Are you one of the thousands of teachers in the UK contemplating a career change? It's no secret that long hours, increasing workload, and the relentless pressure of delivering well-thought-out lessons day after day can take a toll. Fortunately, stepping away from teaching doesn't mean you can't find another similar, more meaningful career. Arguably, one of the most popular career transitions for former teachers is moving to the public sector, where their skills and knowledge of the education sector can be a major asset.
For example, roles within the Department of Education, Civil Service, NHS, and local councils are all brilliant fits for ex-teachers - providing stability, great pension schemes, and the reassurance that comes with long-term security. So sit back, relax, and join us as we walk you through the many possibilities available for ex-teachers looking to find a new career in the public service.
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Why Do Former Teachers Choose Public Sector Work?
Walking away from teaching is rarely an impulsive move. Most teachers enter the classroom to change lives, only to discover that the long hours and heavy work demands make the profession rather unsustainable in the long run. In fact, a staggering 77 percent of teachers suffer from poor mental health due to their chosen career [3].
When that happens, it's natural to start searching for a new direction, and for a growing number of ex-teachers the public sector provides exactly the right opportunity for their skillset. Let's examine why this is the case below.
Government work gives many former teachers what their old profession couldn’t always provide: dependable employment, a secure pension, and a way to keep serving the wider community. All in all, it feels a lot less like starting from scratch and more like continuing the same mission just in a different environment. Sadly a staggering
Transferable Skills Teachers Bring to the Public Sector
It goes without saying that most teachers are excellent public speakers, administrators, organisers and supervisors, and these skills are highly sought after in many different public service career paths.
Thankfully, as a former teacher, you’ll be well-suited for these jobs due to your fantastic people skills honed from working closely with both parents and children.
Civil Service Jobs for Ex-Teachers
The Civil Service is usually the first port of call for teachers wanting to move into government work. As one of the largest employers in the country, the civil service is home to a massive range of departments and agencies [1]. However, unlike the private sector, civil service jobs focus a lot less on profit and more on delivering services for the public good - making it a natural fit for people choose teaching because they wanted to make a difference. These are just some of the multitude of paths out of teaching you could take.
Policy Advisor
Policy advisors research, draft, and evaluate government policies that affect schools and communities. It's usually a pretty natural fit for teachers since they've lived through policy changes and witnessed firsthand how they impact schools and families.
- Typical Salary: £30,000–£40,000, with senior roles paying over £50,000
Project Delivery Manager
Running a classroom is essentially project management in disguise, so it's not really a surprise that ex-teachers do well here. Project managers handle the planning and overseeing of various large-scale initiatives - think rolling out educational reforms and managing local infrastructure schemes, etc.
- Typical salary: £35,000–£60,000, depending on responsibility
Social Researcher
Simply put, social researchers are workers who gather and analyse data to help various departments make better evidence-based decisions. Generally, most teachers already work with assessment data and performance tracking, so the skillset carries over pretty well.
- Typical salary: £30,000–£50,000
Communications Officer
These roles focus on explaining complex policies to the public in clear, accessible language - something teachers are trained to do daily in the classroom. Here, you could be doing anything from drafting press releases, creating online content or even running campaigns.
- Typical salary: £25,000–£45,000
Learning and Development Specialist
Lastly, supporting the training and growth of civil service staff is another area where a lot of former teachers thrive. After all, designing courses and running workshops draws directly from classroom and mentoring experience, which ex-teachers obviously have in bucket loads.
- Typical salary: £30,000–£45,000.
Beyond these core departments, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCO) is another branch of the Civil Service where former teachers can thrive. Luckily, most civil service positions in the FCO don’t actually require any specialised training either, since much of the learning takes place on the job
Simply put, the Fast Stream is a three to four-year programme that gives participants placements across different government departments [2]. Its purpose is to help fast-track future leaders by giving them experience in various areas, including policy, project delivery and finance. While getting a spot is competitive, it's not unusual for ex-teachers to land one because of their leadership experience (and ability to adapt on the fly).
