Participating in international travel through EF Tours, in which KDP members receive a free gift for every trip booked.

Sharing lessons plans as well as classroom tips and techniques with pre-service and beginning teachers through Ideas to Go or KDP Online.

Serving as a Teacher Hotline panelist, answering member submitted questions that relate to your area of teaching expertise.

How likely is it that I can start a new career?
Many teachers begin planning retirement long before it appears on their to-do list so that can build on their classroom successes in new employment options. You can use the skills you developed and honed as an educator to become a consultant, teach courses at a local junior college, or work through a university.
On the other hand, retirement for some educators is simply an open window to a lifelong (or latent) dream of something altogether different, such as an entirely new career. Being able to identify transferrable skills and acquire new skills helps such “retirees” successfully make this transition. You may be one of them.

Check out the Career Center for resources on writing a résumé and cover letter and link to samples of each. In this section, you also can access interviewing tips, job openings in school districts, community/junior colleges, or universities, and other career transitioning assistance. Look for the links specifically for retired teachers.

Use the Member Directory to find fellow KDP members in your area to network with and find available opportunities.

Post inquiries on the Online Discussion Board about consulting or special projects opportunities in your area.

Serve as a substitute teacher, tutor, or mentor in the public school system.

Sign up to be a classroom volunteer–listen to students read, boost math skills, help prepare for standardized tests.

Supervise student teachers and/or instruct in teacher preparation programs at a local university.

Volunteer at shelters for homeless children or pediatric critical-care units at the hospital.

Serve as a leader in a school or community club or organization.

How can I continue to be challenged professionally?

As passionate and long-term members of the teaching profession, retired teachers are in a favorable position to advocate for a new generation of teachers, children, and the field of education. You have worked in a profession that serves the community–students and their parents of various backgrounds and abilities and socioeconomic levels. You have an awareness many others may not have acquired. As a social servant in an esteemed profession, you have the knowledge, heart, and experience to be a voice for students, teachers, and education and outside the field. Consider lobbying state and national legislatures or becoming consultants to these groups. Other arenas where you could work or volunteer include educational consulting for educational publishers or officers for state and national educational associations.