Where Do You Want to Be This Time Next Year? A Career Check-In for Education Professionals

The end of the academic year has a way of making you think.

After months of lessons, deadlines, meetings, interventions, reports, emails and everything else that comes with working in education, summer finally creates a little space between one academic year and the next.

And that space can be useful.

Not necessarily for making big decisions straight away, but for asking yourself one simple question:

Where would I like to be this time next year?

Think ahead to summer 2027. Another academic year has finished. What would make you look back and feel that the year had moved you in the right direction?

Perhaps you would like to have taken the next step in your career. Maybe you want more responsibility — or less. Perhaps you would like to work in a school where you feel more supported, improve your work-life balance, develop a particular skill or simply rediscover some of the enjoyment that brought you into education in the first place.

You don't need to have a detailed five-year plan.

But knowing what you would like to be different by this time next year can help you make better decisions when September arrives.

Start With Where You Are Now

Before thinking about what comes next, it can help to take stock of where you are today.

Ask yourself:

• What have I enjoyed most about my role this year?

• What has frustrated or drained me?

• When have I felt most confident and effective?

• Which parts of my job would I like to do more of?

• Which parts would I happily do less of?

• Do I feel I am still developing?

• Am I working in an environment where I can do my best work?

Try not to judge your answers.

Feeling tired at the end of an academic year does not automatically mean you need a new job. Equally, if the same frustrations have been following you for several terms or years, it may be worth paying attention to them.

The purpose of a career check-in isn't to persuade yourself to stay or leave.

It's simply to understand what you want.

Imagine Summer 2027

Now move the question forward a year.

Imagine it is July 2027 and you are finishing another academic year.

What would you like to be able to say has changed?

Perhaps you want to progress

For some education professionals, the next 12 months might be about moving forward.

That could mean stepping into a middle leadership role, applying for senior leadership, taking responsibility for a subject or department, progressing within school operations, or simply finding a role that gives you more opportunity to develop.

If that's your goal, think about what you could do during the coming academic year to make yourself ready.

Could you volunteer for a project? Take on additional responsibility? Develop experience in an area that appears regularly in the roles you want? Speak to someone already doing the job?

You don't have to wait until you see the perfect vacancy to start preparing for it.

Perhaps you want to deepen your expertise

Progression doesn't always have to mean a new title.

You may love the role you already have but want to become better at it.

For a teacher, that could mean developing curriculum expertise, strengthening classroom practice, mentoring an ECT or building confidence in a particular key stage.

For a teaching assistant, administrator, HR professional, finance officer, IT specialist or other member of school support staff, it could mean expanding your responsibilities, gaining a qualification or developing specialist experience.

A successful year does not have to end with a promotion.

It could simply mean becoming exceptionally good at something that matters to you.

Perhaps you want a different environment

Sometimes the role itself isn't the problem.

The environment is.

You might enjoy teaching but want a different school culture. You might want a shorter commute, a stronger leadership team, better professional development, more flexibility or a setting that feels more aligned with your values.

There are many reasons why somebody can be good at their job and still decide that their current school is no longer the right place for them.

If you imagine yourself a year from now, are you still where you are today?

And importantly, does that thought feel positive?

Perhaps you want better balance

Career goals don't always have to involve doing more.

Sometimes the goal is to create a working life that is more sustainable.

You may want clearer boundaries around your time. You might want a role closer to home. You may want to feel less exhausted when Friday arrives or have more energy for life outside school.

That isn't a lack of ambition.

A career that works well for you over the long term needs to fit into your life, rather than consume it.

If your goal for summer 2027 is simply to feel happier and more balanced in your working life, that is a perfectly worthwhile goal.

Turn the Goal Into Something You Can Act On

Once you have an idea of where you would like to be next summer, work backwards.

You don't need a complicated career plan. Start with one or two practical questions.

If I want to be there next year, what needs to happen this year?

And:

What is one thing I could do when I return in September?

If you want a leadership position, perhaps the first step is speaking to your line manager about development opportunities.

If you are considering moving schools, you could update your CV and start exploring what opportunities are available.

If you want to develop professionally, identify one area you genuinely want to improve rather than signing up for everything available.

If better balance is your priority, think about which changes would make the biggest difference.

Small decisions made throughout the year often have a greater impact than one dramatic New Year's resolution.

You Don't Have to Know Exactly What You Want

One of the hardest career questions is also one of the most common:

What if I know I want something different, but I don't know what?

That's fine.

Career decisions don't always begin with a job title.

Sometimes they start with knowing what you want more of — or less of.

More responsibility.

More support.

More challenge.

More flexibility.

A shorter journey to work.

A different age group.

A stronger sense of purpose.

Less pressure.

Less administration.

Less Sunday-evening dread.

Those clues can be just as useful as knowing exactly which job you want next.

And speaking to someone who understands the education recruitment market can help you see options you may not have considered.

Summer Is for Rest Too

There is one important caveat to all of this.

You do not need to spend your summer creating spreadsheets about your career.

After a demanding academic year, rest matters.

You might find that your perspective in late July is very different from how you feel after a few weeks away from school. Giving yourself that breathing space can help you distinguish between end-of-year exhaustion and something deeper that you genuinely want to change.

So take the break.

Switch off.

Do the things you haven't had enough time to do during term.

But somewhere along the way, give yourself a few quiet minutes to think about next year.

Not just the timetable, the classes, the deadlines or the next set of results.

Think about you.

One Year From Now

A year can pass surprisingly quickly in education.

September becomes Christmas, Christmas becomes Easter, and suddenly another summer arrives.

You cannot control everything that will happen over the next 12 months.

But you can decide what direction you would like to be travelling in.

So before the new academic year begins, ask yourself:

By summer 2027, what would I like to have achieved?

What would I like to have changed?

And what would make me feel that the year ahead had been a good one for my career — and for me?

You don't need every answer today.

You just need somewhere you would like to go.

Thinking About Your Next Step?

Whether you're an ECT considering your first move, an experienced teacher looking for progression, a school leader exploring your next challenge or a support professional thinking about where your career could take you, Aston Education can help.

We specialise in permanent and long-term education roles and support candidates throughout the process — from exploring opportunities and improving your CV to application support, interview preparation and career advice.

Explore our live jobs board or get in touch with Aston Education for a confidential conversation about what you would like your next 12 months to look like.