Education-related careers (non-teaching)
If you’re interested in working with young people in an educational role but don't want to train as a teacher, we've put together some suggested job roles and sectors you could investigate.
Questions you might like to think about as you are reading this page:
- Which age group would you like to work with?
- How would you like to work with them? Individually or in a group?
- Do you have another passion or specialism to combine with your desire to work with children?
Jump to:
Spotlight On: Working with Children
We invited four professionals to talk to you about their roles.
- Tranai Todd - Chief Executive at Support Through Sport
- Michael Dosanjh - Student Recruitment Outreach Manager at The University of Nottingham
- Kelly Puleston - Project Manager at the Pythian Club
- Katie Kinzett - Graduate Education Worker at IntoUniversity
Login to SharePoint to watch a recording of this event
- Alumni: Email us to gain access to the webinar
Schools and colleges
Schools and colleges have a wide range of learning and pupil support roles which don’t require a teaching qualification although staff may have alternative qualifications or a teaching qualification. The pay for non-teaching jobs is usually lower than that of teaching staff. Job roles across schools and colleges are diverse and duties may vary depending on the school or college.
What are the job roles in schools and colleges?
Teaching assistants and higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs)
HLTAs are learning support staff who work with classroom teachers to support students either individually and/or in groups with their learning.
HLTAs are experienced teaching assistants who plan and deliver learning activities under the direction of a teacher and assess, record and report on pupils’ progress and may supervise a class in a teacher's absence.
Cover supervisors
As the name suggests supervise classes during teacher absence, using activities prepared by the class teacher.
Pupil support roles
Roles such as learning mentors and attendance officers work with pupils both one to one and in groups, supporting young people around issues such as educational achievement, attendance, social, emotional and behavioural issues.
Year leader
These positions are more challenging roles where you’d need a good understanding and ability to connect with young people as well as parents and other professionals. Job titles can vary and include pastoral manager.
Non-teaching jobs
Roles such as learning mentor, progress coaches and careers and employability advisers are also available in the further education (FE) sector.
Find out more from Prospects: Job roles in education
What are the trends in this sector?
Schools are managed and run in very different ways which impacts on their ethos and working environment. In Nottinghamshire, as well as other areas, many schools previously under local authority control are now academies and some are part of multi-academy trusts, run independently by their own governing body.
Over the last few years, there has been a trend towards employing non-teaching pastoral staff, which frees up teachers from dealing with non-teaching issues.
Employing cover supervisors rather than paying for supply teachers to cover lessons has a cost benefit to the school as well as the advantage of having a member of staff who can build relationships with students. Currently, with budget cuts and the formation of academies, recruitment of non-teaching staff appears to be fairly static.
What are the entry routes, challenges and career progression opportunities?
Entry routes
It’s important that you show genuine enthusiasm for the job, are empathetic and understand that the role is not about ‘being a friend’ but being somebody who can motivate the young person you're working with to achieve their best.
Experience working with young people, which can be in a voluntary and/or the non-education sector is extremely advantageous. You’d need to be enthusiastic, have a clear understanding of the role you’re applying for and an understanding of safeguarding. A safeguarding question or scenario is often used during the interview process.
It is fairly common for people with teaching qualifications to also apply for these types of jobs.
Challenges
Non-teaching jobs have more applicants than those advertised for qualified teachers, so competition can be fierce. Working in education is attractive to many people not only as it’s seen as a worthwhile, interesting job but also having school holidays.
Career progression
Other than teaching, there is not a specific graduate pathway in this sector and progression pathways can be limited which is reflected in wages paid to non-teaching roles. Graduates interested in teaching often look for a non-teaching role to gain experience or test out whether teaching is for them.
Where can I look for vacancies?
- Keep an open mind about job titles as they can vary depending upon the sector. Putting in key words such as outreach, young people and education into job search engines such as Indeed may produce some job opportunities you have not thought of.
- Check out the job vacancies page on local city and council websites - many also offer an email job alert service.
- Visit the websites of local schools/colleges in the location you want to work
Higher education institutions
One of the conditions of universities charging fees is that they need to have an access agreement in place setting out how they intend to safeguard and promote fair access to higher education from under-represented groups. This is called widening participation and universities deliver outreach programmes, services and activities to encourage young people from under-represented groups to consider university as a viable option.
What are the range of job roles in higher education?
Outreach officers within universities deliver widening participation activities. They arrange and deliver group sessions to young people in schools and colleges both on-campus and in schools and colleges.
