Teachers Who Leave The Classroom Seem To Be A Lot Happier At Their New Jobs

Teachers Who Leave The Classroom Seem To Be A Lot Happier At Their New Jobs

Over half of teachers who recently left the classroom reported better working conditions and more autonomy at their new jobs, according to a survey released this month.

The National Center for Education Statistics survey looked at how many teachers were getting out of the classroom and why. It found that after the 2011-12 school year, about 8 percent of them went on to various other education- and non-education-related positions.

Teachers said they left the classroom for various reasons, many citing "personal life factors."

Why Teachers Leave The PRofession | Create Infographics

While the largest share said they retired upon leaving their classroom jobs, others stayed in the general field of education, albeit in non-teaching positions.

Where Former Teachers Are Going | Create Infographics

Those who went on to non-teaching jobs reported feeling happier about most aspects of their new positions. In only two out of 20 areas did the former teachers say their current occupation was worse: benefits and job security. Overall, former teachers felt that they now had "more opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others" and that they had more manageable workloads.

Do Former Teachers Like Their New Jobs? | Create Infographics

Previous surveys have shown that teachers who remain in the classroom seem to be quite happy as well. In a 2013 poll from Gallup, they rated the quality of their lives higher than did professionals from 12 other fields. Teachers were beat out only by physicians.

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