The Thousand Solutions Blog

Enabling 8,000 learners The Journey of 8,000 Learners: From teacher to beyond

Jul 22, 2024

Many educators dream of working for education companies and the majority of teachers would like to transition from their classroom to a corporate workplace. However, moving beyond the walls of the classroom isn't a difficult task for any teacher.

Ali Parrish's path to a career beyond her classroom began after spending seven years in elementary school education. "I loved teaching, and at some point I realized I had to be doing something different," she reflects. "First I was drawn to be a teacher, after which I was compelled to expand my teaching ."

However, she was faced with the same challenge that thousands teacher transitioning through their careers face: she didn't know how to bridge the gap between her classroom and work opportunities she wanted next.

"I realized that I had a talent at training, creating engaging learning environments, as well as helping students achieve incredible achievement, but I didn't have the knowledge I do today about how to get jobs at education companies and corporations. I wanted so badly to be helping others in more innovative and required ways, but I was restricted to the confines of my schoolroom."

According to her, the initial leap from teaching to something else is often the hardest. Moreover, for the majority of teachers, it could be a challenge to be seen as a suitable candidate by firms. Her experience led her to a variety of "dream jobs" that teachers could take. One of them was in educational technology training. Another was at one of the largest instructional design agencies, crafting documents for nonprofit and corporate entities. After that she worked for an international nonprofit organisation that created educational materials spanning over 36 languages, distributed globally.

"Along with an amazing team, I was developing and developing learning experiences that were inspiring educators and students across all over the world. I never felt all like my ability to help others was restricted in my classrooms of the past," she shares. Parrish created an agency that developed and developed exciting learning opportunities and tools for education companies, corporate companies, non-profits, and many more.

With each new role she was assigned, educators came to her to ask how she went from being a teacher to landing those jobs. "I always wanted to have the ability to help those teachers facing the same dilemma of not knowing the next step or the best way to secure the jobs they wanted," explains Parrish. Parrish wanted to aid teachers take that first step beyond their classrooms and help anyone who is struggling to make sense of similar doubts about their own career trajectories.

In the year 2017, Teacher Transition was launched, an online platform that assists teachers in finding career paths that go beyond teaching and equipping them with necessary skills, perspective and new knowledge. With the help made up of former teachers as well as career experts, Parrish launched a series of online classes, which cater to the requirements of educators in transition. To date, over 8000 students have been trained and coaching through the company.

Here's a look at her story:

Skip ahead:

She started her company as an interest project

Teacher Transition began from a single idea that was inspired by the desire to be a teacher. Its primary goal was for educators to be empowered with new opportunities that go beyond the traditional teaching tasks.

In the beginning, she imagined a course where she could show teachers how to discover what they want to do next and a podcast where teachers could glean insights from teachers who have been in the field for a while. "At that time, leaving teaching was a more taboo subject than it is today," she reveals.

An acquaintance suggested that she create a course specific to her career and not general for teachers transitioning their careers. "That inspired me to start with a different first course as opposed to what I expected. ."

When she launched her first online course called becoming a Curriculum and Instructional Designer as well as running the podcast for a time, Parrish realized she could assist teachers who are transitioning to reach their goals more effectively through online courses. "More than just something informative, they needed something transformative" she declares. "I knew I could create learning experiences for them that would significantly increase their chances of landing the job that teachers are looking for."

The dream of HTML0 is an actuality thanks to Teacher Transition's online classes include training, tools, and template templates, live sessions of learning, introductions to employees at the companies that are of interest to them, personalized coaching, resume services, LinkedIn profiles, cover letters, career coaching, an online community for cohorts that is accessible 24/7 as well as more, to create a an avenue that teachers can use to search for and land new jobs in the field of their curiosity.

She focused on quality before expanding.

Parrish took a methodical strategy for course development with a focus on quality and not quantity. Though she was tempted to design several courses during the first year, her wise teacher advised her to take a different approach."One thing I learned is that you should "nail it before you expand it later and then scale it up,'" she says. "A many course creators would like to make ever more courses and I am in a similar the desire. If you're a course creator, and also a business owner, you not only need to design amazing courses, you have to manage a company. And for a business to be able to serve people for years and continue to grow, it must be afloat--meaning it needs to generate income and earn a profit ."

