Episode 113: 3 Traps to Avoid When Looking to Quit Teaching for a New Career

Full Episode Transcription:

(00:59):
Having the guts to quit teaching and become a virtual assistant is a huge step and it can be pretty intimidating in all of the women that I’ve helped start working from home as a virtual assistant, I’ve seen three common traps that they tend to fall into. And if you know to look out for them, you’ll be able to avoid those speed bumps and replace your teaching income much faster. So I’m not gonna draw it out for y’all. We’re just gonna go ahead and jump right in.

(01:44):
So number one. So the first trap that teachers fall into when they’re looking to quit teaching is believing that you can’t apply until… a lot of teachers who wanna quit struggle with imposter syndrome.

(02:01):
If you don’t know what that is, it’s just this feeling of who am I to do this, who would hire me, etc. It’s really difficult to feel confident offering services that you’ve never done before. But I wanna tell you that teachers have so many transferable skills. It’s really just a matter of terminology and how you kind of manipulate those skills like Play-Doh into something that business owners would need. So you have the customer service experience. You have the ability to learn as you go. A ton of teachers are super tech savvy. Those are all very much needed in the business world. It’s just a matter of, like I said, switching it from teacher-geared to business-geared. Also many times teachers will put limits on themselves saying “I can’t apply until I’m proficient in these skills.” Or “I have a portfolio that demonstrates all these skills” and that is 100% not true.

(03:06):
I am all about “done” not “perfect”. You can get a portfolio together. It doesn’t need to be 100% perfect or 100% complete. You can add to it as you go. But get it done, get it out there and start working towards landing those clients because you’d be surprised who’s willing to hire you without you having that much experience to begin with.

(03:31):
Okay. The second step that I see a lot of teachers fall into as they’re looking to quit teaching is focusing on two narrow of a job niche. So it’s really easy to limit yourself to a certain type of opportunity, but since every job is new to you, it’s difficult to know from a one paragraph description, everything that the job will entail. So it’s important to keep your mind open to new possibilities. And if it sounds even remotely interesting, apply! You never know what will happen.

(04:05):
I don’t want you to apply to jobs that are 100% perfect for you, but that you don’t necessarily love, or don’t necessarily sound fun to you because if you’re looking to quit teaching, you’re doing so because you’re not happy anymore, most likely. So I don’t want you to pick a different job that’s not going to you up either. So make sure you’re looking for jobs that interest you. And like I said, keep your mind open to new possibilities. The only way you can confidently know you enjoy a certain service or job title is to try it on. And remember this: your first job outside of teaching may not be forever with any position that you take on. You’re gonna have the time to sharpen your skills and become more aware of your interests. So like I said, if your first job beyond the classroom is not your dream job, it still gives you the ability to be paid as you up-level your skills and find more clarity on what you really want to do.

(05:06):
All right. The third trap I see teachers falling into is being the first one to disqualify yourself. You guys, I’ve hired teachers in my own business to work for me. And here’s the thing I wanna share a little insider information with you from the hiring side. It is nearly impossible to meet all of the requirements listed in a job description. So even if you meet most of them, take a chance and apply. It may be that in the end,you aren’t qualified. But here’s a question: What if you turned out to be the most qualified person they interviewed? And additionally, passion and a willingness to learn, make up for missing qualifications any day. If you can show that you’re a self-directed learner and excited to figure things out, you will stand out so much more among the other applicants.

(06:04):
So let me recap these for you. The three traps that teachers tend to fall into when they’re looking to quit teaching is: one, believing you can’t apply until(…) Number two, focusing on too narrow of a job niche. And number three is being the first one to disqualify yourself. Now, if you need help with any of these, if you need to build your confidence so you’re not struggling so much with imposter syndrome, if you need to feel more confident in the skills that you’re offering and develop those skills. And if you need that push to really go out and pursue the dream job that would make you so excited every day, then I invite you to join the Teacher Turned Freelancer Academy, where you can get the ongoing accountability, support community, more trainings, all the tools and templates that you need to really take your virtual assistant business from zero to sixty so you can quit teaching and start working from home in six months or less. You guys, this is so possible for you. You just have to believe it and go sign up. So go to teacherturnedfreelancer.com, see everything that’s included. And I can’t wait to see y’all in there.