If so, would you be leaving that on the table leaving early? That's a different story.

[Anonymous]

Training and development fall under HR, which is uber competitive to get into. Plus companies want people with HR certs like the PHR. You need actual experience but if you network you may be able to get in the door someplace.

Colleges aren't much better. College advisers need counseling, or psych degrees. Some colleges treat recruitment like sales and they may travel a lot in the spring and fall. If you mean recruitment in HR then you need experience. You can always look at the job ads online to see what employers are looking for.

Unless you hate your job, stay put or get additional educational credentials.

[Anonymous]

Pensions tie everyone down to the public school teaching job. Everyone dreams if leaving but they don't know how.

[Anonymous]

PO, are you teaching in a public school or at the college/university level? Unclear from your post, and it seems other posters are assuming you are in secondary education. Your post sounded more like "college professor" to me.

[Anonymous]

That sound be "op" instead of "po"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PO, are you teaching in a public school or at the college/university level? Unclear from your post, and it seems other posters are assuming you are in secondary education. Your post sounded more like "college professor" to me.

Public high school.

I love teaching I just can't take the public school bs anymore and was hoping I may have options, but it doesn't look like I do.

Thanks for the insight so far!

[Anonymous]

I work in publishing. There are a lot of associations and publishers creating materials for high school classrooms and/or working on curricular standards and/or educational policy. Maybe it is worth looking at those associations and publishers for positions?

One way to make a shift might be to push yourself to do information interviewing across all manner of sectors to get more of a picture of the internal landscape.

No way would I personally leave a pension on the table. Just me. BS is BS, but leave it at the door and roll your eyes or laugh at it. I know I'm not OP but a pension could make a big difference to your life after working and you could see it as buying you future freedom... But I understand that I may not know the extent of insanity or stupidity or worse OP is facing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pensions tie everyone down to the public school teaching job. Everyone dreams if leaving but they don't know how.

That is a big reason I will stick it out. That and the summers off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PO, are you teaching in a public school or at the college/university level? Unclear from your post, and it seems other posters are assuming you are in secondary education. Your post sounded more like "college professor" to me.

Public high school.

I love teaching I just can't take the public school bs anymore and was hoping I may have options, but it doesn't look like I do.

Thanks for the insight so far!

You may just want to "rest and vest." Screw the liberals who hold pensions over union member's heads which force them to stay in a job they hate because of financial reasons.

[Anonymous]

You may want to look at K12 an online home-school company based in Virginia.
They hire teachers and curriculum designers. I don't know what they pay but it could be at what you currently make but for working 50 weeks a year.

I was a teacher and then I got my masters degree in instructional design at George Mason. The degree enabled me to go into designing corporate training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in publishing. There are a lot of associations and publishers creating materials for high school classrooms and/or working on curricular standards and/or educational policy. Maybe it is worth looking at those associations and publishers for positions?

One way to make a shift might be to push yourself to do information interviewing across all manner of sectors to get more of a picture of the internal landscape.

No way would I personally leave a pension on the table. Just me. BS is BS, but leave it at the door and roll your eyes or laugh at it. I know I'm not OP but a pension could make a big difference to your life after working and you could see it as buying you future freedom... But I understand that I may not know the extent of insanity or stupidity or worse OP is facing.

Thanks, I will look into all of this and definitely look at informational interviews.

Yes, you are right. Walking away from a pension now is not ideal and I do hate that it is a huge factor in keeping me here. It isn't THAT bad, I can stick it out, but if there were better options I was going to explore them. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I wish politicians would make pensions roll-over like 401Ks. You take all the money you put in and the company's contribution and take it with you wherever you are employed next. That way we (taxpayers) don't get stuck with burned out teachers and lazy workers.
It would be a win, win, win!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish politicians would make pensions roll-over like 401Ks. You take all the money you put in and the company's contribution and take it with you wherever you are employed next. That way we (taxpayers) don't get stuck with burned out teachers and lazy workers.
It would be a win, win, win!!!!

Im the OP and I totally agree!

[Anonymous]

Do not walk away from the pension!