The Adventures After Teaching Podcast

"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 ✨

"I wouldn’t have known how to even get going.”
After 15 years teaching reception Hannah loved the job but found herself craving a new challenge. Ready for a breath of fresh air, she just didn’t know what that next step might look like.
Now lecturing at a college, Hannah has found a different rhythm entirely. There's room to listen to a podcast and drink a coffee on the drive between placements, colleagues who've come from all kinds of backgrounds rather than just teaching, and a pace of life that finally leaves some space to breathe.
In this episode, we also talk about:
Not knowing where to start
"Riding the rapids" when considering career change
Balancing a career move with salary expectations
Not waiting for the "perfect" moment to leave
Leaving teaching positively
Support from bite-sized career change content
Transferable teacher skills in similar roles
Subject expertise in a new role
A varied week: assessing and teaching
Life as part of the college ecosystem
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 have an impact on hundreds (of children) through the teachers I train and develop." 
After seven years in teaching - including several as Head of Maths - Becca reached a familiar tipping point: a passion that had quietly turned into exhaustion, and a nagging sense there had to be more to life than work. She recognised herself in the "indecision roundabout" from an Academy workshop, and knew that without taking an exit, she'd stay exactly where she was. 
Now working in Learning and Development, Becca has her days back in a way she never expected. With the commute gone and a four-day week, she's got the energy for evenings out and weekends that actually feel like weekends. She's also discovered she can still make a difference to the children she used to teach - just from a different angle, at scale. 
In this episode, we also talk about:
Using part-time supply teaching to create space to think
Navigating the grief of leaving a childhood dream job
Why the CV and LinkedIn training changed everything
Boosting confidence for interview
Accessing a new vocabulary through the Project Management Fundamentals training
Using LinkedIn to catch fast-moving roles
Trading a reliance on school holidays for genuine work-life balance
Rediscovering hobbies after teaching
Staying motivated on the career change journey
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 ✨

"It's really hopeful, it's really positive - and it's so much better than teaching."

After 11 years in the same secondary school - training as an RE teacher before moving through humanities and eventually leading PSHE - Rachael hit the burnout so many teachers recognise: slow-building, then impossible to ignore. As a noise-sensitive introvert, she realised the problem wasn't ability, but fit - and that the parts of the job she loved (leadership, communication, managing people) didn't require staying in a classroom.
Now a Suicide Prevention Officer with Papyrus, Rachael has her evenings and weekends back - closing her laptop Friday and not thinking about work until Monday. With control over her own calendar and meaningful work that doesn't consume her, she's found something unexpected: excitement about the week ahead.
In this episode, we also talk about:
The personality mismatch she didn't see coming in teaching
How leading PSHE opened the door to a completely different career path
Turning job hunting into a structured, focused process
Learning to trust flexibility after years of rigid routine
Why foundational work - values, finances, a skills audit - speeds everything up
How the Academy community kept her going through the hardest parts
An interview that felt right from the start
The variety that comes with the new role
Feeling connected in a national organisation ("it doesn't feel like it's as big as it is")
Content warning - this episode discusses suicide prevention as part of Rachael's professional role. Please contact Papyrus for support if you're worried about a young person.
Wondering what might be next for you? Take the Teacher Career Change Quiz to match your amazing transferable skills with a new job pathway ✨

After years as a primary class teacher and PE leader, Lauren knew it was time to leave. The decision came down to her health and wellbeing, and stepping away from teaching meant stepping into real uncertainty - trying different things, juggling multiple roles at once, and figuring out what she actually wanted.
Now working with young people as a Programme Manager across the creative industries, Lauren has found a role that gives her everything teaching couldn't - variety, creative thinking, and the feeling that she's finally using her brain in the way she always wanted to.
In this episode, we also talk about:
Navigating a "squiggly" exit from teaching
Working as a chaperone in TV and film - and what it revealed
When task-switching gives you energy
Attending our free summer event before joining the Academy
Putting theory behind practice with the Project Management Fundamentals course
Using mindset resources to make the transition well
Growing in confidence on LinkedIn
Using the interview booklet to reframe transferable skills
Early worries - and how they played out
Highlights from the first year
Moving from fixed-term to permanent - and what's next
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 ✨