Rise to the challenge: becoming an author
14 September 2026
Chris Hardy walked away from a high-flying life to become a children's book author.
Rise to the challenge: becoming a teacher
We meet two people who pivoted from successful careers to take up teaching.
If ever there was a man who sees the glass half full, it’s Joshua Le Mon.
Given everything he has endured – from mental health struggles to the loss of his wife, and six months later his mother – you’d forgive him for viewing life differently. Instead, the 47-year-old Aucklander is rewriting the script, choosing gratitude over grief, and embracing each day with renewed purpose.
“I’m incredibly lucky,” says Joshua. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some very dark times. But I was lucky to have my wife Carolyn in my life for 13 years, and she has left me with her spirit of joy. I’m surrounded by an awesome support network of friends and family, I’ve got my apartment, my cat and a new career. My life’s amazing!”
Carolyn passed away in February last year after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
“That’s a journey that really changes who you are. I don’t feel like I have the same level of depression and anxiety that I used to because losing her put everything else into perspective. I’ve come to realise the smaller stuff just doesn’t matter.”
After a career as an electrical engineering consultant, Joshua Le Mon is re-training to become a teacher. Photo by Jessie Casson.
And now Joshua has discovered a new source of joy, walking away from a lucrative but unfulfilling career to retrain as a high school teacher through The Teachers’ Institute (TTI). The one-year school-based postgraduate programme gets trainees into primary and secondary schools from day one, providing practical, apprenticeship-style training that’s helping tackle New Zealand’s teacher shortage.
“After 23 years as a sparkie and an electrical engineering consultant I knew I needed to make a change. I want to be not just a productive member – but a contributing member – of my community,” explains Joshua, who is spending his TTI year based at a small predominantly Pasifika boys school. So far, he says, “it’s been phenomenal.”
“I love being around a bunch of teenage boys. Teenagers get such a bad rap but they’re quite literally the future. I’ve been through a lot and I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer. I think we owe these young people the best we have.”
Joshua Le Mon wanted to be a contributing member of the community by becoming a teacher. Photo by Jessie Casson.
As a trainee physics teacher, Joshua hopes his love of science will inspire curiosity and wonder in his students.
“I don’t want kids to be scared of science. Everything around us that we love is science, and my understanding of the world through science and physics brings me so much joy. Like when I wake up in the morning and see the sunrise, and I appreciate just how rare that is on a universal scale. I may not be able to fix society, but at least I can give a bunch of kids appreciation for the world.”
His only regret? That Carolyn isn’t here to see him do it.
“She convinced me that I’m a good role model and she would have loved seeing me do this.”
Fellow trainee Stephanie Oldham shares Joshua’s enthusiasm for all things science, swapping a global career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry for life in the classroom.
“I’m very passionate about science and wanted to share my knowledge with the next generation,” says Stephanie, who is now teaching biology at a large high-performing state school in Auckland, and gaining her teaching qualification through TTI.
With a Master of Bioscience Enterprise, and years of experience working in market access and health technology assessment, the 38-year-old has a lot to offer, and she’s a big fan of TTI’s ‘boots on the ground’ training.
“Other teaching courses have shorter practicums and are back in a university environment, whereas here I’m at school full time, which I felt was more appropriate for me.”
She admits, “it was a bit scary to begin with,” but now she couldn’t be happier.
"The transition from a corporate environment into teaching has been a thrilling and dynamic shift. You definitely hit the ground running – every day brings something new, which keeps things exciting.
Stephanie Oldham spent years working in health technology before pivoting to teaching. Photo by Tony Nyberg.
“While stepping into a completely new sector was initially a big adjustment, I couldn't have asked for a better environment to grow in. The teaching team around me is incredibly talented, passionate, collegial and generous with their time, which makes navigating the learning curve a fantastic experience.”
With two kids under five, juggling family life with any career can prove challenging, but Stephanie says teaching is a role that aligns really well for her and her family.
“I’m genuinely excited for everything this new path has ahead.”
Joshua and Stephanie are just two of a growing number of adults opting to become teachers later in life. In fact, TTI CEO Heather McRae says three-quarters of their 2026 cohort are career changers from industries like law, finance, engineering, marketing and IT – and almost half of them are over 40 years old.
“Many people with a raft of adventures and experiences behind them turn to teaching because of the intrinsic value it adds to their lives and the students they teach,” Heather says.
“It’s an enriching and fulfilling experience to share knowledge with young people, but there’s an even deeper purpose to teaching. We prepare our young people for life ahead. This includes imparting a sense of belonging, engaging with their cultures and deepening their resilience to change.”
And as Joshua and Stephanie will both attest, when it comes to job satisfaction, that’s hard to beat.
This story is from the Spring 2026 issue of AA Directions magazine.
