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Non-teaching careers in education

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Want to know about jobs in education that are not teaching positions? We’ve got you.

Anything that helps people learn is part of the education industry – and teaching is only one element. There are lots of job opportunities in the education sector that don’t involve controlling a classroom. So, if you’ve got a passion for the sector but don’t want to teach, check out our list of suitable roles.

In this guide, we run through the following non-teaching careers in education:

We’ll cover the different jobs available, what salaries to expect and the qualifications and skills you’ll need.

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Educational administration

Educational administration includes any role that makes a school, college or university run smoothly. It’s a broad area, with potential job titles including:

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

Although administration is the focus rather than learning, you’ll still play your part in the education system – and you’ll notice your direct impact in most roles. For example, admissions officers review and manage student applications, plan open days, arrange interviews and sort out welcome materials for new students. In a role like that, you’ll be immersed in the world of education.

Even in a less education-specific role, such as a finance assistant, you’ll still make a difference to the school, college or uni you’re working for. Plus, you’ll complete tasks and face challenges that are unique to education. Of course, you’ll learn transferable finance skills, but dealing with tuition fees and bursaries is specific to an education sector role.

Qualifications and skills

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

While the specific skills you need will also vary with each role, you’ll always need to have organisational skills and be able to work well in a team.

Salary

As it’s a broad sub-sector, the salary range is also large.

In low-level positions, your starting salary might be similar to the National Living Wage. As of April 2025, that pay rate is £12.21 an hour for anyone aged 21 and over.

At the higher end, experienced or senior administrators earn up to £40,000 in a year.

Top tip: Get to know ‘pro rata’.

When it comes to roles in education, it’s important to be aware of the term ‘pro rata’. It’s a Latin term that means ‘in proportion’. When you see it next to a salary in a job advert, it tells you that the figure is how much you’d earn if you worked in the role full-time. So, if your role is part-time (eg. during school hours) or not required outside of term time, your actual salary will be lower.

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Career guidance

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

Qualifications and skills

You can qualify as a career adviser through a higher education qualification (usually a one- or two-year course, depending on if you study full-time or part-time). You’ll take either a postgraduate diploma or master’s degree in career guidance. Once you’ve completed your course, you’ll study the Qualification in Career Development (QCD) to become fully qualified.

Alternatively, you can become a career adviser through an apprenticeship or work-based training. For the work-based route, you’ll need a job in a school or somewhere else that offers career guidance that’ll give you the chance to practise and develop your skills. Once you’ve got the experience, you’ll be able to apply for a QCD.

In terms of abilities, you need to be a great listener with strong research, communication and people skills. Volunteering is a fantastic way to upskill yourself. Look out for mentorship opportunities as you’ll use similar skills.

Salary

According to the National Careers Service, the average salary of a career adviser starts at £21,000 and rises to £35,000 with experience.

Education welfare

Education welfare officers are responsible for ensuring that children attend school and have access to all the tools they need to succeed.

In this role, 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 collaborate with other members of staff within a school (eg. teachers and administrative officers) and external members of the community (eg. social workers and education agencies).

Qualifications and skills

Generally, you'll need two to three A-levels (or equivalent) to become an education welfare officer.

Many people choose to do a degree at university in a subject like education, social work or a form of social science (ie. psychology).

Some local authorities will help you move up through the ranks by working as an assistant education welfare officer where you’ll receive on-the-job training, but it varies by region. Alternatively, there are apprenticeship and direct application routes, but you’ll usually need to already have experience working with children first.

To thrive as an education welfare officer, you'll need to have great people skills. It’s good if you’re knowledgeable about teaching and psychology too. Being able to relate well with others (both adults and children) will hold you in good stead as you’ll need to remain calm in high-pressure environments and sensitive situations.

Salary

According to the National Careers Service, the average starting salary for an education welfare officer is £24,000. Experienced officers should expect to earn up to £32,000.

Educational psychology

An educational psychologist’s job is to help children who are struggling to learn or join in at school. It involves developing therapies, routines and coping strategies for the child. Educational psychologists also collaborate with parents and teachers to provide support.

Occasionally, educational psychologists are responsible for educating teachers and raising standards.

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

The salaries earned by education psychologists vary a lot.

If you’re employed by a local authority, you’ll be paid according to a set pay scale based on your experience and seniority. Exact earnings will vary depending on where you live, but as an example, West Sussex County Council pay rates were the following (from September 2023):

  • Trainee educational psychologists - £29,872 - £37,473
  • Assistant educational psychologists - £35,228 - £39,341
  • Educational psychologists (Scale A) - £42,422 - £65,120
  • Senior and principal educational psychologists - £52,678 - £86,587

Family support

A family support officer works at a school, but their job is to help parents and carers – whether by getting them more involved with their child’s education, developing strategies to improve their child’s behaviour or being their advocate in any disagreement with the school. They also work with guardians of neurodivergent and disabled children to plan extra support.

Qualifications and skills

Most schools ask for a relevant qualification in a subject like childcare or social care, but a degree isn’t usually necessary. They’ll often also ask for GCSE English and Maths.

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

Salary

According to the National Careers Service, family support workers earn between £19,000 as a starter salary and £35,000 once experienced. Not all family support workers are employed by schools. Some support workers focus on other areas (eg. courts), so salaries will vary.

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. The people who develop learning resources have a major impact on education.

Qualifications and skills

You don’t need specific qualifications for most resource development roles. However, if you’re working for someone else (ie. not creating your materials independently) then you’ll need experience before you’re given the bigger tasks.

An internship with an educational publisher or e-learning company is a great first step.

The strongest resource developers are creative and logical. That powerful combo will help you work out what messages to get across and how to do it engagingly.

Salary

How much you'll earn will depend on your role.

According to the National Careers Service, an e-learning developer (the person responsible for creating digital course materials) will earn between £25,000 and £45,000.

Key takeaways

There are plenty of jobs in education that aren’t teaching-based. The education sector offers a diverse range of non-teaching career opportunities, including education administration, careers guidance, education welfare, educational psychology, family support and resource development. Within some areas, there are multiple roles.

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

Salary estimates are subject to change. Last updated January 2025.

Ready to explore education career options?

If you want to shape the lives and society of the future, look at our list of education and teaching opportunities.