Education
: Typical employers
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Big players
- State schools - Local Authorities (LAs) are responsible for employing the majority of teachers and administrative and learning support staff in the state school system. In schools that are funded or aided by the state but not directly controlled by local authorities (such as academies, city technology colleges, foundation schools, and schools run by religious and voluntary organisations), the school itself may be directly responsible for recruiting and employing staff.
- Further education colleges and higher education institutions - There are over 440 further education (FE) colleges in the UK, some of which have more than 20,000 full-time and part-time students. They may offer degree courses as well lower level qualifications and training. There are over 190 higher education (HE) institutions (i.e., universities and HE colleges) in the UK. These vary in history, size and the extent to which their mission is focused upon teaching, research or other activities such as widening participation. Many also provide conference facilities, etc. for outside organisations.
- Education administration - As well as the many local authorities and a number of government departments involved in the administration of education, there are also some quite large state-funded quangos, e.g., Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Other agencies may be charities, including professional associations, or businesses, including examination boards.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
SMEs are organisations with fewer than 250 employees and are less prevalent in education than in other sectors.
- Private and independent schools - There are 2,600 independent schools in the UK with 630,000 pupils. Most independent schools, except the very largest, have fewer than 250 staff. They are funded by school fees, not by the LA, so they are not under LA control and include boarding schools, and schools with specific educational philosophies and teaching and learning approaches, such as those run by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship and Montessori.
- Education and training outside of educational institutions - There are a number of SMEs within the education sector who educate and train individuals and groups outside the traditional school setting, such as training companies that deliver training to groups of learners in their own workplace or at a training centre. There are opportunities in museums, art galleries, libraries, theatres, and nature reserves where education officers are employed to organise educational activities and programmes. Leisure centres and outdoor pursuit centres also have jobs for coaches and instructors, as do children's summer camps and ski schools.
Self-employment
There are not many opportunities for self-employment in the education sector, but they do exist. You will need good networking skills and a good marketing strategy when you first start out. The main opportunities for self-employment are for private tutors. There are also opportunities for freelance work for extra income as an examiner marking papers for examination boards. You need recent and relevant experience as a teacher.
It is possible to set up your own training company and offer training courses in companies or institutions. This is particularly common in the IT industry and for equal opportunities/human resources issues. There are also some opportunities to work on projects in schools for artists, writers and performers.
Find out more about self-employment.
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