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High-Paying Jobs English Teachers Can Career Pivot Into
High-Paying Jobs English Teachers Can Career Pivot Into
As an English teacher, you already possess so many skills that can be translated directly to non-teaching jobs. Probably more than any other specialist teacher.
Your teaching experience has given you a surprisingly valuable set of skills: communication, writing, presenting, project management, research, problem-solving, relationship management and the ability to explain complicated ideas clearly.
Many of the roles I'm about to share below also pay more than teaching roles do. The exact salary depends on your industry and location, but for many teachers, there's potential to earn far more, and it doesn't always mean starting from scratch.
I should know- because as a former teacher who didn't take any extra qualifications to switch careers, I made the pivot myself! If you're interested to hear about how I left teaching and landed a job in a completely new field, then have a read of my other posts below:
Can former English teachers get paid more?
It's one thing to leave teaching, but what about transitioning to a completely new career and get paid more?
The trick is knowing which careers value the skills you already possess — and which ones will actually pay you more for them.
What are the highest paid jobs for ex-English teachers?
Let's look at some high paying jobs English teachers can career pivot into.
How can English teachers translate their experience into one of these roles?
If you're unsure how to translate the teaching experience you already have without still sounding like a teacher, AI can help spruce up your current CV. I highly reccommend scanning it through Chatgpt or another AI system, and seeing what it suggests. However, I'd avoid using AI to the point where you don't actually understand—or couldn't explain—what you've written.
Your CV still needs to sound like you and accurately reflect what you've done. Also, something to be aware of is that most companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen applications. These systems look for relevant keywords, skills and experience, so using AI to make your CV sound more “professional”, isn't enough.
You need to make sure it actually matches the role you're applying for.
As someone who left teaching and pivoted into a new role, I've created a handy and affordable Career Toolkit, which includes a Resume Guide, a Cover Letter Guide and a Transferable Skills Guide. It also includes a useful Resume example and Cover Letter example.
How can former English teachers get a job outside of teaching?:
OK- so you have the required skillset that your ideal company are after, but as a former English teacher, how do you get started in some of these high-paying roles?
Below are some of the most realistic options for former English teachers, including what the role involves, why your teaching experience is relevant, and how you can start making the transition.
1. Technical writer
If you enjoy explaining difficult ideas in plain language, then being a technical writer might be the perfect career for you.
As products become more complex, companies need clear documentation for users, customers, and internal teams.
What do Technical Writers do?
A Technical Writer's role involves:
creating user guides
writing help articles
writing manuals
processing documents
writing product instructions.
How do you become a Technical Writer?
A good place to start is by building a portfolio which contains sample how-to guides, software walkthroughs, and process documents. The purpose of the portfolio is to showcase your skill set and prove to hiring managers why you're a worthy candiate.
Taking a course such as an Introduction to Technical Writing is a great way to upskill and add something on your resume to show you're dedicated to a career pivot. The course itself covers how to create a portfolio, the type of work to include in your portfolio, and how to write effective technical writing work. Another benefit of this particular course is that it's self-paced, so you can easily access the learning material any time.
$100k potential
Some senior technical writers, API documentation writers, writers in software, cybersecurity, biotech, engineering, and finance can move into six-figure pay ranges.
2. Instructional designer
What do lnstructional Designers do?
Instructional designers:
build training programs, online courses, workshops, learning modules, and assessments.
turn complex ideas into easy-to-understand content
build practical, measurable learning experiences.
How do you become a Instructional Designer?
You can become an Instructional Designer by starting with a portfolio. You don't have to create one, but as a career-switcher, it can make you stand out amongst other ID's.
If you're not sure what to include in your portfolio, use some of the lessons you've already taught, and translate them into online module format. You can do this by learning Articulate Storyline, the software which most Instructional Designers use when designing online modules.
It's also worth becoming familiar with the language and technical terms used by Instructional Designers. I can personally vouch for the Instructional Design Foundations course. It goes into the type of work ID's do, adult learning theory (which is important to understand when creating online modules), including the tools and software which ID's use. The course takes around a week to complete and is self-paced so so it can be completed alongside your current job.
$100k potential
Many senior Instructional Designers, Learning Experience Designers, and training consultants in tech, healthcare, finance, and corporate learning can reach or surpass 100k.
For in-depth information on pivoting into ID, check out my other posts below:
3. Content writer
If you enjoy writing but don't necessarily want to spend your day writing lesson plans, content writing could be a natural career move.
Companies need writers to create everything from blog posts and website copy to e-books, guides and marketing content. And your experience explaining ideas clearly to students is actually pretty useful here.
What do Content Writers do?
Content Writers:
write blog posts and articles
create website and landing page content
write ebooks, guides, and downloadable resources
research topics and turn them into engaging content
adapt content for different audiences.
How do you become a Content Writer?
The good news is that you don't necessarily need another degree to get started. What you do need is evidence that you can write for an audience outside of the classroom.
Start by creating a small portfolio of writing samples. If you're still working full-time as a teacher, offer to write content for the school newsletter, as this could provide great evidence for your future role outside the classroom.
Start with a topic you already know well and turn it into a blog post, or website article. This gives potential employers something concrete to look at rather than simply telling them you're a good writer.
It's also worth learning the basics of SEO, content marketing, and how businesses actually use content to attract customers. A great course to start with is The Content Creator and Copywriter Specialisation which takes around 4 weeks to complete, and covers topics such as content production, visual-storytelling skills, and SEO optimisation. These are the skills that can help you move beyond simply being "a good writer" and into a role that businesses are willing to pay for.
