Leaving teaching

Teachers leave for other education roles, for jobs in the wider public sector, and for training, publishing, HR and charity work where explaining things clearly to groups is the core skill. The practical steps are to time your resignation to the Burgundy Book deadlines if you are in a maintained school, decide what to do with your Teachers’ Pension Scheme membership (you keep what you have built up), and line up the next job or a source of income first. QTS never expires, so you can come back later.

Jobs that use teaching skills

Teaching gives you skills that recruiters in many sectors value: planning and delivering learning, managing groups, assessing progress, handling difficult conversations with parents, safeguarding, data analysis and working to deadlines that do not move.

Still in education

• Further education lecturer, teaching vocational or adult courses, often with different hours and no Ofsted-style school pressures; see the FE lecturer guide
• Educational psychologist, which needs a funded doctorate but builds directly on classroom experience; see how to become an educational psychologist
• Careers adviser in schools and colleges
• SEND caseworker in a council, coordinating EHC plans
• Exams officer or data manager in a school
• Tutoring, online or in person, which some teachers combine with part-time work
• Exam board roles: examiner, moderator or subject officer

In the wider public sector

• Civil Service roles, particularly at the Department for Education, Ofsted and other bodies dealing with education policy or inspection
• Council education roles, such as school improvement, early help and attendance
• Youth work and family support
• Learning and development roles in the NHS, councils or government departments, designing and delivering staff training
• Police staff and probation roles that involve working with young people

Outside the public sector

• corporate learning and development and instructional design
• educational publishing and edtech
• museum, gallery and heritage education
• charity education programmes

Translating your experience

Public sector applications score you against the person specification, and private employers look for evidence in your CV. In both cases, describe outcomes and responsibilities, not just “taught Year 9”. A head of year has managed a team, handled complaints, led safeguarding cases and worked with outside agencies. A subject lead has written a curriculum, analysed assessment data and trained colleagues. For Civil Service applications, the guide to Civil Service behaviours shows how to frame these examples.

Timing your resignation

Teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales resign on fixed dates:

• by 31 October to leave on 31 December
• by 28 or 29 February to leave on 30 April
• by 31 May to leave on 31 August

Headteachers need three months’ notice, or four for the summer term. Academies often follow the same dates, but your contract decides. Most teachers leave in the summer because it keeps their pay running through August. The guide to teacher resignation deadlines covers what to do if a new employer wants you sooner; schools can agree to release you early, but they do not have to.

Your Teachers’ Pension

Everything you have built up in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme stays yours when you leave. If you stop paying in, your benefits are usually kept as a deferred pension, payable from your normal pension age and revalued in the meantime. If you move to another job with an employer that offers the TPS, such as an FE college, a university or an independent school in the scheme, you can keep paying in.

Moving to another public sector scheme, such as the Civil Service or the LGPS, raises the question of whether to leave your TPS benefits where they are or transfer them. That is a decision with long-term consequences. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme guide explains the options in general terms, and a regulated financial adviser can advise on your circumstances.

Other things to check before you go:

• any salary sacrifice arrangements, such as cycle to work, that may need settling
• union membership, which you may want to keep at a reduced rate or switch
• your entitlement to pay for any untaken holiday, if your contract has leave outside school holidays (rare for teachers)

Leaving on good terms

You will need a reference from your current head for most public sector jobs, and for a return to teaching later. Hand in your notice in writing, keep the conversation brief and professional, and finish your marking and handover notes. If you are leaving because of a dispute, workload or treatment you think was unfair, get advice from your union before you resign. Resigning can affect any claim you might have.

Testing the change first

If you are not sure, there are ways to try other work without burning your bridges. You could move to part-time teaching, take on supply work, examine for an exam board in the summer, or apply for a secondment into a council or trust role. A secondment keeps your job open while you try something different.