Transitioning from a teacher to an instructional designer is a great choice!
You get higher pay and more flexible working conditions, plus you already have oodles of highly transferable skills and experience.
But switching careers is never straightforward, and you’ll need to put the work in to make it happen.
Here’s how you get started.
Why should teachers consider switching to instructional design?
Teaching is a highly rewarding profession, but the truth is that it’s getting harder to find fulfillment in the role.
According to research by Gallup, teaching is the top profession for experiencing burnout.
While educators often put in 54-hour workweeks, instructional designers typically work around 40 hours with significantly more flexibility – especially in freelance roles.
Additionally, Educator Pay Data has shown that teachers’ salaries have not kept up with inflation and are now making 5% less than they did a decade ago.
The national average teacher salary is currently just over $69,597, while the salary for an entry-level instructional designer is around $78,000 (rising to over $100k with experience).
So, if you’re feeling tired, overworked, and broke, chances are that instructional design could make a refreshing change for you!
Which teaching skills transfer to instructional design?
The good news is that you’re not starting from ground zero. While traditional teaching and instructional design are very different roles, there are plenty of transferable skills that will give you a substantial head start.
Communication skills
Teachers are born communicators and have to be adept at breaking down complex ideas into digestible content.
Instructional designers often need to transform dense, technical material into learner-friendly resources, and your experience has already equipped you with the tools to do just that.
Not only that, you’re constantly having to communicate effectively with students, parents, and other staff members.
That means you’re already a pro at handling objections, presenting ideas, and holding challenging conversations with empathy.
Instructional designers have to work closely with subject matter experts (SMEs), stakeholders, and learners. So, you’ll be dealing with similar people and similar situations, just in a business setting instead of an educational one.
Lesson and curriculum planning
Setting learning objectives and developing lessons to achieve them should be something you are already very used to.
Just as you assess your student’s needs at the beginning of a school year, instructional designers analyze the learning needs of their audience.
Then comes the planning.
Teachers design lesson plans, whereas instructional designers tend to rely on storyboards since these act as the blueprint for instructional content. Both serve to organize and plan learning experiences – just the format is slightly different.
Learner engagement
Keeping a classroom engaged is a highly prized skill since it’s no small feat! You have to know what keeps your student’s interest levels high so they participate fully in the learning.
Instructional design is no different, and creating interactive, engaging content is the name of the game.
This involves knowing what makes your audience tick and designing interactive materials and multimedia content to maintain attention.
Adaptability and problem-solving
Teaching requires on-the-spot thinking and high adaptability to overcome changes.
The same is true for instructional designers.
You’ll often need to adjust content based on feedback or results, deal with technology issues, and work with stakeholders who change objectives and goals.
Which skills do you need and how do you get them?
Although your current skills give you a great foundation, there are still a lot of new skills that you have to learn.
Adult learning theories and frameworks
One of the biggest shifts is understanding how adults learn differently from children – particularly younger pupils.
Undoubtedly, the most important theory you need to learn is the ADDIE model (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate).
Each aspect of the model refers to an instructional design process and is essential for creating learning experiences that meet the needs of an audience.
Other key theories to dive into are:
- Action Mapping
- Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction
- Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model
- Merrill’s Principles
- Cognitive Learning Theory
- SAM Model
We also have a comprehensive list of recommended books to read that go deeper into instructional design theories and practices.
Technical skills and software
Technology is probably going to be the biggest hurdle to clear. Instructional design shifts away from traditional classroom learning and mostly takes place online.
Therefore, you’re going to have to add a lot of software skills to your belt.
Online authoring tools are where you should start. Articulate 360 Storyline and Adobe Captivate are largely considered the industry standard, so be sure to learn these.
You’ll also have to grapple with learning management systems (LMS) and learning experience platforms (LXP).
On top of that, you will need to know how to use graphic design tools, project management software, scenario-building programs, and a lot more.
Don’t ignore AI, either. Its presence and use in instructional design will only grow stronger.
For a list of recommended platforms, you can check out this article.
