Episode 8: 10 Marketable Teacher Skills
For those of you thinking about finding a career outside of education or teaching, this episode is for you! A common fear about leaving the classroom is that you don’t have the right skills or experience to excel in a different career. However, I’m here to tell you that’s absolutely false. Teachers have many valuable skills, so I’m highlighting 10 marketable teacher skills that make you an asset outside of the classroom.
As teachers, we do copious amounts of things per day. However, we tend to not think of them as marketable teacher skills. In reality, they’re very valuable in helping to explore further opportunities. Those skills include:
Multitasking
Efficiency
Problem solving
Detail oriented
Interpersonal
Innovation
Adaptability
Written skills
Research skills
Enthusiasm
While not all teachers have the same skills, we all develop certain skills along the way. If considering a career outside of the classroom, determine your marketable teacher skills and how they can be utilized for specific roles and other career opportunities.
Topics Discussed:
Ways to determine your marketable teacher skills
How to effectively utilize each skill to your advantage
Tips on figuring out which skills fit best for you
Resources mentioned:
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Read the transcript for this episode:
Today, we're gonna talk all about marketable teacher skills. As teachers, we often take our skills for granted, especially when we're around other teachers all the time. But our skills are so valuable. And when we learn to recognize them and really see their value, the sky is the limit. So let's start by examining 10 marketable teacher skills that many of us have in common.
The first skill is multitasking, I have worked with many teachers, both inside and outside of the classroom, and many non teachers. And I've really seen how one of our teaching superpowers is the ability to multitask. Because honestly, we can't be a teacher without multitasking, right? We're doing all the things all the time. And when you move outside of the classroom, and you're managing multiple projects, or maybe you're doing a few different things.
Like when I first started outside of the classroom, I was doing some consulting, some curriculum development, some coaching. And I was totally able to manage all of those things at once, because I was used to being a teacher. And now when I'm managing even 20 projects at once, it is never anywhere near as challenging as it was being a kindergarten teacher.
So think about all the things you multitask all of the time, even take a snippet of your day and write down all the things you're doing. You're doing classroom management, you're doing instruction, you're planning the next lesson, you're keeping track of where kids are, you're talking to a colleague, you're doing all these things all at once. And that is a huge, huge skill.
The second skill I've noticed many teachers have in common is that we are efficient. There is never enough time to get all the things we need to do done. And we work so hard as teachers that we have, by nature, develop these efficiency skills, we can get a lot done in a short amount of time. And this might be different, you might always feel right, like I never have enough time, I'm never doing enough. But I promise you, you were doing way more than people in other jobs. And that efficiency, that ability to do all the things in a short amount of time is such an asset.
When I moved beyond the classroom and started working when my daughter was a baby, I worked primarily when she was asleep. And so I would open up my computer when I put her down for a nap and write as much as I possibly could, in that short amount of time, really making the most not knowing if it was gonna be a half hour nap or a two hour nap. But really making the most of that time that I had.
And I was able to do this, I think because I had develop this skill as a teacher. I had had only 10 minutes or so for my kids being out at recess, my students being out at recess to do all the things then: make copies, make a parent phone call, get a snack, get set up for the next lesson.
We get used to working in these small containers of time. And when we move particularly to flexible work, where you have more control over your schedule, your time doesn't have to equal your money, you don't have to be there from 8am to 4pm or we know we stay longer. But now when you're working flexibly, you know, you can really get things done efficiently and in a short amount of time. And that can be one of your superpowers.
The third thing I want you to think about is problem solving skills. As teachers, there are many problems to be solved. So, so many, and we're used to solving problems all day long in our classroom, whether they're as small as a student who doesn't have a pencil, or as big as a student who's really struggling to learn how to read. We are used to thinking creatively, and really taking in data to make informed decisions. And this ability to solve problems and not give up when we take on challenges is a huge thing that you'll bring to the next phase of your career.
And especially having the ability to persevere with problem solving, that we've all had students who really struggle and we're always thinking creatively about like, oh, well, maybe if they sit over here, and maybe if they have this support. Maybe if I try and get some extra help in the classroom. What can I do to support the student?
We don't give up when it comes to a student right? And that same problem solving skill is what we need to solve many of these problems facing education. We need people who will think creatively and come up with all sorts of solutions to the many pressing problems. And teachers have that skill.
Skill number four is that we are detail oriented. This is one of the phrases that I always see in job descriptions. And it's something that teachers are really good at. It takes attention to detail to remember not just all the names of your students, but also their strengths, their learning styles, their likes, their dislikes, their friends, all the things. Teachers remember these details and are able to put those details to use every day. And you can bring that same skill to any job you take on.
