Nicole Van Woudenberg

Many Canadian teachers leave it up to chance to see how their careers unfold leaving them vulnerable to miss wealth-building opportunities. They also often wait too long to fully understand their pension. Or they believe their pension is sacred and it’s impossible to leave teaching to pivot to another career.

Smart Teacherwill help you plan your teaching career from the beginning years all the way to your last five or until you’re ready to pivot from teaching to something else. It answers the questions:

• What can I do to gain a full-time teaching job?
• How do I get to the top of the pay grid?
• How do I access funds to support my continued learning?
• What steps do I take to build my wealth on a teacher’s salary?
• How can I take out my pension contributions if I’m leaving teaching before retirement?
• What positions in education are available besides classroom teaching?
• What if I really don’t want to teach anymore, what else can I do?
• Can I afford to retire on just my teachers’ pension?
• When should I start preparing for retirement and what do I prioritize?
• What do former teachers who pivoted do now for a living?

And much more!

Through Smart Teacher you will learn easy-to-follow strategies to get the most out of your teaching career and implement the steps to maximize your wealth-building opportunities so you can prepare for the retirement you desire as a hardworking Canadian teacher.

An award winning teacher with over 25-years experience in various roles, including as Chair of the Ontario College of Teachers, Nicole van Woudenberg has a sound grasp of the importance of planning your career to reach financial independence. Smart Teacher provides you with the framework and easy steps to develop your own plan.

＂I’ve been teaching for 15 years and there were strategies in here I never thought of but going to do now.＂ Adriana

＂Very practical. Easy read and lots of realistic and doable suggestions.＂ Mark

＂I didn’t realize all the options open to me as a new graduate from Teachers’ College. I like the suggested strategies because it feels like I can do them without feeling overwhelmed.＂ Julie

＂I just graduated and reading about what contracts, CBAs and benefits entail prepares me for what to expect as I start to apply for jobs. Really helpful examples in the book.＂ Caroline