Education alternatives

Education offers a wide range of careers beyond teaching in schools and universities. This page provides an overview of education alternatives, including teaching in alternative settings, roles outside teaching, developing relevant skills and experience, and useful resources.

Options focused on the delivery of educational activities, but outside of teaching within a school or university setting, are numerous. Whilst teaching qualifications may be required for some roles, many do not and alternative knowledge and experience is sought. Options can include adult and community education, museum education, working with offenders, special educational needs, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and teaching and boarding assistants.

Beyond teaching, numerous roles sit within the broader education sector, including education consultancy, policy or research, education administration, advocacy, student counselling, school assessment and careers guidance. Teaching qualifications may not be required but may be beneficial for some roles.

Within a university context, you may also find roles supporting the operation and management of teaching and research, such as professional services roles. This can include student support roles, project managers, administration, admissions, and conferences and events. See the Academia and Higher Education sector briefing for more information.

The information below outlines some of the career options that you may want to consider. A comprehensive overview is available in the Education Alternatives guide written by the Graduate Futures Institute Teaching and Related Professions Task Group along with information from Prospects.ac.uk Job Profiles pages, and much of the content in this briefing is drawn from these.

The education sector is broad and influenced by numerous factors including funding and policies. Staying up to date with the latest changes and developments will help you navigate this sector and support you in the application process. The Department for Education (DfE), The Guardian Education, Tes and Times Higher Education are useful starting points.

Further information

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Higher Education Teaching

There are options for teaching-only roles within universities and Higher Education institutions, without responsibilities focused on research and funding income.

The range of teaching responsibilities can be diverse: from syllabus and lecture design and delivery, small group and 1:1 workshops, practical demonstrations, and exam setting, marking and invigilation. Supervision of student projects is also typical. Initial stages of teaching-focused careers in higher education can be part of a 'portfolio' career, with multiple separate positions held at once whether within the same or at different institutions.

Roles exist within universities, US colleges and research institutes. Read the academia and higher education sector briefing to find out more.

Adult Education Teaching

Further Education

Whilst ‘Further Education’ (FE) can refer to post-16 colleges in the UK, focused on 16-18 year old pupils, there are many specialist further education institutions and learning centres that focus on adults and wider community groups outside of formal school settings. These can teach A-levels, BTECs, NVQs and T Levels amongst other courses such as apprenticeships and foundation degrees.

Teaching qualifications are not required for all roles, but depending on the topic and style of content being taught can sometimes be required or advantageous to demonstrate your teaching abilities.

A useful overview of the UK Further Education sector is provided on the Prospects website and The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) Guide to the FE System in England.

Community Education

Roles in community education focus greatly on encouraging local groups to engage with educational and training opportunities. Many community education activities are located in community centres and spaces such as libraries and churches, typically focused on areas of higher unemployment and social deprivation.

Roles focused on educational delivery could provide courses ranging from vocational and apprenticeships, classroom core subjects, skills development (e.g. literacy, numeracy, IT), personal development and life skills, as well as more recreational courses. It can be dependent on focal group, and additional responsibilities can involve work experience coordination.

More involvement in community outreach and engagement or working with local councils and partner organisations to identify target groups and educational needs can be required of some roles, with roles in administration and management of others also common. It is common to have part-time positions, supporting multiple independent courses or different education organisations.

Not all organisations require a teaching qualification, though it can be beneficial or required for many, as can qualifications in community work and education. Voluntary or professional experience engaging in educational or community engagement activities are also advantageous

Education in public organisations

A number of organisations deliver educational activities for diverse audiences, ranging in purpose from informal entertainment to skill development or school curriculum links. For example, museum and heritage venues, science and discovery centres, charities and societies all commonly have strategic commitments to provide engagement and educational activities.

Roles may range in format from design and delivery of education lessons/events, to team/project management or administrative. Common job titles can include terms such as Education Officer, Schools Liaison, Engagement Manager, Science Communicator and Programme Manager.

Opportunities also exist for freelance and consultant roles supporting specific exhibitions, events, projects, and programmes provided by larger organisations and groups.

There are many paths possible for entering such roles, with the experience and qualifications required differing between roles and their requirements. Individuals for education-delivery focused roles may enter directly from undergraduate, postgraduate, or further academic or professional careers. Teaching qualifications can be an advantage for some roles, especially school curriculum linked roles, but entry with equivalent experience in public or school engagement or communication can be common.

Many additional roles may focus more on the administration, event management and coordination behind the scenes. These positions may be of interest to those not favouring delivering educational activities first-hand, but instead supporting their creation and impact.

