Primary Teacher to Program Officer/ Instructional Designer

My experience of pivoting into instructional design

Today, I'm sharing my experience as a former teacher of landing job in the Instructional Design sector to help others to make the transition. Full disclosure: my job title is 'Program Officer', but it entails being in charge of an education hub and designing materials for eLearning modules. My role incorporates elements of instructional design theory. I rarely shout about my achievements, but this one I am super proud of and willing to share if it means I can inspire others to take a leap of faith.

What’s Your Background In Teaching?

I've taught in primary schools internationally for around 9 years in 3 different countries- London, Dubai and now Zealand! I always had an interest in education and enjoyed creating and designing lessons and creating resources. In one of my first teaching roles I was also Head of Sport and I had enjoyed organising events, communicating with external agencies, and being in charge of scheduling and attending professional development courses around Sport.

Why Did You Decide To Embark On A New Career?

I was looking for something new that excited me, and incorporated my love for coordinating events, bringing ideas together and building relationships with different people. In the last 2 years, I began to feel my passion for teaching fading, and found myself getting "The Monday Fear" because of my never-ending list of things I had to do. I felt stressed every Sunday, and couldn't spend time with my family in the evenings because I was too busy planning my lessons for the week ahead or marking.

What Does Your Day-to-Day Job Entail?

My everyday job entails working with member associates (I work for a non-profit sports confederation), organising their education hub for employee training and liaising with various internal and external teams to organise venues and transport for employees attending workshops. There might also be some travel involved for international seminars!

I really love that my job is so varied. I also enjoy working with people from all over the world, which I'm used to from teaching in Dubai which was incredibly multicultural.

What can former teachers do to help them transfer into being a Program Officer or Instructional Designer?

I took Instructional Design Foundations and Applications by the University of Illinois via Coursera. Whilst a course or additional degree isn't necessary for instructional design, I'd recommend  Instructional Design Foundations and Applications because it broadens your understanding of the instructional design theories behind adult learning. I'd had some experience with designing course materials for staff training at my previous school and leading workshops- I just hadn't realised at the time that I had applied adult-learning principles to the workshop I had designed!!

I found the course extremely beneficial when I had my interviews, because I was able to refer to the ADDIE theory and my current workplace also uses Articulate 360 to design employee courses, so my hands-on experience really helped me to land the job!

If you are looking to pivot into the non-profit sector, which is typical of Program Officers, Learning Advisors or Consultants, Program Managers, Corporate Trainers etc., then Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector, Nonprofit Organisations, Nonprofit Leadership and Governance is a solid course to add to your resume to help you transfer into the non-profit sector.

Do you have an tips for getting interviews?

Firstly, get to grips with Articulate 360 for creating courses. I saw this software come up time and time again in job ads and I noticed on their website that they offered a free trial. The most common advice I can give you is to create a portfolio. That alone is reason enough to download Articulate 360.

Additionally, I tweaked my resume for every job, using the language of Instructional Design and I wrote cover letters for each and every job I applied to, ensuring that I highlighted my transferable skills.

For my interviews, I created courses specifically tailored to the companies I was applying to. To decide on a course topic, I looked at the company’s mission, values, and social media to see what mattered most to them. I put myself in the shoes of a new hire and asked:

‘As a new employee of X company, what would I need to know?’

For example, I designed an Articulate course for a popular groceries company which had a customer rewards program. I created an imaginary scenario where new and current employees needed training on the rewards program and how to make it more effective to increase revenue. This approach demonstrated my practical skills and understanding of how learning solutions align with business goals.

I'm still teaching full-time. What can I do now to help improve my skill-set?

If you're still teaching full-time, and have an interest in exploring instructional design in the near future, definitely see if there are ways you can take on extra responsibility in the innovation or tech side of things at your school. I joined 'the innovation team', and was something I could speak about in my interview because I also delivered staff training off the back of that. This gave me first-hand experience training adults and delivering adult-led learning, which is a big part of instructional design.

If taking on extra responsibility isn't an option, then see if you can offer to lead staff training on a relevant topic that would add value to other teachers. Perhaps you know how to run a new assessment platform, or you have an idea for a new marking and feedback policy. Another option, is to ask leadership if you can attend training on something your interested in, and then feed it back to staff. If you have experience with adult-learning and training , this will definitely strengthen your application.

How will I find the time to upskill and apply for jobs?

At the time I was looking for a role outside of teaching, I was on maternity leave so I wasn't full-time teaching- but as we all know, looking after a baby is also a full time gig, so I only had the time or energy to apply at the weekends. It's important that you dedicate time over the weekend, during your lunch breaks or during the holidays if needs be, to updating your resume and look for other jobs. I can hear you saying to me, Yeah right!

Trust me, it is possible - you just have to know that only you can change your situation.

If you're finding excuses as to why you're not dedicating time to yourself and changing your current situation- maybe you're seeing friends at the weekend, maybe you're off on a shopping spree or you've agreed to visit your aunty and uncle, then perhaps your reasons for leaving aren't that imminent, and you need to reassess what you want for your future.

Still not sure how you'll find the time whilst teaching full time? I've got you covered in my blog posts below:

• How Teachers Can Find the Time to Apply for Jobs Outside of Teaching

• How Teachers Can Leave Teaching

What If I Still Can't Land a Job in Instructional Design?

1. Ensure that you perfect your resume. 

2. Include any courses or certificates on your resume that are relevant to Instructional Design.

3. Create a portfolio.

4. If you can't land a job as in Instructional Designer, look at similar roles such as Learning Designer, Corporate Trainer, Program Officer.

5. I am always happy to help! Contact me with any questions!

• How to Transfer from Teaching Into Instructional Design

• How To Transfer from Teaching into Learning and Development

• Best Remote Jobs for Former Teachers

• Top 5 Courses to Help Teachers Transition Into New Careers