Teaching and consulting are two distinct activities, each with its own purpose and approach. Teaching is when a manager models, guides practice, observes practice, and gives feedback on performance, and is appropriate when someone has a skill or knowledge gap. Consulting, on the other hand, involves asking guiding questions, giving advice and co-creating solutions, and is appropriate when someone needs a thinking partner to help solve problems. Educational consultants are usually teachers or administrators who want to take a break from the daily routine but still remain involved in the field of education.
They are passionate about K-12 or higher education and want to positively influence student performance. Most seek an opportunity to make a significant difference in the way education is delivered and received. However, there is a third type of educational consultant who works with educational organizations, such as schools, universities, and nonprofits. In these roles, educational consultants can provide experience and guidance related to curriculum development, classroom management, or administration.
As with all types of consulting, there are many career paths for educational consultants, each with their own specific requirements. Before educational consultants can begin to determine the effectiveness of a school or the potential of a student, they must already have a good education themselves. Educational consulting gives people the opportunity to work locally, nationally and internationally at the same time; this is a great way to increase knowledge about new teaching, leadership and learning strategies and to replicate best practices in any consultant's portfolio. Education consultants offer a diverse set of skills that allow them to work with teachers, administrators, and parents at all levels of education. They can also help students and their families choose a university and devise the best strategy for gaining acceptance at that school. Many schools, families, and educational organizations rely on the expertise of educational consultants to influence positive educational change and improve student performance. If you're looking for a step-by-step guide to starting your own educational consulting business, you won't find it.
However, in the real world, impostors and late night consultants without the right credentials don't last long. The most successful consultants I know maintain an extremely active web presence because they like to share ideas; they are already hired years in advance but they connect with passion.
