6 Non-Teaching Jobs in Education to Consider

By Elana Goodwin on September 11, 2015

When people think of careers in academia, they most immediately think of teachers — but there are many other non-teaching jobs available for those who want to go into education but don’t want to teach forever.

Some jobs may want you to have teaching experience, but if you want to change career paths, here are some of the jobs you should consider if you’re looking to get a non-teaching job in education.

1. Librarian

As a librarian at an educational institution, you’ll be responsible for creating and implementing library programs, systems, and materials that will help make accessing books and other resources easy for students and staff.

Librarians also get to pick out new technologies, books, and other materials the schools need based on what the curriculum demands and the school’s budget. They’ll educate and work with students when they visit the library and also may be called upon by teachers to help develop lesson plans or to get certain materials for the classroom.

Most librarians will need to have a master’s degree in library science in addition to certification in education or a teaching license, which varies by state.

2. Principal

The principal is the manager of a specific school and their daily responsibilities consist of mostly management activities as they’re responsible for the school as a whole, including students, teachers, staff, etc. They’re also tasked with hiring teachers and other staff, helping develop the curriculum, monitoring student development, and more.

Principals usually need to have a master’s degree in education administration or leadership and many positions also want candidates to have teaching experience.

3. Assistant/Vice Principal

The assistant or vice principal assists the principal in running and overseeing the school, and may deal more immediately with handling the discipline of students, supervising student activities, and organizing and assigning resources to help teachers.

They may also help create programs focused on professional development, improving teaching practices, and generally enhancing the overall school environment.

Many assistant principals start off as educators with master’s degrees and steadily build on their experience until they have the necessary knowledge to progress to administrative jobs.

Photo Credit: LAtimes.com

4. School Counselor

School counselors can work in elementary through high schools helping students, staff, and teachers. Their role is to provide people with access to individual, educational, and career counseling, as well as aiding in mental health education.

School counselors are also tasked with watching for signs of abuse, providing college advising and career planning to students, and other duties. They work with both students and teachers to help ensure the school is an environment that will best promote the social, emotional, and academic success to everyone there.

To become a school counselor, post graduate courses include achieving a Master of Education in School Counseling in addition to licensing, and undergraduate courses in psychology and education may be beneficial as well.

5. Superintendent

A superintendent acts as an administrator or director who is in charge of several public schools or an entire school district. They’re basically the CEO of schools and have numerous responsibilities, including overseeing the application of various policies and processes, handling administrators and school staff, planning budgets, and dealing with any issues and problems that arise such as financial concerns and other complaints.

The road to being a superintendent includes lots of schooling, and getting a teaching degree is a good place to start. Next, you’ll want to apply for a Master of Arts in Teaching or a Master of Science in Education program — there are different pros and cons to each so make sure to enroll in the right program for you and your career path.

6. College Dean

Typically in American universities, every college within a post-secondary educational institution will have a dean. Those deans are responsible for a number of duties, including working with admissions, the bursar, the registrar, and other offices on campus.

Deans may also focus on an aspect of student life, such as housing, financial aid, and more. They meet with and advise students, do research, develop and implement academic policies, oversee budgets, help hire faculty, and solve various student problems and issues.

To become a dean, you have to at least have finished a master’s degree or doctorate in higher education, and have taken courses focusing on educational management, school finance, leadership, educational law, and student affairs. Having experience as a professor or a position as an educational administrator will also help boost your resume when it comes to applying for a job as a dean.

So if you don’t want to be a teacher but always dreamed of going into education, don’t worry — there’s plenty of non-teaching jobs in academia that you can pursue, so long as you have the right background and experiences necessary for the job. So start planning ahead now for the non-teaching career you want and you’ll be school-bound again in no time.

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