The Adventures After Teaching Podcast

"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 
Interested in exploring a career in Project Management? Sign ups for the September cohort of our Project Management Fundamentals course are now OPEN! Limited spaces available ✨

"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

Interested in exploring a career in Project Management? Sign ups for the September cohort of our Project Management Fundamentals course are now OPEN! Limited spaces available ✨

"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
Interested in exploring a career in Project Management? Sign ups for the September cohort of our Project Management Fundamentals course are now OPEN! Limited spaces available ✨

"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
Interested in exploring a career in Project Management? Sign ups for the September cohort of our Project Management Fundamentals course are now OPEN! Limited spaces available ✨

"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
Interested in exploring a career in Project Management? Sign ups for the September cohort of our Project Management Fundamentals course are now OPEN! Limited spaces available ✨