What Are Your Transferable Skills? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions To Find Out…

Hello, Wonderful Expat Teacher!

You’re a caring and independent person who became a teacher with a desire to change lives. Those who know you see your passion for your pupils shine as you follow your desire for helping others. However, lately, you’ve lost sight of your spark and doubt you’re making a difference. As much as you love your students, teaching is just too draining.  It is no longer the fulfilling career that it used to be. You're so stressed and exhausted because of all the other nonsense that's going on… The extreme pressure. The ridiculous paperwork. The lack of professional trust. The micromanagement. The long days. The lack of freedom to take breaks when you need to pee.

You may be reading this article because Covid gave you a taste of working from home and you want to explore careers where you are able to control your own time, your own schedule, and your own holidays.  You realise you want a career with more freedom, fulfilment and flexibility than teaching. A career where you don’t get annoyed when your alarm clock goes off in the morning. A career where you don’t spend most of your time stressing about the “next day.”

Here are 3 questions to ask yourself to help you gain more clarity on what transferable skills you have to bring to a new teaching role or a new career. Before we begin, I just want to clarify between a strength/ natural aptitude and a skill, as you will most likely be listing both of these:

A strength/ natural aptitude is what comes naturally to you, due to nature and/or nuture.

A skill is something you can develop and improve with practice.

I recommend you find a quiet and cosy place and use your journal to write as much as you can for each question. It may be helpful for you to reflect back on a specific working day or week, thinking from when you first arrived to work until the end of the day, to make sure you don't miss anything out!

1. What do you really enjoy in your teaching job? Which tasks? Which roles and responsibilities? Which aspects? Why do you enjoy them? What skill or strength are you using?

2. What do others say that you are really good at? What is praised in your lesson observations and feedback? What do colleagues ask for you help with?

3. In life and career, what comes easily to you? What can you do without any effort that others can't?

Let me know in the Comments below what came up for you when you answered these questions- any a-ha moments or revelations!

My name is Sorcha and I've taught in Qatar and Dubai for 10+ years. In October 2021, I left teaching and became a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, an Expat Career & Money Strategist, and a Highlands Ability Battery Certified Consultant.

Follow me on IG here @sorchacoyle_eet for monthly career change mindset and CV tips and weekly mini-trainings!

If you'd like more support and guidance from me, here's how we can work together:

If you would like more support from an experienced expat teacher (10+ years working in Qatar and Dubai), a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and a Career & Money Strategist, who has helped 100s of teachers get their ideal international location, school and job, as well as helping them to leave teaching and transition into a new career they love, I provide a range of online and 1-to-1 services. You can find more information about them: https://www.sorchacoyle.com/work-with-me