"I feel more valued, I think, than I ever have in my whole career."

After more than 20 years in teaching - moving school every couple of years as a military family, and retraining along the way from secondary English to primary - Helen reached a point in her career where she knew something wasn't right anymore. At the time, it felt like a positive choice to move on rather than burnout; but with hindsight she realised how normal she'd let the exhaustion become, dreading Mondays and living for the holidays.

Now working for the police as a Learning & Development Standards Officer, Helen has found a role that leaves her feeling more valued than she ever has in her career, with a flexibility and autonomy she didn't know was possible. The work still feels important to her, she's surrounded by great people, and - for the first time - she's found herself feeling ambitious about what comes next.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• A moment of realisation - "I don't want to be a teacher anymore"
• Normalising exhaustion and clocking it only in hindsight
• The excitement of jobs board browsing
• A workshop that changed her thinking
• Practical support inside the Academy
• The application process with the police
• Creating an interview presentation that stands out
• Flexi-working, feeling valued, and finding ambition she never had
• The art of the reframe

Links:
Teacher Jobs Board

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"I can't continue like this where my entire identity is wrapped up in being a teacher."

After nearly 18 years in primary education, Rhonda had known for a while that something needed to change. She still loved teaching - it was never about that - but she'd reached a point where she felt like she couldn't sustain the way she was working in school while also being present for her own two children. It wasn't a decision that came overnight, and it took some of the Academy’s early resources to show her just how much her sense of self had become tied to being a teacher.

Now a Learner Success Coach at a remote-first company upskilling workforces in AI and data, Rhonda supports apprentices through their courses. She's getting to do the school run as she’d always wanted to, working somewhere with a genuinely friendly culture, and giving herself the grace to learn without expecting to know everything on day one.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• Sensing for years that teaching wasn't sustainable long-term
• Seeing the bigger picture - even when there are still bits of teaching you love
• A squiggly journey out
• Handing in her notice before securing a new role
• Rejoining the Academy and what that shifted
• Using Gold membership for tailored support
• Being unsuccessful first time round - and reapplying after learning from feedback
• Showcasing experience that you might not expect
• Adjusting to remote work (plus all the perks that it brings!)
• Hoping to be somebody else’s workplace ‘buddy’ someday

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

"There are lots of jobs out there for people with the skills that we have as very experienced teachers."

After 30 years in teaching - working across EYFS, KS1, forest school leadership and running pre-schools - Anne had loved every bit of it: learning new things, supporting others, and being in "the thick of it" in the classroom. But last year, burnout caught up with her, and she found herself asking, "how much longer can I keep going?" For the sake of her own health and wellbeing, she knew this wasn't the right path for her moving forwards.

Now working as a Learning and Participation Officer for a national heritage charity, Anne has swapped exhaustion for early morning walks by the sea, beach meditation, and evenings that finally, actually end. She's letting go of her fixer instinct, learning to sit on her hands, and discovering that things don't have to be hard to work.

In this episode, we also talk about:

• The surprising range of roles open to EYFS teachers
• Wondering what comes next after decades in teaching
• Why age doesn't rule anything out
• Slowing down to speed up
• Going through it together, not alone
• Learning to put yourself first
• Landing a competitive role in the heritage sector
• Meditation and beach walks as daily non-negotiables
• The variety - and energy - of life in a new role
• Letting go of the overachiever and learning to rest

Links:
Project Management Fundamentals Training

Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