Career planning for teachers can often be put on the back burner, as you prioritise writing-up lesson plans, engaging with new students and parents and getting back into the swing of teaching life. But these couple of months leading to January is the ideal time to invest time in some new goals that will help further your career development in 2021.
Take a look at our top three career goals for teachers that are simple, straight-forward and, most importantly, easy to achieve.
1. Attend a Professional Development Event by Yourself
Throughout the year, there are multiple opportunities to attend summits, online courses, events and conferences. While all are beneficial, there is often a temptation to stick with the same group of people – typically your current or past colleagues whom you feel comfortable with.
If you’re planning out new resolutions for your teaching career, why not set yourself the challenge of attending one of these events alone in 2021? It might push you out of your comfort zone, but you’ll be rewarded by growing your professional contacts and practising your networking skills.
You can choose events where you have the opportunity to connect with schools you admire or would like to work with in the future or seek out influential professionals that you’d like to meet in person and discuss a particular trend or topic in Education.
Speak to our team about the professional development seminars we host throughout the year, which cover a range of topics, from interview techniques to working as a CRT. These informal events are not only a great learning opportunity, but you can also meet like-minded professionals and grow your industry network.
2. Help Someone Else’s Career
Mentoring can be a rewarding opportunity to give back to the teaching community and also learn valuable skills that can enhance your long-term career, such as coaching and people management. Teachers at all stages of their careers can benefit from the knowledge and experience provided by more senior educators. In turn, teachers just starting out their careers may be more tech-savvy and be able to support more experienced teachers to improve their understanding and capability with digital learning tools.
If your workplace has an established mentoring program, speak to the organisers about what you’d like to focus on – whether that be sharing a specific skill, or coaching more junior members of staff. You can also express interest in areas you’d like to upskill yourself and see if there is an in-house expert who can offer some one-to-one training or support.
Another way to give back to the teaching community is to champion your colleagues’ ideas. This can include amplifying the voice of a teacher or staff member who needs support in implementing initiatives or programs. Look out for causes that support diversity in the workplace, such as flexible working practices, which may not impact you directly but could support change across your organisation.
3. Develop a New Skill
The circumstances of 2020 forced us to embrace technology in teaching to a greater extent than we might have imagined. As a result, now is a great time to continue with the approach and think of more ways to enhance the digital learning experience.
Alternatively, you could focus on improving soft skills, such as interpersonal skills, to help build enduring relationships with colleagues and parents. Learn tips for creating cooperative relationships between students in the classroom setting, or how to identify and nurture gifted children.
If you’re thinking about making a shift in your career, it’s always helpful to improve your understanding of modern interview processes and brush-up on tips on how to write the perfect CV and cover letter. This is one of the most popular professional development seminars we host, so get in touch with us to find out when the next event is being held.
Finally, teacher wellbeing is essential for a happy and healthy long-term career. You could look at stress management courses that cover topics such as mindfulness, meditation and tracking positive achievements throughout the school year. Try to choose one area to work on for the year, rather than split yourself across too many learning opportunities. This will help you stay focused as you build new skills and start applying them in your everyday working life.
Our team at Tradewind are specialists in education recruitment and can help you plan your next career move in 2021. Whether you’re looking to find a new teaching job or register for one of our upcoming professional development events in Victoria, give us a call today to get started.