Beyond the Classroom: Redefining Purpose When Teaching Ends

“My identity is completely defined by being a teacher! I couldn’t possibly leave because who would I be?”

This wasn’t my line, but something a colleague said to me when I was acting as a Head of Department. It struck a chord with me, because by then I had already left teaching once – seven years earlier – and returned to this particular role strictly on the basis that it was temporary in nature. It had come about through a stakeholder relationship I’d built while running my own business. Because by that phase of my personal and professional journey I had learnt not only to define my boundaries, but to understand that my purpose and identity were not limited to a job title.

I’d gone into teaching in the same way many do –realistic that it wouldn’t always be a walk in the park and there would always be ongoing challenges (because policies, politics and teenagers), but optimistic in the knowledge that a persistent sense of purpose and my own steady compass would fuel me throughout a long and healthy career in the profession. 

I watched those I trained with (equally positive and sleeves-rolled-up ready) drop away one by one, until, from those I managed to keep track of, I became the minority: one of 4 in 10 who made it past the ten-year mark. I reached thirteen years. 

After a series of seismic personal events – bereavement, illness and loss, I took a moment (one Easter break when I had glandular fever and shingles strike simultaneously) to reflect and reframe. Life really was too short. And leaving the classroom absolutely did not have to mean leaving my purpose behind. 

I, too, had felt that awful feeling – who would I be if I didn’t teach, especially after all I had built within my career? Teaching had defined my values: working hard, supporting others, helping young people realise how brilliant they could be, and giving back within my often-overlooked region in the North East. 

When I stepped away, I definitely didn’t have a ‘perfect’ plan. But what I absolutely did have was a clear sense of the skills I’d honed as a teacher and, at that point, a middle leader: planning, communicating, motivating, adapting, organising, working under pressure to meet multiple tight deadlines.

 So in classic teacher style, I did my homework. I researched, read, then researched some more. This was pre-pandemic (2017) and the private tutoring industry was regularly cited as one of the key growth sectors outside of tech. Whilst I felt I didn’t know much about business at the time, I did know I had the growth mindset, work-ethic and desire to succeed, and that that would be enough to build something from scratch. So I did. The business grew and so did I. 

I signed up to business courses, grew a team who were as dedicated as I was to the values of empowering others, worked with young people around the world, won awards for the business, sought out a whole load of new fully-funded qualifications, and learned how to handle budgets, strategy, marketing and stakeholder relationships. More importantly, I learned the value of staying professionally curious and investing in myself, something that should never be underestimated.

Running my own business showed me how much a teacher’s skill-set can thrive outside the classroom walls, but over time, I felt pigeonholed and I worried that I wasn’t stretching myself. For my own sense of purpose, I felt the need to be part of something bigger and to prove to myself that I could apply my skills beyond what I had grown used to. At this point I made another step away from what felt like the safety reins that kept me loosely anchored to teaching, leaning in to my growing desire to think more broadly about what impact could look like. 

That was three years ago and in that time I’ve continued to commit to my own professional development, deep-diving into the organisations, people and professionals who align with my own values and gaining knowledge and experience to support my career development as it goes forward. This has seen me working in outreach and engagement, supporting the development of educators and their young people, implementing programmes at scale in the region I live and where I can continue to see the difference my work can make. 

Starting my professional journey as a teacher has given me a lot: resilience, purpose, and a deep understanding of what does – and doesn’t – light me up when I face that Sunday evening before Monday morning. I haven’t lost any of my best skills in leaving teaching; I’ve taken them with me and they, in turn, have taken me to places that keep sparking joy in what I do. Because, for me, that has to be what work is about.

Sarah Gordon

Regional Advisor Lead