Outreach officers will also work on other projects and events to encourage participation in continuing education.Team structures can vary, with some roles being part of student recruitment teams, while at other organisations there is a specific widening participation team.
For example, at Nottingham, the Widening Participation (WP) team is sub-divided into those that work with primary and secondary schools and those working within a vocational pathways academic enrichment programme.
For example, at the university, 26 people work in the Widening Participation (WP) team and 14 members of that team work directly with schools.
The team is sub-divided into those that work with primary and secondary schools and those working within a vocational pathways academic enrichment programme.
Depending upon how a team is structured, contact with young people may be through one-off visits rather than regular interactions. Some teams do work with a caseload of schools and many outreach officers work with the same group of young people for a week or two during residential summer schools.
What are the entry routes, challenges and career progression opportunities?
Entry routes
A degree is often an essential requirement, as the job is about promoting higher education to young people. Experience working with young people is usually required and those appointed sometimes have a teaching qualification. University students, involved as student ambassadors in outreach work, are becoming more likely to see this pathway as a conscious career choice.
Challenges
The number of jobs varies depending upon funding and may initially be on short-term contracts.
Career progression
Progression to higher graded jobs either within the team or within the wider university or at other universities.
How can I gain work experience?
Please be aware that study abroad, compulsory year abroad, optional placements/internships and integrated year in industry opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities or placement/industry hosts, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university's control. Every effort will be made to update this information as quickly as possible should a change occur.
Where can I look for vacancies?
- As well as using the two websites opposite and generic sites such as Indeed, visit the websites of local higher education institutions and sign up for their email job alerts.
Spotlight On: Careers in Higher Education
During this webinar, you will hear from four speakers who work in different roles within higher education.
Each speaker shares how they got their role, what they do day-to-day, and the key skills they use. They also spoke about what makes working in higher education unique, including the benefits and challenges.
Speakers:
- Zoe Goodwin, HR Project Manager
- Gemma Skelton, Research Centre Manager
- Chris Birchall, Education and Student Experience Manager
- Kev Butler, Senior Technical Specialist
Login to SharePoint to watch the webinar
- Alumni: Email us to gain access to the webinar
Education technology
Educational technology, often referred to as edtech, integrates educational theory and practice with digital tools such as computer hardware and software to enhance learning experiences. Edtech tools empower teachers to design personalised lesson plans and learning experiences that promote inclusivity and enhance the learning potential of students of all ages and abilities.
Some examples of edtech include gamification (badges, polls, quizzes), interactive hardware (tablets, whiteboards, virtual reality) and learning management systems (Moodle, Google Classroom).
What are the range of job roles in edtech?
From curriculum and content design to sales, business operations and marketing, there are many exciting opportunities available in this emerging industry. Below are examples of roles available in some of the leading EdTech companies.
Content/curriculum development
If you enjoy designing and planning learning experiences or curricula, a content-related role might be a great fit for you. Below are a couple of roles to explore:
Curriculum developer - A curriculum developer designs or updates curricula to enhance student learning outcomes. This role often involves collaborating with the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure the curriculum aligns with specific standards and guidelines. If you’re interested in a curriculum development role, research whether the company’s products are student-facing, teacher-facing, or designed for both, as this will shape the type of curriculum you'll be developing.
Content design - As a content designer you would be developing original subject matter for a course or curriculum. Titles for this role may vary based on the company and the type of product they create, so it’s essential to research the specifics before applying to a content design position.
Instructional designer - Instructional designers develop educational materials for schools, universities, and organisations to enhance student engagement and learning. They evaluate educational needs and then create strategies and tools to address them. Collaborating closely with teachers, instructors, and other professionals, instructional designers craft courses that are both effective and engaging.
Instructional designers typically hold a bachelor's or master's degree in educational technology, educational psychology, or a related field. A strong understanding of educational software, instructional design theories, and curriculum development is crucial. They possess excellent organisational and communication skills and keep up to date with the latest educational trends.
Customer-facing roles
Below is an overview of a few of the customer facing roles in the EdTech industry:
Sales - EdTech sales focus on building relationships with schools, universities and other educational institutions, to identify challenges that can be addressed by the company's product or service.
EdTech companies often use various titles for their sales team members, including account executive, partnerships representative, sales director, and sales representative. Keep in mind that when a sales role is labelled "partnerships" or "partners," it typically involves building relationships with top decision-makers rather than working directly with community members. For example, if you were working with a large multi-academy trust, you may be working with a senior manager who has responsibility for multiple schools, rather than directly working with the schools themselves.
