Education-related careers

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.

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.

• 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 

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 varies, with some roles being part of student recruitment teams, while at other organisations there is a specific widening participation team.  

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. 

• 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.

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.

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.

• 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.