Local Authority Careers for Ex Teachers
Local councils don't always get the same spotlight as the civil service, but they're also one of the biggest employers in the country. The type of work up for offer is pretty varied, including jobs ranging from safeguarding and education welfare to youth work and adult learning. Check out the list below for a better idea of potential career options.
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Suitable Careers in the NHS
Not every person straight out of teaching needs to go into the Civil Service. The NHS also offers jobs where teaching skills come in handy. For instance, roles like health education specialist/ patient information coordinator all rely on good organisation and communication skills.
Additionally, as a teacher, you'll also be able to draw on your experience relating to people and putting them at ease. Eager to find a role in the NHS? Visit the NHS job website.
How to Apply for Government Roles as a Former Teacher
Overall, applying for a government job doesn't quite work the same way as it does in the private sector. Instead of just opening your laptop and firing off a CV, there are a few extra steps you'll need to go through. Don't worry, though, nothing is overly complicated - keep reading the section below to get a better idea of the process.
Step 1
Find a role you like
Wondering where's the best place to start your search? Begin by giving the Civil Service Jobs Portal a visit. Alternatively, you could also check out NHS jobs or local council career pages. Use the filters for locations, department, and salary, and keep a keen eye out for any jobs marked “open to external candidates“ - those are the ones anyone can apply to without prior Civil Service experience.
Step 2
Personal Statement Over CV
Most government roles don’t put much weight on a shiny CV. What really matters is the personal statement, which has to link directly to the role’s “success profiles.” These are basically the skills and behaviours they want proof of. The easiest way to tackle it is by pulling examples from your teaching career - think of times where you've managed a class or handled safeguarding processes well, for example.
Step 3
Apply Online
Everything runs through the Civil Service portal. Be aware that deadlines are strict - once the application window shuts, it's shut for good. Make sure your statement is ready to go and that it speaks directly to the skills listed on the job description.
Step 4
Complete Any Online Test Requirements
Plenty of jobs (and especially the fast stream) come with online tests straight after you apply, and you'll normally get several days to complete them. Expect things like verbal and numerical reasoning, and work style questionnaires that check how you approach common problems.
Step 5
Interview Time
Congrats, you've got through the first stages successfully. Now it's time for you to attend either a video or an in-person interview, similar to other job applications. These are competency-based, meaning you'll need to provide examples of what you've successfully done/achieved as a teacher.
Step 6
Checks and Vetting
Before beginning your new role, you'll need to go through some pre-employment checks. Essentially, this means references, ID verification, and in some cases, DBS or higher-level clearance (if the job involves sensitive information).
Public Sector vs Private Sector: What You Should Know
A lot of people think the only real difference between the public and private sectors is how much you get paid, but it's not that simple. The way jobs are set up, how stable they feel and even what the work is aiming to achieve can be worlds apart. Here's a quick look at how the two stack up against each other:
| Aspect | Public Sector (UK, 2025) | Private Sector (UK, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Job Security | Approx. 6.15 million employed in March 2025; NHS staffing at record highs (ONS) | More exposed to company performance; redundancies more common in downturns |
| Pay Growth | Regular pay growth around 5.6% May–July 2025 (ONS) | Regular pay growth about 4.7% May–July 2025 (ONS) |
| Pension | Civil Service alpha career‑average defined benefit scheme (Gov.uk) | Defined contribution pensions; retirement outcome depends on markets |
| Annual Leave | Usually 25 days leave rising to 30 with service, plus bank holidays | Statutory minimum 28 days including bank holidays; varies by employer |
| Work Patterns | Hybrid/flexible working widely adopted in government departments | Flexible working common but inconsistent; depends on employer policy |
References
- “Civil Service Careers.” Www.civil-Service-Careers.gov.uk, www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk.
- “Civil Service Careers.” Civil-Service-Careers.gov.uk, 2024, www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/fast-stream/
- Education Support. “Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024.” Www.educationsupport.org.uk, Education Support, 2024, www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/
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