Why Teachers Are Ditching Classrooms for an Ed Tech Salary

Sunday night. Your kitchen table drowning beneath a sea of backlogged assignments. Your last hours of *ahem free time slipping into the void.

Something inside you snaps.

Traditional education is running you into the ground. And they're doing it under the guise of dedication. responsibility. duty.

The holy trinity of teacher exploitation.

But what's REALLY happening isn't what they're selling:

• Your expertise - Passed off as baseline skills that don't demand top-rate pay
• Your time - Lost to admin that SHOULD fall within your contracted hours
• Your worth - Set by the same minds that call chalk cutting-edge technology

SCREW THAT!

You're a teacher. One of society's unsung heroes. Transforming young minds into tomorrow's innovators.

Yet here you are. Watching your passion get crushed under the weight of an education system that hasn't evolved since the Model T first hit the road.

But ed tech has blown open an escape hatch.

Smart ed tech companies are desperate for passionate, future-forward pros who know outdated education ISN'T solved with yesterday's thinking. They want top teaching talent with battle-tested skills. They're backing up their want with tech-sector salaries.

Skeptical? Leave that to us.

Here's why you should ditch the classroom for an ed tech salary. And why you SHOULDN'T feel guilty about it.

Overworked and Underpaid

Thirteen hours - the time you're sacrificing beyond your contracted 40-hour week.

Week after week. Month after month. Year after year.

Your dedication has you cramming nearly 1.5 extra workdays into your already suffocating teaching schedule. The reward for your above-and-beyond commitment?

A paycheck that's $18,000 LIGHTER than professionals with similar education and experience.

But hey, at least your teaching salary keeps up with inflation... right?

Here's the sickening reality.

When adjusted for inflation, teachers today are making 5% LESS than they did in 2008. Not only are you being underpaid, but your underpay is worth less with each passing year.

And the future isn't looking any brighter. While most professions are projected to grow 4% between 2023 and 2033, kindergarten, middle and high-school teaching positions are declining by 1%.

Traditional schools are shackled to outdated budgets and broken expectations. They're banking on your dedication while bankrupting your future.

This exploitation ends NOW.

The Rapid Rise of Ed Tech

While traditional education circles the drain, ed tech is experiencing its gold rush.

The global ed tech market hit an eye-watering $215.14 billion valuation in 2024. And it's expected to more than 3.5x to $773.06 billion by 2033.

And North America is leading the charge - with over 40% of GLOBAL ed tech revenue flowing through this market.

Translation: The money is HERE. The opportunities are NOW. And the industry is SCREAMING for talented teachers ready to shape the future of education.

Why Teachers Thrive in Ed Tech

Let's get something straight: You didn't get into teaching to get rich.

You became a teacher to inspire. Change lives. Make a difference.

Following the money can feel wrong to top teachers. But it shouldn't!

Because having the financial safety, flexibility, and freedom you DESERVE gives you the energy you NEED to make the impact you've always wanted.

And ed tech gets it.

Your deep understanding of how students learn. Your ability to make complexity fun. Your talent for keeping learners engaged.

Ed tech is desperate for your skills. But unlike traditional schools trapped in budget hell, they can actually pay for them.

And here's the beautiful part: In ed tech, your impact isn't limited to 30 kids in a classroom.

For the first time in your teaching career, what you have to offer just... becomes... scalable.

Breaking Free from Red Tape

Think back to all the out-of-the-box ideas you've shelved that would've helped your students. The ideas that got crushed under comments like we've always done it this way or the budget won't allow it.

In ed tech, your out-of-the-box thinking is welcomed.

That doesn't mean they're writing blank cheques. But it does mean that solid ideas get their time in the sun.

And the best ones get tested, refined, and launched.

No drowning in district approval. No fighting for basic resources. No sacrificing innovation for conveyor-belt standardization.

You'll get the same dedication to the cause. But this time, you'll get it with:

• Resources that match your vision
• Pay that reflects your expertise
• Freedom to radically push boundaries
• Forward-thinking shot-callers who actually believe in impact

Your expertise deserves to shine. Ed tech doesn't believe in downing them in red tape.

Successfully Pivoting into Ed Tech

Here's the truth about breaking into ed tech: They don't need another industrial-age teacher.

They need YOU - a passionate, battle-hardened, future-facing expert.

Our VP of Talent and People Ops - Heather Lother - recently dropped gold in our Radically Remote newsletter #44. Heather broke down EXACTLY what teachers need to know when transitioning into tech.

