Do you feel like you’re ready to walk away from your career and quit teaching entirely? Before you resign from your teaching job or break your employment contract, pause and ask yourself a few honest questions.
Across the school system, new teachers and veteran classroom teachers alike deal with daily stressors like a heavy workload, low pay, behavioral issues, and unrealistic expectations. As a result, teacher burnout is rising in elementary schools, middle school, and high school settings, leading more and more educators to quit teaching. In fact, so many educators question whether the teaching profession is a lifelong career or just a short-term chapter.
If you’re overwhelmed by lesson plans, classroom management challenges, difficult students, or lack of support from school administrators, your stress level may feel unbearable. However, if you truly want to make the right decision for yourself about whether or not to quit teaching (both personally and professionally) it’s important to act from a grounded place, and not impulse after a bad term.
Before you take the next step toward a career change, here are seven questions to consider. These questions can help you clarify whether you need rest, a new role, a different school, or a completely new career option.
Q1: Do You Want to Continue in This Work Until You Retire?
First, consider your long-term vision. Can you realistically see yourself as a K-12 teacher for another 10–20 years?
If you feel energized by shaping students’ lives and refining your teaching skills, perhaps adjustments (not the decision to quit teaching entirely) are the next step. For example, could you change grade levels, move to a new school, or shift into a specialist or instructional designer role?
On the other hand, if the only thing you feel is dread at the thought of another school year, that feeling matters. Be honest with yourself about whether this is temporary exhaustion, a misalignment within yourself, or a deeper knowing that there’s something else you would rather do.
Q2: Are You Exhausted… or Experiencing Teacher Burnout?
This question is critical.
Teaching demands hard work, much time, and emotional labor. Over time, that much pressure can negatively impact your physical health, and mental health issues can surface. Teacher burnout often shows up as cynicism, constant fatigue, or feeling like you’re the only person holding everything together.
However, exhaustion and burnout are not identical. If you’re a newer teacher navigating student behavior for the first time, you may simply need stronger professional development, mentorship, or better work-life balance systems. These may be some of the things you can try before you make the decision to quit teaching.
Yet if you feel depleted at the end of the day, even after winter break or summer term, listen closely. Your body often tells the truth before your brain does.
Related Articles:
- Are You at Risk of Teacher Burnout? Look for Signs and Symptoms
- 7 Honest Tips How to Beat Teacher Burnout (from Someone Who Has)
Q3: If you Quit Teaching, Will It Improve Your Health and Personal Life?
Next, ask yourself directly: Would quitting improve my stress level, personal life, or overall well-being?
If your teaching experience has created a toxic work environment or hostile work environment, staying may carry a negative impact long term. Likewise, if your personal reasons involve family, student loans, or protecting your physical health, those factors deserve serious consideration.
However, if you still love direct instruction, collaborating with fellow teachers, and influencing students’ lives, but you’re simply overwhelmed, then a strategic reset may be the better first step.
Related Article: How to Improve Teacher Happiness in Difficult Times
Do you need to add more self-care to your day?
Q4: Could You Sustain This for the Long Term?
Even if this year feels brutal, could you imagine refining your approach over the next couple of years?
Sometimes, newer teachers carry unrealistic expectations into their first time leading a classroom. I mean, it’s hard not to want to head into the classroom as a Miss Honey or even a Mrs. Frizzle. But having ideals is not the same as being in the classroom each day.
That said, as years of experience grow, classroom management strengthens, lesson plans become easier, and confidence increases. (And maybe you can meet at least a few of your hopes and dreams that you’ll live up to your tv ideal of a teacher!)
So, consider whether this is a difficult season or a fundamental misalignment. If mindset work, mentorship, or a new school district could shift your experience, explore those before making a final decision.
Related Blog Posts:
- The Benefits of Fostering a Growth Mindset for Teachers
- Learn How to Improve Teacher Happiness with Gratitude Journaling
- 19 Positive Teacher Affirmations You Need to Start Now!
Q5: Do You Have a Plan for Your Next Step?
Before leaving your teaching job, map out your next step clearly.
Research career opportunities that align with your transferable skills and skill set. Former teachers often transition successfully into roles such as instructional designer, freelance writer, corporate trainer, nonprofit coordinator, or educational consultant.
Because your teaching skills, communication, leadership, organization, and behavior management are highly valuable, your job search may reveal options you hadn’t considered. Still, secure a new job or a clear future plan before giving your notice, especially if finances or student loans are a concern.
Also, consider whether switching school districts or the type of schools could provide the support you need without requiring a full career change.
Q6: What Trade-Offs Will You Make if You Quit Teaching?
Every career change involves trade-offs.
Teaching offers summer break, winter break, meaningful relationships, and deep impact. At the same time, it demands a heavy workload, constant student behavior management, and much work beyond contract hours.
Outside the education system, you may gain clearer boundaries and improved work-life balance. However, you might lose extended breaks or the daily connection with students.
Write out the things you love about teaching, and also what you consider the hardest parts to be. Then, compare them with the realities of your potential new career options.
Q7: Do You Need Professional Guidance?
Finally, don’t try to carry this on your own.
A therapist, career coach, or trusted mentor can help you sort through teacher burnout and name what’s really going on, whether it’s stress, anxiety, or plain exhaustion. They can also talk you through exit steps, like leave options, resignation timelines, and what to say to your principal, so you don’t make decisions in the heat of the moment.
Because this choice can affect your long-term finances, your sense of identity, and your next plan, a steady outside view helps you think clearly and feel less swamped.
You might worry that asking for support means you “can’t cope”, or that others will judge you. However, getting help is a smart move, especially when you’re tired and your brain’s running on fumes. Seeking help isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom.
If you know self-care would help you in your situation, DON’T FORGET to get your FREE Weekly Self-Care Planner before you go, to help prioritise your needs:
A Final Word Before You Decide Whether to Quit Teaching
If you’re considering leaving the teaching profession, take a breath.
The school year can amplify every frustration. Nevertheless, you deserve to make this decision from clarity, not from the middle of the year exhaustion.
Whether you remain a classroom teacher, pursue a degree for a different role, move to a new school, or step fully into a new career, trust that your years in education have built powerful transferable skills.
You are not “quitting” hard work. You are choosing what aligns with your health, values, and long-term vision.
At the end of the day, the right time to leave is when staying causes more harm than growth. And whatever you decide, you can build a future that honors both your well-being and your impact.
Related Articles
- 7 Honest Tips How to Beat Teacher Burnout (From Someone Who Has)
- Mindfulness for Teachers: 9 Easy Activities to Stay Calm in a Stressful Job
- 10 Easy Working From Home Tips to Save Your Sanity (for Busy Women)
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