We are used to paying attention to details because we have to, it is part of our job to deeply know the students we work with and too deeply know the content that we're teaching. And so we're always paying attention to and keeping track of details, partly because we know they're so important. And having worked with a lot of people who aren't teachers, I have really seen that this is a unique skill that not everyone has. Not everybody is detail oriented, and that's okay. But as teachers likely we are. And so really play into that and play that up and own it as one of your strengths.
The fifth skill I want to draw your attention to is interpersonal skills, which is not really just one skill, right? It's lots of skills. And you can't really work as a classroom teacher without developing interpersonal skills. We are learning to get along with all sorts of people, whether they be students, or teachers or parents, we have to learn these skills in order to be effective.
And when you move beyond the classroom, and start working with other groups of people, you'll use these skills, and you're really good at listening, solving conflicts, involving others, collaborating with others. I want you to just reflect on some of those skills that you've developed as a teacher, and some of those things that you've learned.
I know this became really apparent to me when I became a parent that I had been teaching kindergarten and first grade and then having my own children at home, I really got to reflect on how much I had learned about helping students solve problems, about remaining calm when they're upset, and really listening and reflecting their emotions, all of these interpersonal skills. So take a moment to reflect on some of those interpersonal skills you've developed and think about how you can talk about them when applying for jobs.
Okay, the sixth skill is probably my favorite. Number six is innovation. This goes along with problem solving, but takes it even one step further. We're not just solving problems, but we're innovating new solutions. And I want you to think back again, to a struggling student you've worked with, and how you try these divergent ideas like, oh, I don't know, maybe this will work. This is a crazy idea. I'm going to try it. We need innovation in education, and teachers are the ones to create it.
So really think about you have this skill, you are used to thinking outside of the box. So what can you do now? What can you think outside of the box on when it comes to education? When it comes to thinking flexibly or working flexibly beyond the classroom? How can you use your innovative skills, and put your imagination into action to develop curriculum or consult or develop a new model to be used in schools?
The seventh skill I want you to think about is adaptability. Again, this is one of the ones we develop because we have to we have to learn how to adapt, because as teachers, our days are never the same. And sometimes our plans change every minute. You can plan a lesson and no matter how amazing it might be in your head, when you put it into action in front of real live students, it's likely going to be very different.
And we're used to thinking on our feet, we're used to thinking about okay, students aren't answering this question the way that I thought, let me mix it up, let me change what I was planning on doing, or wow, the students just came up with an amazing reflection. Let me play into that. And let me take it further.
So we're used to thinking on our feet, we're used to making changes based on data and things we receive or learn in the moment. And that adaptability is so key. Being able to mix things up and change things up and be responsive is an asset in any situation.
That eighth skill that you've likely developed as a teacher are writing skills. And again, not just one skill here, but many kinds of lumped into this. And you might not think of yourself as a writer, but if you're a classroom teacher, you've likely developed some key writing skills, whether that's lesson plans or emails to parents or colleagues or community members. You're really an expert at sharing complex information in a concise, easy to understand way.
And this is really a marketable skill. When you think about blogs or articles, or white papers or research papers, all of these take really complex ideas and break them down. So if you're somebody who's naturally inclined to write or you somewhat enjoy writing, I would think about exploring careers that have more writing in them, because likely you would be a good fit.
The ninth skill is again, not just one skill, but a collection of research skills. As teachers, we are experts in learning. And this means we can learn anything. And part of this has to do with research skills. If you don't know something, you know how to find out the answer, whether it's oh, my goodness, I need to teach this lesson on fractions tomorrow, and I need to refresh my understanding, I'm gonna go research that. Or, hey, this student is really struggling with this concept. Let me research some strategies that I can use to help them.
So really thinking about our research skills as something we bring to the table can really bring out the confidence in our skills as teachers. And research is important in any job that you do beyond the classroom, knowing that you can find the answers, knowing that you can figure things out is really, really empowering.
And last but not least, the tenth marketable teacher skill we have is enthusiasm. Teachers are generally optimistic and enthusiastic, they are pleasant to work with, they're ready to make the world a better place. And don't let that leave you. You know, I think a lot of us got into teaching because we were idealistically thinking about making the world better, you can still do that. I want you to do that. And I want you to bring that commitment with you forward to really change the face of education and make the differences that you want to see.
So stay enthusiastic, stay committed to education, stay optimistic, and really solve those problems that you see out there with your wide variety of skills.
And of course, your skills list will be as unique and wonderful as you are not all teachers have the same skills, but we certainly have many skills we've developed, so spend some time thinking about yours and how your skills can be an asset when working beyond the classroom. Then reflect on what types of roles could be a good fit for these skills. As experts in learning you truly can do anything.