Here's how to position yourself for success:

1. Focus on Hard Skills That Matter:

Rather than emphasizing soft skills, focus on technical and industry-relevant competencies. 

That means:

• Tech & AI literacy (47% of education leaders use AI daily - this ISN'T optional)
• Data analysis and learning metrics
• Content design, iteration, and implementation
• Communication and technical writing

2. Quantify Your Impact:

The tech game is all about the numbers. So don't bury your worth.

Identify your impact. Communicate it clearly. Give it the space to shine.

What you SHOULDN'T say: Helped students struggling with reading to improve.

What you SHOULD say: Built a custom GPT that helped boost 70% of struggling learners' reading by two grade levels in 3 months.

3. Showcase Your Vision

Future-facing ed tech companies need to know you're future-facing too. 

That means you need to:

• Document your creative solutions
• Demonstrate your adaptability to new tools (especially AI) and approaches
• Highlight times you've leveraged technology to reimagine impactful learning at scale

Pro tip: Want more insights on breaking into tech and maximizing your worth? Check out Radically Remote - our newsletter that's helping educators and other professionals navigate the future of work.

3 Killer Roles That Match Your Value

The future of education isn't delivered in broken, school district classrooms. And it isn't built on suffocating job opportunities with below average salaries.

Let's set the scene:

• The national average teaching salary sits at $69,597.
• Starting teachers are sitting somewhere closer to $44,530.

Both shrinking with inflation. Both capping your impact.

Ed tech companies hiring teachers look WAY past these outdated numbers. They've assessed your value, understand your experience, and want your impact.

And they're willing to finally pay you what you're worth.

Here are 3 killer on-campus roles we're currently offering that CRUSH classroom salaries:

Guide ($100,000 USD/year, Brownsville, TX)

Welcome to the front lines of the education revolution. As an Alpha guide, you'll be shattering the crusty conventions of traditional teaching while students crush twice the academics in half the time.

Forget walking the same tired path of classes and standardized tests. Here, you're unleashing potential through adaptive technology, daily inspiration sessions, and the kind of energy that turns it's impossible into let's give it a go.

You'll still have your face time. You'll just have it with MUCH bigger impact.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (any subject) and a proven record of smashing goals through growth mindset
• Track record of inspiring kids in non-traditional settings (sports coach, camp leader, youth mentor)
• Burning desire to connect, inspire, and motivate K-8th grade students
• Ready to work full-time, on-site in Brownsville, TX (relocation assistance provided)

Life Skills Workshop Designer ($100,000 USD/year, Austin, TX)

Imagine 8-year-olds confidently pitching to venture capitalists. 10-year-olds managing an Alpha Airbnb. 11-year-olds delivering TED-style talks that leave rooms speechless.

As a Life Skills Workshop Designer, you're NOT building dusty, outdated educational content. You're leveraging AI and your teaching know-how to design the kinds of breakthrough moments that have kids discovering their hidden superpowers.

You're a driver for practical education.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (any subject) plus 1 year of creating mind-blowing educational experiences
• Master-level skills with AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.)
• Track record of gathering and acting on real student feedback
• Ready to work full-time, on-site in Austin, TX

Admissions Director ($200,000 USD/year, United States)

As a Admissions Director at 2 Hour Learning, you'll be showcasing an educational model where students accomplish in more in two hours than traditional schools struggle to achieve in an entire day.

Forget drowning in bureaucratic approval and rigid processes. Here, you're the one crafting high-touch, personalized journeys that convert curious families into passionate advocates.

You'll still build meaningful relationships. You'll just do it with REAL decision-making power.

Requirements:

• 5+ years working with admissions in competitive academic environments
• Executive-level communication skills that instantly build credibility with families
• Ability to juggle multiple campuses and deadlines while maintaining uncompromising attention to detail
• Able to work and travel in the U.S.

Where Higher Pay Meets Lasting Impact

It's time to stop thinking that demanding your worth is somehow wrong!

Claiming your ed tech salary is more than the zeros in your paycheck. It’s the psychological safety and breathing room to FINALLY create the change that drove you toward teaching in the first place.

You've spent years changing lives one student at a time. You've always felt you could do more. With ed tech, now you can.

Enough deliberating. It's time to take the plunge.

Are you ready to stop letting an outdated system get in the way of your Ed Tech salary? The future of education needs teachers bold enough to embrace it. The only question is: Will that be you?