If you want to use your education expertise to make a wider impact in education, consider becoming an education consultant.
You can use your expertise (that you already have!) to improve education, whether you’re advising EdTech product developers, educational companies, textbook publishers, nonprofit organizations, school districts, or government agencies.
If you become an education consultant, you can make a powerful difference by making changes in education and shaping the academic landscape for students and teachers locally, nationally, or even globally.
What Is Education Consulting?
In the most basic terms, education consulting means sharing your education expertise with others. If you become an education consultant, there are many different ways you can work in the field, including:
Advising educational app developers on what types of activities they should include in their apps
Weighing in on possible educational products, sharing your feedback on developmental appropriateness, pedagogical approaches, etc.
Giving feedback to a nonprofit or other organization on their educational content
Providing professional development on specific subjects or approaches
How to Know If an Education Consulting Career Is Right for You
Wondering if education consulting is a career path you’d like to pursue? This simple checklist can support you in deciding if it’s the right fit:
✔️ YOU’RE READY TO OWN YOUR EXPERTISE (AND CONFRONT IMPOSTER SYNDROME).
If you become an education consultant, owning your expertise in education is imperative. Since you’ll be advising stakeholders within or beyond the educational community, you want to make sure you show up with confidence and be the expert you are.
Many teachers struggle to embrace their expertise. They think of themselves as “just” teachers.
But you are truly an education expert, and you know way more about education than most people. Your experience, skills, and expertise are both highly needed and valued.
Part of embracing our expertise involves confronting imposter syndrome. Of course, feeling self-doubt and being unsure of yourself is normal as you begin something new. Feelings of fear and uncertainty can emerge despite your qualifications. To find success, you have to confront this thinking and reframe it.
One of my favorite ways for teachers to embrace their expertise and confront imposter syndrome is to take a moment to reflect on the countless things you do each day, even beyond teaching.
You differentiate instruction, create curriculum, gather data, assess students' understanding, support students' emotional needs, collaborate with colleagues, communicate with families, track and manage multiple projects, personalize lessons to meet individual students' needs, research and apply what you learn – the list goes on!
Your experience and transferable skills are valuable across many positions and industries, including education consulting. Remember that once you realize your value and own your worth, you’ll be unstoppable and can change education for the better!
(You can also check out Educator Forever’s Podcast Episode 23: Confronting Imposter Syndrome for more tips!)
✔️ YOU HAVE AN AREA OF FOCUS YOU’D LIKE TO PURSUE.
Is there a particular area or topic in education you’re passionate about, or you’d like to help improve? Focusing on a specialty or area is a great way to become an education consultant and build upon your experience in an area of expertise.
Perhaps you’re passionate about student achievement, supporting students’ emotional needs, new technology, instructional best practices, education policies, mentoring new teachers, or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)-- There are so many possibilities!
Carving out a niche also helps ensure you’re consulting in an area you enjoy and are passionate about. It can also help you stand out when applying for education consultant jobs.
If you’re unsure about which area to choose, start exploring flexible job postings in education consulting to see what’s out there. If an opportunity excites you, apply, and try it out. You can continually expand your areas of expertise or change your focus as you go.
✔️ SHARING AND COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS EXCITES YOU.
When you become an education consultant, you can share your educational experiences with others and translate your expertise to different situations. Collaborators will depend on your advice and guidance as an educator when you're working on a project.
For instance, EdTech developers may be starting an app and need your expertise. They’re not as familiar with the classroom, students, or teachers. (They don’t speak the “teacher language!”)
You, however, can leverage your classroom experience and knowledge of both students and teachers to help ensure the app is as engaging and valuable as possible. Your input as an educator is vital to the app’s success.
✔️YOU ENJOY BEING A PROBLEM-SOLVER.
As a classroom teacher, problem-solving likely comes naturally to you. Teaching each day is like working through one big problem-solving session. (There are constant problems to solve in the classroom environment!) Education consultancy services are often focused on solving specific problems and create solutions.
If you’re energized by identifying problems and brainstorming solutions, you’ll likely find education consulting exciting. Taking on challenges with resilience and a growth mindset will be key to your success in education consulting.
✔️ YOU WANT TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE IN EDUCATION.
All the things that frustrate you about education? Education consultants have the power to shape education and improve it on many levels. You can use your beliefs, passion, and expertise to improve education in different ways through an education consulting career.
Your advice and guidance as an education consultant can help advocate for better educational content, policies, and experiences for students and teachers. Education consulting is a wonderful way to make your mark in education beyond the classroom, whether you want to take on contract jobs, freelance, work full-time, or even start your own education consulting business.
Ready to Become an Education Consultant?
If you want to start an education consulting career, Educator Forever is here to help!
Join our Beyond the Classroom course, where you’ll learn how to find and land flexible jobs.
You’ll also join Educator Forever’s wonderful community of like-minded educators that will empower you to embrace your expertise fully, encourage you to see your skills in a new light, push you to play big, and support you in standing up for what you believe in.
Have questions? Contact Educator Forever anytime!
