Leaving Your Teaching Job: How to Plan Your Next Step With Confidence

Why Are So Many Teachers Are Leaving?

If you’ve been searching on engines such as Google for

“leaving teaching job”

“how to quit the classroom”

“Can I leave teaching”

or even “leaving the teaching profession,”

… then you’re not alone.

Each year, thousands of teachers reach the point where staying in the classroom feels impossible.

In fact, in the 2021–22 academic year, nearly 40,000 teachers, almost 9% of England’s state school workforce resigned before retirement, marking the highest exit rate since records began in 2010 (publications.parliament.uk), reports would suggest that this pattern is continuing.

A Teacher Exodus: Why So Many Educators Are Walking Away?

Perhaps the workload has become unmanageable.

Maybe your health or family life is suffering.

For some, their professionalism and commitment are called into question through the stress of being placed on a “support plan.”

Others face the shock of redundancy.

And many are simply realising that the profession they once loved no longer aligns with who they are today.

Whatever the reason, leaving teaching is never just about finding a new job - it’s about untangling your identity, your skills and your future. This decision can be especially difficult for teachers who have been in the profession for 10, 20, or even more years. The longer you’ve been in teaching, the more your career feels woven into who you are. And that can make the thought of leaving feel overwhelming.

What Happens If You Leave Teaching Without a Plan?

Many teachers I speak to tell me they’re tempted to just hand in their notice and figure things out later. In fact, some have already handed their notice in by the time they reach out for support.

But leaving teaching without a clear plan or strategy for your next career should never be taken lightly. There are real risks to stepping away without direction.

Let’s be real: sometimes, the choice of when to leave teaching isn’t even yours - it may be taken away from you:

• Illness can force you to step aside.

• Caring responsibilities may make teaching hours impossible.

• Redundancy can mean leaving teaching with little warning.

• Misuse of a teachers support plan can leave you without a job.

For some, it’s even “leaving teaching with no notice” or “leaving teaching with no job to go to.” In these moments, the pressure to grab the first available role is huge.

Let me be clear: there’s nothing wrong with taking a stop-gap role for financial security. A quick job can be a vehicle - a way to pay the bills while you plan your next direction.

The danger is when that temporary role becomes permanent, leaving you stuck in another career that doesn’t fit. Without clarity, leaving teaching can feel less like a step forward and more like a free-fall. And that can sometimes leave you feeling as though you’ve failed.

Please remember this: you cannot fail in a system that is already broken.

My Journey Through Teacher Burnout

I know this, not just from coaching teachers to exit the classroom and transition into new careers, but from living through it myself.

I left the classroom after severe burnout. I had tried to battle through, but my mental and physical health collapsed. There were days I could barely get out of bed. Anxiety became constant. During those early days, which seemed to last forever, I thought leaving teaching because of burnout meant I had failed.

But I discovered something different: leaving teaching wasn’t the end of my story - it was the beginning of a new and incredibly exciting chapter.

When I began to look deeper at my transferable skills as a teacher, I realised how valuable they were outside the classroom: adaptability, leadership, communication, project management, problem-solving, organisation - to name a few. These weren’t “just teaching skills.” They were and are still skills employers actively need and search for in their candidates.

I’d already been supporting students, colleagues, friends and family in transitioning careers since my early teaching days (and nearly 20 years in teaching meant that I was no stranger to this). So when I left, setting up my own business coaching teachers through the teaching exit process was absolutely the right thing to do. Retraining became an exciting experience, not something to fear.

Since then, I’ve supported countless other teachers who were leaving teaching because of anxiety, stress, or simply wanting more balance. Each one discovered that with the right plan, their skills opened doors in sectors like:

• Learning and development

• HR and recruitment

• Project management

• Education charities and policy roles

• Content creation and publishing

• Civil service and local government

• And many other professions.

The key difference? Those who could, left strategically - not in panic. They chose roles they loved, just like I did, instead of settling for jobs that didn’t fit.

Life Beyond the Classroom

Let’s paint the picture.

Before leaving teaching, I see teachers:

• Constantly exhausted, working late into the night.

• Their health and wellbeing steadily declining.

• Living in constant anxiety about Ofsted, council, or academy inspections.

• Sacrificing family time again and again.

After leaving with the right strategy and plan, I see teachers:

• In roles that genuinely value their skills and experience.

• Working hours that protect their health instead of damaging it.

• Confident in the transferable strengths they once thought were “just teaching skills.”

• Rediscovering space for family, hobbies and rest.

If you’re still in the classroom, you may not even realise how incredible it feels to say yes to lunch with a friend, or to keep social plans without the guilt of unfinished marking or report writing hanging over you.

Whether you’re leaving teaching because of burnout, leaving because of anxiety, or simply because you’re ready for a new chapter, the transformation is real. You don’t have to sacrifice your wellbeing to have a meaningful, rewarding career.

Your Free Exit Guide

If you’re considering leaving the teaching profession - whether in six months or six weeks, you don’t need to figure it all out alone.

That’s why I created my free guide:

Exit the Classroom with Confidence.

Inside, you’ll find a step-by-step roadmap, that I use with my clients, to help plan your exit - strategies to avoid panic applying

It’s designed to help you move from uncertainty to clarity, so leaving teaching becomes a launchpad, not a leap into the unknown.

Download your free copy here and take your first step today.

Don’t Wait Until Burnout Decides for You

The biggest regret I hear from teachers is: “I wish I’d had a plan before I quit.”

Don’t wait until burnout, anxiety, or unexpected circumstances force your hand. Start building clarity now, so when you do leave, you’ll step into a career that values your skills and supports your life.

If you’ve read this far, you already know something has to change.

Don’t let yourself down by stopping here.

Download your free ebook: Exit the Classroom with Confidence

Take control of your next chapter.

Because leaving your teaching job isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a career and a life where you can truly thrive.