Taking a career break - how hard is it to return?

[TiredTeach]

Hi folks,

I’m hoping for some advice from people who have taken career breaks and then returned (or tried) to full time classroom teaching.

After 11 years of working full time as a high school teacher in international schools I needed a break. I’ve been without a fixed contract for the past school year. In this time, I’ve been tutoring privately, done a few freelance gigs, and tried my hand in some jobs outside of education to explore other career options. I currently have an offer for a teaching position at a school starting in august, but I’m considering taking another year ‘off’ (still tutoring, etc) before going back to full-time. My concern is that prospective new employers/school leaders may respond badly to a two-year break. Have any of you taken breaks for several years before returning to the classroom? Did you find it a challenge when interviewing for new roles?

Grateful for any advice or insight offered! Thanks 😊

[interteach]

I've taken two breaks, but no long ones - two years due to Covid and one year for health issues. I worked part-time during both breaks in education-related work (and not for an entire year), and was able to put the experience on my resume, which helped. I've heard of other teachers taking some time off, and I would put the reason in my cover letter. For me, in both cases, I landed very high-paying jobs.

I think your field may affect your hiring chances. I work in a field that has a chronic shortage, and I'm sure that helped. Going back, if you aren't in a high-demand field, you may or may not have the choice of top schools, but if you're willing to accept a more mid-range school you may be OK. Strong references will help.

[TiredTeach]

Thanks for your response! May I ask what field you are in?

[interteach]

IB Math

[Heliotrope]

interteach wrote:
> IB Math

May I ask what kind of high-paying jobs you landed, and how you liked them?

[interteach]

I can't discuss actual schools, but my references were excellent and I've taken advantage of PD to improve my work, either through what the school offered or an allowance (if provided). I was pretty well set up to get interviews.

A number of schools were known for being fast-paced and expecting a fair amount of work from teachers, but I enjoy that.

[Heliotrope]

interteach wrote:
> I can't discuss actual schools, but my references were excellent and I've
> taken advantage of PD to improve my work, either through what the school
> offered or an allowance (if provided). I was pretty well set up to get
> interviews.
>
> A number of schools were known for being fast-paced and expecting a fair
> amount of work from teachers, but I enjoy that.

I actually meant the non-teaching jobs ("education-related work"), but I misread and thought those were the high-paying jobs.

[interteach]

Volunteer tutoring at high-need schools, short online courses on developments in the field, and in one case helping out a school implementing the IB. Not a huge amount of time at each one, but enough to show I was still professionally engaged.