Teaching is a profession that requires flexibility, patience and organizational skills. These traits are not just necessary in education, but in other professions. In fact, many skills that successful teachers exhibit in the classroom can be transferred to other settings. In times of down-sizing and cutbacks in the field of education, teachers may need to look for openings outside of the field of education. In such a case, a teacher can highlight skill sets that will prove equally useful in another vocation.

Lesson Planning
All successful teachers master lesson planning. Setting an objective and finding activities to help to meet the objective is a skill set needed in management of businesses as well as in sales and retail. Therefore, lesson planning skills can transfer from the field of education to business and marketing.

Classroom Management
Classroom management refers to the ability to manage students and keep participants involved in the learning process. Teachers who exhibit excellent classroom management will also be good public speakers and seminar leaders. Consequently, classroom management skills are transferable to fields that demand good verbal communication and interpersonal skills such as law, public policy or elected office.

Evaluation and Assessment
Every classroom teacher must assess student performance and give grades. This skill requires both careful attention to student progress and fairness. The ability to evaluate others is a characteristic that is valued in vocations such as human resource officers, supervisors and those responsible for job performance evaluations.

Presentation
Teachers must deliver lessons each day. The skill set for lessons includes clarity of presentation, checking for understanding and adapting lessons to fit the needs of the student. These characteristics are also necessary in fields such as patent or trademark development where managers are called on to present innovations to co-workers or partners in a business venture.