Tutoring

Teaching in one-to-one or small group activities outside of formal classroom settings, typically through online, home-based, or other arranged venues. The focal group can range from early years to adult education, with purposes from school curriculum to languages and life skills. Responsibilities commonly involve both the design and delivery of educational activities, as well as commonly requiring work towards the marketing, safeguarding and data protection requirements of such roles especially when freelance. Working as a tutor for a larger organisation can reduce the time spent conducting such administrative tasks, but can have trade-offs with other aspects of the role.

Flexible working hours can attract many to utilise tutoring as a primary income source, or as a ‘side-hustle’ to increase income or add flexibility to more formal primary jobs. Tutoring can be used as demonstratable experience when applying for other Education roles.

Check the Oxford Careers' ‘CareerConnect’ vacancies and opportunities pages for frequently advertised tutoring opportunities.

If registering with a tutoring company, check they’re registered with The Tutor’s Association.

Education Policy

A broad area where professionals look to use educational policies to improve education quality, access and learning experiences.

This involves analysts, policy officers and researchers examining challenges and key issues which effect education, including but not limited to the impact of technology, curriculum development, funding constraints, poverty and the recruitment of teaching staff. Roles within this area can sit within local authorities and government, charities and think tanks.

It’s typical for people working in this space to have a Masters degree or PhD related to the technical expertise they wish to focus on.

Local authorities and government

In England, the Department of Education (DfE) is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A particular focus is ensuring equal opportunity for all, no matter background, family circumstances, or need. Read the Government and Public Services sector briefing to find out more. You can also look for job vacancies at DfE on Civil Service jobs.

Although the DfE sets national education policy, councils in England are responsible for statutory education duties. This includes ensuring that there are sufficient high-quality school places and a fair admissions process. The Understanding Local Government website provides accessible information on the structure and working practices of local government across the UK, offering a valuable introduction to this important and diverse branch of public sector administration.  

Charities and international organisations

There are numerous charities and international organisations who advocate for policy changes to improve education and access. For example, Save the Children works with international institutions, governments, donors, civil society coalitions and children themselves to advocate for global policies. The National Literacy Trust campaigns to directly influence, and work in partnership with, policy and decision makers and UNICEF advocates for education and learning for every child.

Read the Charities sector briefing and the International Organisations sector briefing to find out more about working in this space and to find relevant vacancy information.

Think tanks and research institutions

Think tanks and research institutions conduct research, analysis and policy recommendations, influencing and working in partnership with decision makers. Examples include The Education Policy Institute, HEPI (Higher Education Policy Institute), Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities (UCL) and The Sutton trust.

Read the Think Tanks sector briefing to find out more and to find relevant vacancy information. You can find examples of recent education policy reports on Smart Thinking, an organisation which collates think tank reports in a range of policy areas.

Related information

Education Consultancy

Education consultancy is a general term and can mean lots of different things. For example, you could be working in a consulting firm, supporting education providers to design and develop curriculum and new strategies. Alternatively, you could be freelance delivering training to organisations to help them cultivate talent. You could even advise and tutor for an international based consultancy for families and pupils to help them through the admissions process for schools and university. If you are interested in education consultancy it is important to understand the types of roles within this area and what each employer is looking for.

Strategy consultancy firms

Strategic advice to companies on a project-by-project basis, sometimes partnering with foundations or international charities. Projects could include providing strategic advice for transformation programmes for education institutions, funding strategy and overcoming educational disruptions.

Read the consultancy sector information page to find out more.

Niche/ boutique HE/ School Consultancies

Strategic advice from consultancies often with specific areas of expertise. For example, advising a university on curriculum development or delivering change programmes, or supporting a school with reviews of safeguarding, school culture and SEND.

In-house Teaching and Learning

Many HE institutions have their own in-house teaching and learning centres, for the promotion of flexible and inclusive teaching, usage of digital tools, and to initiate, support and evaluate academic participation. The University of Oxford’s Centre for Teaching and Learning is an example of such department.

Global education companies

Global education companies advise on qualifications and credentials, learning materials, assessment and technology. Although not strictly a ‘consultancy’, many roles within this area include subject advisory roles, supporting teachers to deliver courses and training.

International and national based consultancies for families and pupils advise families on different schools, the application process, university admissions, and provide tuition. Roles within this area often involve maintaining relations with education institutions to keep up to date knowledge.

Freelance

Some professionals within education consultancy are freelance or have a portfolio career comprising some of the roles above. Freelancing is working for a client under a fixed contract to do a task or project before moving to the next. A portfolio career combines a mixture of (often freelance) professional roles. Read the freelancing and portfolio careers briefing to find out more.