If you’re an educator passionate about all teaching areas – not just in the classroom – then becoming an educational consultant might be an excellent choice.
Educational Resources
How to Become an Education Consultant
If you’re an educator passionate about all teaching areas – not just in the classroom – then becoming an educational consultant might be an excellent choice.
With more focus on the bigger picture, providing advice, and working as an ‘edupreneur,’ this role may seem entirely alien to some teachers. But this challenging role is unique for teachers looking to expand their circle and improve the knowledge of others beyond what can be provided in a classroom. Not to mention an excellent way to apply your knowledge of new and exciting platforms. We’ve covered you if you’re wondering how to become an educational consultant.
Read on to learn more about this career shift, what it means, and why it might be a great fit for you. We’ve got all the information you could need right here:
Education resources
What is an educational consultant?
As with any other consultant form, an educational consultant is an expert or highly-qualified individual who provides coaching and mentoring. This is often alongside consultancy on professional development, lesson planning, and even classroom management. Education consultants often work on a case-by-case basis, meaning they aren’t in one place for long. If you feel stagnant in the same classroom month after month, an educational consultant role might fit your lifestyle perfectly.
Generally, educational consultants offer their expert insight into the following areas:
- Curriculum development
- Professional development
- Educational intervention
- Assessing student performance
- Recommending materials for school programs
- Designing and implementing teacher training
- Analyzing performance and school budgets
While not all educational consultants will do all of these things, this is because many specialize in a particular area. Experts with experience and success in budget and financial planning may lean more into specific roles. At the same time, those with a skill for creating new programs and enhancing learning may offer entirely different services. There’s no one way to be an educational consultant, as the role can describe many other skills, talents, and passions.
Becoming an educational consultant: what you need
If working with students and schools in new ways sounds appealing, then working as an educational consultant might be the perfect fit. If you’re serious about making consultancy work for you, hard work is required up-front. This is to get your name out there where schools can see it and establish yourself as the industry expert you are. Here are just a few of the things you’ll need if you want to become an educational consultant:
Passion
It may seem obvious, but doing work you’re passionate about and engaged in is far more likely to be successful than areas you’re not keen on. You need to find your passion and use that enthusiasm to succeed as an educational consultant. Maybe you’re excited about improving the grades of students in school. Perhaps you’re enthusiastic about providing teachers more support to achieve their goals. Whatever that spark is, monetizing, and using it, is the first step to achieving great things in the consultancy field.
Establishment as an expert
Schools want to hire experts, not beginners. If you can prove yourself as an expert in your niche, you’ll look more appealing to potential clients. Being an expert ensures you know what you’re saying and implementing inside and out. There are many ways to be an expert. Perhaps it’s writing for well-known teaching magazines or creating an informative YouTube channel. Your expertise is how you sell yourself. While certifications and credentials are essential, setting yourself apart from the competition will make you stand out.
An online presence
Getting your name out there into the view of potential clients is vital. You want your name to be first on the search rankings when they look for educational consultants in the area, and you want to have plenty of information about you that you control. Online referrals, digital searches, and virtual research are how most educational work is acquired these days – word of mouth is still valuable. Be a part of the online educational community through social media, blogging, and your website, and you’re far more likely to be a strong prospect for consultancy.
Visibility in the industry
Beyond your virtual presence, networking and visibility are crucial to being an educational consultant. As with many entrepreneur jobs, it’s all about who you know and who you can connect with — being visible means attending conferences, seminars, and networking events to build those relationships. For most educational consultants, work won’t naturally fall in your lap – it takes effort up-front to form those relationships and get the ball rolling.
The benefits and downsides of consultancy
If you’re still considering whether educational consulting is right for you, these benefits and downsides may give you the insight you’re looking for. As with any career, there are some real positives to working as a consultant – but some less-shiny things to consider as well:
Freedom and flexibility
One of the biggest reasons educators turn towards less structured roles is the freedom it gives them. Instead of being stuck in a single office or classroom, educational consultants go to new places, do new things, and have a flexible schedule that works for them. Consultancy can resolve that issue for those who get restless sitting in one place for too long. It’s worth noting, though, that for many consultants, the role is part-time, especially outside of term time. Without a regular salary, downtimes can be harder to absorb and leave you chasing work.
Making your schedule
Making your schedule can sound appealing if you’re not a fan of the 9-5 or the 7-3. Educational consultants have a few limitations around scheduling, depending on their clients, but they also have far more freedom to pick and choose their schedules. Don’t want to work Mondays? You no longer have to. You’re the boss, and how you work is up to you. For those that aren’t self-motivated, keeping your schedule can be a challenge; but for others, it’s an excellent benefit of working for yourself and no one else.
Job security
One of the most significant downsides to becoming an educational consultant is the lack of job security. Unlike salaried employees, self-employed workers can easily find themselves without work due to cutbacks or drought periods where work isn’t forthcoming. While consultancy can pay incredibly well, job security is one of the factors that should be considered – especially without medical leave pay or maternity cover, if applicable.
Extra admin work
If you’re a fan of doing it all for yourself, then the role of an educational consultant will appeal. You’ll be in charge of every part of your position. From accounting and admin to marketing and promotion, edupreneurs have to wear many hats. This also includes research and ensuring your knowledge base and insights are up-to-date, vital components for an ever-changing educational environment.
Translating your passion into a career
Are you ready to translate your passion for education into a viable career? Educators often take the first step of signing up for a consulting company. By contracting through an established service, it’s far easier to connect with those first clients, which can be incredibly valuable for new consultants before establishing their network. Forming connections with schools, teachers, principals, and even local educational services should be your first step for those who want to strike out solo. Consulting work can also be sourced online, from job listing platforms to more unusual sources such as Craigslist.
Being an educational consultant can mean doing what you love. While you may start as an all-around consultancy service, you’ll be able to specialize in specific niches and areas that are valuable to schools, making you an even more useful resource. While building your client list can take time, it’s more than worth it for the results. While passion can’t pay the bills, translating it into viable, valuable skills can. Don’t be afraid to track KPIs and measure your success because making a career out of passion needs to be as profitable as it is enjoyable.
Making the first steps toward becoming an educational consultant
Getting started is easier than you might think. Before you quit your job, throw your hands up and go all-out with the advertising campaign. First, put feelers out to begin a gradual and practical transition. For some highly-skilled educators, it’s possible to have some crossover between teaching and consulting – though for many, getting away from the classroom is the goal. Many online services offer guides and insights into achieving your dreams and getting into the educational consulting field, including The Cornerstone for Teachers.
The first step to making any career change is to start. Make those connections, build your knowledge, and establish yourself as an expert at what you do. The clients will soon follow.
