Being a teacher requires a blend of knowledge, experience and very specific skills. People tend to misinterpret the role of a teacher to be limited to that of giving lectures, showing movies and singing songs to children. Hence it could be thought that they don’t possess any specialized skills that could translate into the business world and other jobs.

But that’s far from true. Teachers possess a variety of skills that can hep them should they decide to transition to a new career. Specifically, they possess:

1. Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Teaching involves lecturing, designing a syllabus, lesson plans, communicating and empathizing with students, their families and with the school administration. Hence teachers need to master the art of communication. When searching for a new job, a teacher should highlight the types of writing he or she has done that includes e-mails, class materials, lesson plans and presentations.

2. Interpersonal skill

Working with a host of people across a school requires developing relationships with administrative staff and colleagues. Understanding a student’s psyche is imperative in this regard. Hence a teacher is expert in developing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships with all. Teachers hunting for new jobs need to illustrate how they establish control in a classroom, the various team building activities they have done and how they have managed to collaborate with staff and teachers across departments.

3. Ability to work autonomously

From a 45-minute session to designing a course and managing a unit, a productive classroom plan requires time and effort. It also involves providing students the required feedback to shape their future. A job-hunting teacher needs to accentuate these initiatives so that potential employers recognize the effort they put in.

4. Problem-solving skills

A teacher looks after a school’s environment. making it conducive to impart the appropriate lesson to the students. A teacher needs to be technically strong as well to assist students with their course-related problems. They are subject matter experts in this regard. Subject matter experts are desired in every industry. A teacher needs to highlight his or her skills and certifications.

5.Flexibility and adaptability

Teachers are quite flexible, working in a learning environment which is dynamic in nature. Change is constant with every aspect of the teaching profession. Be it the technique of imparting education, the topics, lesson plans or the exam patterns, every factor faces modifications every year. A teacher keeps pace with these continuous changes and adapts. This flexibility of adapting to a dynamic work environment is sought by employers. Teachers should emphasize it well on their resumes.

6. Potential to work with stringent deadlines

The time frame of a session or a course structure is limited to a specific period and teachers abide by the time frame. Preparation and submission of lesson plans, completion of the course, reviewing exam copies all are done within a stipulated time frame which makes a teacher comfortable to work within deadlines. It is necessary to adhere to deadlines while working on projects in the corporate world. Hence a subject matter expert who can meet her deadline will prove productive for the organization.

It’s time to break the stereotype concerning teachers that skill-wise, they could not function in the business world. If teachers emphasize the skills they can translate into the busines world, they can succeed in impressing potential employers with their skills.

Guest Author’s Bio: Agniva Banerjee is a writer by profession. She enjoys curating informative articles and blogs on diverse areas that provides a good read. She loves engaging the readers through her words and welcomes feedback of all sorts.
Connect to her on Twitter @Agniva_B