After she believed she had was able to master the first class, she created the Teacher Transition Membership program that aids teachers to find and get their dream jobs through classes on demand, coaching as well as mentoring. Then she began creating additional Teacher Transition tracks: Become an Customer Success Specialist in An Education Company and Become a Freelancer and Become a Trainer and Educational Consultant.

She tried a variety of ways of marketing

Parrish recommends that creatives take their first move and then allow it to gain traction via marketing prior to building further.

"Help the course become a long-lasting method," she says. "The concept that if you create it, people will follow and come' is not what the majority of course designers have to deal with. If you construct it, it's built, and you have an online course. What if those that need your program have no idea that the course even exists? This is the reason why advertising and getting message out about your program is essential. ."

According to her experiences, students first found out about the Teacher Transition through her podcast, Facebook group, or the word of the mouth. However, she firmly believes that there's not a single method to promote a course. "I love the quote of "All advice is autobiographical,"'" she shares. "So when you encounter someone who advises that you need to sign up for an Instagram account, or TikTok account, or whatever brand new platform they're suggesting, it's indicative of their experiences."

The advice she gives is to try the platforms you're interested in and see if it gets you anywhere. "If you want to start an YouTube channel, fantastic. If you'd like the option of having an Instagram account, that's great. Any platform you'd like to explore, test whether it gains traction. If so, keep going with it. If not, do not. Even if you've posted on a site during a time period doesn't mean you have to keep posting on that site. ."

The creator should also be open to pivoting. "If a platform drains you, notice that and change to something that you enjoy more," she advises. "Or add an employee who is passionate about social media and will assist in spreading the message. One of the most satisfying aspects of my job is that I've grown it into a team initiative. I am passionate about providing opportunities for people to work on projects that makes them happy. ."

Additionally, Parrish recommends that people examine the bandwidth they have, their budget and the things they'd like to achieve in marketing.

"The most effective method to advertise your program will be different for different people," she says. "You must determine what is effective and then stop doing what's not. Do not be afraid to switch gears or experiment with different strategies. You'll find out through experimenting what's going to work well for your ."

Her priority was accessibility

As a firm believer in accessibility, Teacher Transition keeps its classes accessible and affordable.

In her case, her subscription program costs only $47 USD per month. Her classes run from $147-$997 USD, while other organizations offer similar training, but without being related to or being customized for teachers.

She built her curriculums around key learning objectives

In the process of creating her online courses Parrish and her team began by focusing on the goal. That means that the team determined the things students should be able to do, know and be able to do by the end of taking the class. After that, they designed hands-on learning experiences and curriculum to meet those goals.

She recommends that creators do the same and talk to an instructional designer or curriculum designer to help them plan out their course. "If you're feeling overwhelmed by the process, talking it through with someone can aid," she shares.

The instructor suggests that you create a 1.0 version of your course, as well as the 2.0 version. "If you're working with an instructional designer you can iron out many of the wrinkles, and eventually create just one version," she continues. "But do not let perfectionists hinder you from completing your 1.0 version. Although it probably won't look exactly as you'd like it to, you are able to alter it later. What you're really doing by not making the 1.0 version is you're not helping the people who require your services. ."

Every course she offers, she includes a sales page that is strategically designed on her website. "I strongly recommend connecting with your audience both emotionally and logically when you write your sales page's content. It should be a simple decision for them," she shares. "Plus be sure to present the results of others after taking your course and share their testimonials ."

She continued to move forward, even when the path was unclear

Parrish views Teacher Transition as more than an online tool. It's also a way of aiding teachers in their advancement. Through empowering teachers as they look for new opportunities in their careers, Parrish hopes to significantly influence the well-being of teachers who want to serve in new ways, grow beyond the walls of their school and pursue additional job opportunities.

The most important thing she's learned throughout her online course creation journey that is the need to take steps towards the future, even when the road ahead is uncertain.

"Don't be letting the unknowings of tomorrow hold you back from the to-do's of the present."

Are you inspired by her tale? Start your own online course company also. Register today and get started for free.