How to Return to Teaching After a Career Break

Returning to any career after a hiatus can be scary, but returning to teaching can feel overwhelming, especially if you've been away from the field for a long time. There are many reasons why teachers leave the profession: motherhood, a move, downsizing, or illness, to name a few. No matter your reasons for leaving, it is possible to return to teaching after a break and be just as effective, if not more so, as when you left. Finding a teaching job can be scary, especially when you're up against a pool of eager, young college graduates, fresh from their studies on the latest educational philosophies. However, instead of focusing on the negatives like a gap in your resume, turn your experiences into a positive and show prospective employers just how much you can bring to the classroom. These tips will help you organize your search as you plan to become a teacher the second time around.

Solidify the Reasons for Your Absence
You may feel nervous about taking a break from teaching, but a future employer will appreciate your being firm and honest about your reasons for leaving. You don't have to give your life story, but do have a clear narrative to tell about why you left, what you did while you were absent from teaching, and why you now wish to return to the field. For instance, say something like, "I left teaching after the birth of my first child because I wanted to be at home when my children were young. I valued being able to use my teaching experience with my own children, and now that they're all in full-time school, I'm ready to come back to teaching in the classroom and once again use my skills with many students. I feel that teaching after motherhood will give me a better perspective into students' lives, now that I am a parent." This is a concise, yet honest way of not only educating a future employer about the gap in your resume, but puts a positive spin on your time away as well.

Diversify Your Resume
Just because you haven't been teaching recently, does not mean that your resume needs to remain blank for that time period. Did you volunteer at your church or children's school? Travel? Learn more about the subject you teach? Real-world experiences can be invaluable as supplementary knowledge in today's classrooms. Schools appreciate when their teachers possess a broad base of knowledge that extends beyond the curriculum, as this can be passed on to their students in new and exciting ways. Showing that you have hands-on knowledge in various subjects that can be used to enhance the existing curriculum is a positive asset that should be advertised.

Assemble Your Contacts
Depending on how long you've been away from teaching, you may have fallen out of contact with your old colleagues. Make sure before you start the interview process you have three or four current contacts that are willing to be called and/or e-mailed to give a professional account of your experience. Think of people you've worked with, volunteered with, or those who know you well and can speak of what you're capable of doing with authority. Maybe you taught a Sunday School class with another mom or babysat someone's children regularly. Any experience with teaching or interacting with children can be used to speak for how you'll fare in the classroom. If you are able to include at least one teacher or administrator from your previous position to vouch for your professionalism, that will make your list even more impressive and give a future employer good insight into who you are.

Prepare Yourself Before You Interview
When you take a break from teaching, many things can change. Make sure you are able to present yourself as the complete package before you begin searching for a new job. Check to see if your teaching license is current and renew it if need be. If you've moved to a different state than your licensure, you'll need to meet the requirements for your new state and obtain a license there. If there have been a lot of changes in the subject you teach (i.e. technology and computers), make sure you're well-versed in what's current, both in the real world and in current curriculums. Be able to articulate your teaching style and philosophy; refreshing yourself on teaching "lingo" can go a long way in making you appear professional and just as current as the college grads competing for the same position. Many colleges will offer basic courses like Educational Philosophy that would be good to take to refresh your knowledge base. The internet also has many "Return to Teaching" courses; research these and see if one may benefit you. It's best to come into the job search and interviews already fully qualified; employers will most likely choose a candidate that's immediately ready over one who still needs to update a license or take a refresher course.

Research Your Options
Recent budget cuts in many places have made teaching a difficult profession to enter; many teachers are losing jobs or having to share jobs due to downsizing. However, the field of education is much more than just classroom teachers. Administrators, support staff, specialists, and more are needed to keep schools running, and one of these positions may be a perfect fit for you. Keep a positive attitude and keep your options open. Ask about other opportunities other than teachers at your local schools and colleges; you may find a job within education that suits you better than the one you left behind.

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