How to become an education manager

Official title: Education managers

Also called: Manager, Centre manager, School manager, Academic manager, Learning manager, Education manager, Programme manager, Admissions manager, Curriculum manager, Director of education, Administrative manager, School business manager

Education managers plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the administration, support systems and activities that facilitate the effective running of a school, university, college or other educational establishment.

Main tasks

• Considers staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term needs
• Provides administrative support to the academic team
• Leads or contributes to decision making processes regarding curricula, budgetary, disciplinary and other matters
• Controls administrative aspects of student admission, registration and graduation
• Acts as secretary to statutory and other bodies/committees associated with the educational establishment
• Drafts and interprets regulations, deals with queries and complaints procedures and coordinates and maintains quality assurance procedures
• Organises examinations, invigilation and any security procedures required
• Assists with recruitment, public relations and marketing activities

How to become one

Job holders will usually hold a degree, and some academic posts will require a degree. Significant professional experience will be needed for some roles. Relevant vocational qualifications at up to level 4 are also available. A DBS check may be required.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): School business professional (level 4). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0575.
• University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £46,581 a year The middle half earn £36,075 to £59,897.
• About 75,700 people work in this job now, and about 82,600 are projected by 2035. (+9%)

Related jobs

• Head teachers and principals
• Education advisers and school inspectors
• Early education and childcare services managers

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Questions people ask

How do I become an education manager?

Job holders will usually hold a degree, and some academic posts will require a degree. Significant professional experience will be needed for some roles. Relevant vocational qualifications at up to level 4 are also available. A DBS check may be required.

How much does an education manager earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £46,581 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £36,075 to £59,897.

Is an education manager a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 9% by 2035, from about 75,700 to about 82,600 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become an education manager?

Usually. 83% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.