A sales role might be a good fit for you if you enjoy navigating complex conversations, building relationships with a wide range of people, staying organised, and paying attention to detail, or if you have an entrepreneurial mindset. Keep in mind that sales positions often involve travel, so it's important to check the estimated travel time in the job description to make sure it aligns with your lifestyle.
Account management - Account managers focus on building and maintaining relationships with customers to ensure they have a positive experience with the company's products and services. In some EdTech companies, this role may also be responsible for managing sales renewals with existing customers.
This role may involve providing product training and support to customers. By working closely with them, individuals in this position often gather, analyse, and utilise customer usage data to enhance engagement and optimise product usage.
How do I gain work experience?
Where can I look for vacancies?
You can use the sites below as well as generic sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Reed.
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Jobs.ac.uk: A leading job board for academic, research, and higher education roles.
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tes Jobs: A platform offering job listings for teaching and education roles in schools and colleges.
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EdTech Hub: A resource hub for exploring the intersection of technology and education, including job and project opportunities.
Culture, heritage and museums
This section covers museums, galleries, science centres and heritage, as well as theatre and performance organisations. This sector is keen to provide opportunities to encourage access for young people and on developing education and skills which can complement the school curriculum.
What are the job roles in this sector?
Job titles in the sector vary but could include Education Officer, Learning Officer, and Schools Officer.
Working in this role, you would to engage and educate young people involving the preparation and delivery of programmes, events and resources for schools and other visitors.Roles and responsibilities vary depending on the size and type of organisation worked for.
In some smaller museums, for example, the Learning Officer would be responsible for the full range of ages from under 5s to university age students and both formal and informal learning (families and weekend visitors). They might also be responsible for a volunteer programme working with people of all ages.
In larger organisations such as Nottingham City Museums and Galleries the roles tend to be split into officers responsible for volunteers, formal learning with schools and colleges and then informal learning. Sometimes there are freelance opportunities available to deliver education sessions.
The level of actual delivery to pupils by education officers also varies greatly. In larger organisations they would co-ordinate a team of other staff or freelancers who actually deliver the education sessions while in smaller organisations they might do all of this themselves.
What are the entry routes, challenges and career progression opportunities?
Entry routes
Some applicants are from a teaching background, but this is often not a specific requirement and many successful applicants come through different routes.
If you are applying for roles that are subject specific, like drama education officer, then a degree in performing arts or drama may be a requirement.
Gaining work experience through volunteering is a really good way to get some experience for your CV and most organisations run volunteering programmes. Volunteering with children and young people is ideal but any experience in the type of organisation that interests you is useful.
Challenges
This is a competitive sector which has faced many cuts over recent years. Contracts are frequently offered on a short-term basis and may include freelance work.
Career prospects
Large organisations may offer the opportunity to progress through graded posts, for example, from assistant education officer to education officer. Promotion could also be into broader management roles within the sector.
Where can I look for vacancies?
- Keep an open mind about job titles as they can vary depending upon the sector. Putting in key words such as outreach, young people and education into job search engines such as Indeed may produce some job opportunities you have not thought of.
Not for profit organisations
Charities and social enterprise
Charities
Some charities advertise jobs which involve working with young people to engage or educate them around the aims of their specific charity. Jobs are as diverse as the charities. Perhaps start with a web search for 'educational charities'.
Some examples are: supporting young people into employment, working with young carers, delivering financial education programmes and delivering programmes to promote animal welfare. There are also some large and well-known companies that have foundations (which are separate entities from the main organisation but still carry their name) with a focus on education and young people. Some examples of this are the DHL UK Foundation and the Greggs Foundation.
Some large charities such as IntoUniversity, who offer widening participation programmes to young people, have specific graduate employment opportunities.
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is a business that ploughs its profits back into a strong social or environmental mission. There are many social enterprises which have a focus on and education and/or supporting young people.
Here are some examples of Social Enterprise organisations in the UK:
Social Enterprise UK
How do I find out more about working for a charity or Social Enterprise?
Explore the charity sector, entry routes, roles available, where to look for vacancies and work experience opportunities on our dedicated charity work page:
Charity work - entry routes, roles, vacancy sources and work experience
If you are interested in working with children and young people but not in an education-related setting, we have listed some alternative career path pages below to explore. Please note that all the below could involve working with adults too, however there may be options to specialise in children/young people.