Jobs in Education other than Teaching

Anything that helps people learn is part of the education sector – and the actual teaching is only a small percentage of that. The education sector can be a hugely rewarding place to work. Here are some of the jobs that you could consider.

Educational administration

Educational administration includes any role that helps to keep a school, college or university running smoothly. It’s a very broad area, with lots of potential job titles, such as:

• Admissions officer
• Departmental secretary
• Alumni officer
• Registrar
• Bursar
• Policy officer
• Pupil services officer
• Training administrator
• Finance administrator
• Human resources manager

Although they’re administrative, with most roles you’ll feel very much a part of the education system. As an admissions officer, for example, you’ll be reviewing and managing student applications, planning open days and interviews, and arranging welcome materials for new students. Even in a less education-specific career, such as finance assistant, you’ll find different tasks and challenges in education than you would elsewhere.

Qualifications and skills

The qualifications you need to work in educational administration depend on the role. Some don’t require any specific qualifications. For others, you may need a degree or qualification in business administration, marketing, management, finance or whatever relevant subject applies.

While the specific skills you need vary, for all educational administration jobs you need to be highly organised and work well in a team.

Salaries

In low-level positions, a starting salary could be around £17,000. At the higher end, experienced administrators can earn £50,000 or £60,000.

Careers guidance

As a careers adviser, your job is to help people make decisions about their future. You’ll also help research the education, training and career opportunities they need to achieve their goal. Careers advisers often work in schools or universities, or for local authorities.

Qualifications and skills

You can qualify as a careers adviser through a higher education qualification (usually a 1 or 2 year course) or through work-based training. For the work-based route you’ll need a job in a school or somewhere else that offers careers advice, where you’ll have a chance to practise and develop your skills.

You should be a great listener, with strong research, communication and interpersonal skills. Internships are a great way to put these skills into practice - see our latest education and teaching internships. 

Salary

You could start out earning around £18,000, with the potential to earn £35,000 as a manager.

Education welfare officer

In short, education welfare officers are responsible for ensuring that children attend school and have access to all the tools to help them succeed. You'll work one-on-one with students, usually within the school setting and offer them guidance on working to the best of their ability. You'll also work with other members of staff within a school, for example, teachers and administrative officers as well as external members of the community such as social workers and education agencies. 

Qualifications and skills

Generally, you'll need two to three A-levels in order to become an education welfare officer and many people choose to do a degree at university in a subject like education, social work or a form of social science. Some local authorities may help you move up through the ranks by working as an assistant education welfare officer and receive on-the-job training but will usually depend on who you're applying to.

In order to thrive as an education welfare officer, you'll need to be versed in teaching and psychology as well as have great interpersonal skills. Being able to relate well with others, both adults and children will hold you in good stead in this role as will being able to remain calm and collected in high-pressure and sensitive situations.

Salary

Starting salaries for education welfare officer roles begin in the region of £19,000 and experienced officers in the role can expect to earn above £30,000. 

Educational psychology

An educational psychologist’s job is to help children who are struggling to learn or participate in their school. It involves developing therapies, routines and coping strategies for the child, and working with parents and teachers to provide support. Educational psychologists can also be responsible for educating teachers and raising standards in their area.

Qualifications and skills

To work as an educational psychologist you must have an undergraduate degree in psychology and a recognised doctorate in educational psychology (or in Scotland, the Qualification in Educational Psychology Stage 2).

As well as being highly qualified, you should be empathetic, diplomatic, assertive and organised.

Salary

Qualified educational psychologists start out earning around £35,000. In the most senior positions, you could earn £65,000.

Family support

A family support officer works at a school, but their job is to help parents – whether by getting them more involved with their child’s education, helping develop strategies to improve the child’s behaviour, or being their advocate in any argument with the school. They also work with parents whose child is on the autism spectrum, or has a learning disability or a physical disability, to help plan extra support.

Qualifications and skills

Most schools ask for a relevant qualification in a subject like childcare or social care, though a degree isn’t usually necessary. They may also ask for GCSE English and maths.

You should be empathetic, trustworthy, an excellent communicator, and good at dealing with conflict. 

Salary

Most family support officers earn between £16,000 and £22,000.

Resource development

Textbooks, e-learning, workbooks, websites, your own YouTube science series – there are lots of ways to get your teaching ideas out into the world without ever stepping into a classroom.

Qualifications and skills

You don’t need specific qualifications for most roles, but you will need experience before you’re given the interesting tasks. An internship with an educational publisher or e-learning company could be a first step.

You should be creative, combined with a logical approach to working out what messages you need to get across.

Salary

It varies depending on the role. An e-learning producer or educational publisher could earn from £20,000 to £40,000.  

And finally…

To make this a manageable list, we’ve glossed over a lot of the roles in administration and resource development. A great way to find out more is to look at your own school or university and think about what’s going on in the background – you’ll notice people doing jobs you never knew existed.