$100k potential
Senior content strategists, content managers, technical content writers, and content marketing managers can move into six-figure salaries, particularly in technology, finance, SaaS, and other industries where specialist knowledge is valuable.
4. Learning & Development Specialist
If the part of teaching you actually enjoy is helping people learn, you don't necessarily need to leave education altogether. You can take those skills into corporate Learning & Development.
Instead of teaching children or teenagers, you'll be designing and delivering training for adults inside organisations.
What do Learning & Development Specialists do?
Learning & Development Specialists:
design employee training programmes
create workshops and learning resources
identify training needs
deliver training sessions
evaluate whether training has actually worked.
How do you become a Learning & Development Specialist?
This is one of the career changes where teachers have a pretty obvious advantage. You've already spent years planning learning, adapting content for different abilities, delivering presentations, and figuring out whether people have actually understood something.
The biggest challenge is learning how corporate L&D works.
Start by getting familiar with terms such as learning needs analysis, competency frameworks, performance gaps, and learning evaluation. You can also rework some of the resources you've already created as examples of workplace training.
I'd also recommend learning how organisations use tools such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) and becoming comfortable creating professional presentations and online learning. A great course to get you started in L&D and add to your resume is The Learning and Development Course offered by Coursera. It covers how to create and deliver effective trainings in your organisatio and how to measure results that demonstrate key outcomes.
$100k potential
Senior Learning & Development Managers, L&D Business Partners, Learning Experience Managers, and corporate training consultants can reach six-figure salaries, particularly in larger organisations and industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare.
5. Project Manager
If you like organising people and projects but hate the idea of spending another year in the classroom, project management is worth investigating.
Teachers already spend a huge amount of time juggling deadlines, people, resources, competing priorities and unexpected problems. The difference is that in project management, that's basically the job description.
What do Project Managers do?
Project Managers:
plan and manage projects
create timelines and budgets
coordinate teams and stakeholders
identify and manage risks
make sure projects are delivered on time and within budget.
How do you become a Project Manager?
You don't necessarily need to go back to university for another degree. A good starting point is to learn the fundamentals of project management and understand how projects are actually structured. A recognised project management qualification can help you demonstrate that you understand the terminology and processes used outside education, however an online course such as the Google Project Management Course also demonstrate these skills. This particular course consists of six courses at a pace of around 8-10 hours a week. A big pro is also that the course is self-paced, so if you're teaching full-time than you can complete the certification program as and when it suits you- there's no need to rush through the modules. This program also qualifies you for over 100 hours of project management education. View the certification course here.
I'd also recommend looking at your existing experience. Have you introduced a new programme? Organised a large event? Managed a team? Coordinated multiple departments? Implemented a new system? These are all potential examples of project management experience — you just need to translate them into language that makes sense to a hiring manager.
$100k potential
Project Managers, Senior Project Managers and Programme Managers can reach six-figure salaries, particularly in technology, construction, finance, healthcare and professional services.
7. Copywriter
If you're an English teacher who loves writing but doesn't particularly fancy writing 40-page technical manuals, copywriting could be worth a look.
The difference is that copywriting is about persuading someone to take action — whether that's buying something, signing up for something or clicking a button.
What do Copywriters do?
Copywriters:
write website and landing page copy
create advertising campaigns
write email marketing
create social media and promotional content
write sales and marketing materials.
How do you become a Copywriter?
Start by learning how copywriting differs from the type of writing you're used to doing as a teacher.
You need to understand things like audience, tone of voice, headlines, calls to action and persuasive writing.
Then build a portfolio. You don't need to wait for a company to give you your first copywriting job — create your own examples. Rewrite a company's homepage, write a mock email campaign or create an example product landing page. Your English degree and teaching experience can give you a strong foundation, but employers ultimately want to see whether you can write copy that achieves a purpose.
$100k potential
Senior copywriters, creative strategists, content strategists and freelance copywriters with established client bases can reach six-figure incomes.
8. Curriculum Developer
If you're not quite ready to completely leave education behind, but you're ready to leave the classroom, curriculum development could be a good middle ground.
Instead of delivering lessons every day, you'd be using your teaching experience to create the learning materials that other people use.
What do Curriculum Developers do?
Curriculum Developers:
design and develop educational programmes
create lesson and course materials
map learning outcomes and content
review and improve existing programmes
work with teachers, subject experts and other stakeholders.
How do you become a Curriculum Developer?
The good thing about this career is that you already have a lot of the relevant experience.
Think about the curriculum resources you've created during your teaching career. Which ones could you turn into a professional portfolio?
You could include examples of schemes of work, assessments, learning activities and curriculum plans — but present them in a way that demonstrates your ability to design learning, rather than simply showing what you did in your classroom.
It's also worth looking at jobs beyond schools. Publishers, universities, education companies, edtech businesses and training organisations all need people who understand how to develop learning content.
$100k potential
Senior curriculum designers, curriculum managers, learning designers and education consultants can move into six-figure salaries, particularly in higher education, edtech and corporate learning.
To summarise, if you have a variety of skills like English teachers have, then the roles above could be for you. If you're keen to hear more, but aren't sure on how to rework your CV, or write your cover letter to get noticed by hiring managers, then download my Career Toolkit here, and check out my shop below for a Resume template bundle which you can purchase via Etsy:
Shop my Resume Template Bundle
If you're keen to read about Remote opportunities specifically, then I've got you covered with my post below:
Good luck with your job hunt! X
(As always, if you have any comments please drop them below. If you need further support with anything, feel free to drop me a message here.
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