9 May 2026 · 10 min read · By Harriet
If you're searching 'other jobs for teachers' or 'alternative careers for ex-teachers UK', this is the honest list. No filler. No 'become a vet'. Twelve routes UK teachers actually take when they leave the classroom — with realistic pay and the route in.
1. Private tutor
Pay: £30–£60/hour 1:1, £100–£200/hour group tutoring. Route in: start with families you already know, charge properly from day one. The fastest income replacement for a qualified UK teacher and the route I took myself.
2. Tutoring business owner
Pay: £40k–£150k+ depending on scale. Route in: start as a tutor, employ other teachers once you're at capacity, build a small local brand. My business is in this category.
3. Exam marker
Pay: £400–£1,500 per series for AQA / Pearson / OCR / Cambridge Assessment. Route in: apply directly via the awarding bodies — applications open in autumn for summer marking. Not full-time money but excellent supplementary income while you transition.
4. Curriculum writer / resource creator
Pay: £150–£500 per resource on TPT or Twinkl, £25k–£40k salaried. Route in: build a portfolio on TPT first, pitch to publishers second. Slow start, compounding income.
5. EdTech account manager / customer success
Pay: £35k–£55k. Route in: companies like Sparx, Atom Learning, Century Tech and Twinkl actively prefer ex-teachers for these roles. LinkedIn 'EdTech UK' search and apply.
6. Learning and Development (L&D)
Pay: £35k–£65k. Route in: corporate L&D teams love ex-teachers because you can design and deliver training. CIPD Level 3 helps but isn't required.
7. Educational consultant
Pay: £300–£700 per day freelance. Route in: pick a niche (early reading, EAL, behaviour, EYFS, SEND) and build a one-page website. MATs and small schools hire freelance consultants constantly.
8. Online tutoring on platforms
Pay: £15–£35/hour on platforms like MyTutor, Tutorful, GoStudent. Route in: apply, pass their checks, build reviews. Lower rate than private tutoring but zero marketing required.
9. Copywriting for schools and education brands
Pay: £40–£100 per hour freelance. Route in: cold email school marketing departments and EdTech brands. Your insider knowledge of school audiences is genuinely rare and valuable.
10. Children's content creator / author
Pay: highly variable. Route in: Instagram, TikTok or Substack focused on parents or other teachers. Build the audience first, monetise second. Slow but huge ceiling.
11. Recruitment (especially education recruitment)
Pay: £25k base + £15k–£40k commission. Route in: agencies like Hays Education, Reed Education and TeacherActive love ex-teachers. Fast to start, high earning ceiling, can be intense.
12. Civil service or local authority education roles
Pay: £30k–£60k. Route in: gov.uk Civil Service Jobs board, search 'education'. School-improvement, policy and DfE roles often shortlist QTS-holders by default.
Which one should YOU pick?
If you need income fast and you have QTS — tutoring or tutoring business. Nothing else replaces a teaching salary as quickly. Everything else either pays less per hour, takes longer to build or both.
If you genuinely want to leave the education sector entirely — L&D, EdTech account management or education recruitment are the three most reliable bridges. They use what you've got and pay properly.
Want the full step-by-step? See The Ultimate Teacher Exit Plan — the complete course for teachers leaving the classroom.