E-learning development
Another big change. Instructional design has a strong focus on self-paced learning rather than instructor-led.
Your learner engagement skills will come in handy here, but they must be adapted to encompass e-learning.
For instance, gamification is a large part of e-learning. As is micro-learning, simulations, scenarios, and user-generated content.
The good news is you can learn this stuff in conjunction with the software tools noted above. For instance, Articulate has an excellent list of e-learning challenges that help you practice and become more adept at designing online learning experiences.
Visual design
Visual design skills are extremely important for instructional design. You don’t need to become a full-fledged graphic designer, but a solid understanding of color theory, typography, and layout is essential.
Remember, we’re now in the realm of adult learners, so what works visually for a child student won’t translate well to a mature audience.
If you’re not sure where to start with this, then I can recommend Canva (a hugely popular graphic design platform). It has loads of free learning materials for this very purpose.
Project management
Lastly, instructional design requires a lot of collaboration and interaction with others.
You’ll need your communication skills to manage expectations here, but you must also know how to organize and manage design projects.
Using project management software should fall into this category (Trello, Asana, Notion, etc.). Additionally, you need to learn how to manage timelines, track progress, and budgets.
How to land your first client
Build a strong portfolio
Your portfolio is the most powerful tool for attracting clients. It should be a showcase of your best work – not only of the finished results but also of the process you took to arrive at them.
Include storyboards, sample lessons, e-learning modules, and any other relevant materials.
How do you get a portfolio if you don’t have any clients?
It feels like a chicken-and-egg situation, but it can be quite straightforward to create a portfolio. Some ideas include:
- Find teacher (not student) training opportunities in your current job and request to design the materials
- Approach non-profits or local projects and offer your skills on a volunteer basis
- Create a fictional business challenge or mock project and demonstrate what instructional design process you would take to fulfill it.
Create a website
A professional website is a must. Think of it as the “shop window” for your business and what it could contain to attract clients.
Your portfolio must go on there, of course. And you should definitely emphasize your teaching background and the skills you gained while working as one.
Your website is also a chance to show off your newfound technical skills, so take the time to ensure the design is on point.
Network
Many instructional design jobs are found through networking and recommendation, so active participation in online communities is a must.
LinkedIn is a great place to find them (ensure your profile is up to scratch). You can also get involved with The eLearning Guild and Association for Talent Development.
Learn interview techniques
The business world is a million miles apart from the academic world, and as such, its interview processes are not the same.
However, the good news is that the hiring timeline is much faster than an academic one. Given the stringent hiring procedure in academia, you may even find business interviews easier to tackle.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t prepare, though. Research typical business interview techniques, questions to expect, and questions to ask.
Expect a screening interview and up to about three subsequent interviews. The focus will be on your:
- Professional experience and skills
- Cultural fit
- Practical skills
- Your career aspirations
Should you take an instructional design course or get a degree?
The fast answer is “no.”
You already have a teaching degree, and since most instructional design degrees focus heavily on theory, it probably won’t be the best use of your time and money.
Courses can be helpful. They’re shorter and cheaper and focus more on the practical, hands-on aspects of instructional design. However, they’re not essential to landing your first job.
If you are interested in taking a course, you can check out our recommendations.
Don’t quit your day job (yet!)
I know the temptation to quit your job and dive headfirst into instructional design is tempting.
Truthfully, though, it will take you a good while to learn the skillset, get a portfolio together, and land your first client.
If you have financial resources to cover you while not working, then fantastic! Quit your job and go for it!
If you don’t, however, you should put a plan together of how you can achieve everything while still working your teaching job.
Wrap up
In my mind, teachers are among the best-placed individuals to transition into instructional design!
Your existing skillset and knowledge are highly coveted and will give you a much-needed kickstart to your new career.
While you still may have a difficult road ahead balancing existing work with instructional design studies, the short-term hardships will be worth the long-term gain.
By Janette Bonnet
Janette Bonnet is an experienced L&D professional who is passionate about exploring instructional design techniques, trends, and innovations.