Jobs in higher education

Universities and colleges offer a wealth of opportunities for interesting work. Let’s consider how to get a job in higher education and what you need for education jobs. 

In 2016–17 there were 206,870 academic staff employed at UK universities. Working alongside them were 212,840 non-academic staff. This group supported a student population of 2.3 million people.

Education jobs

This means that higher education can be a demanding sector. There is a huge amount of job satisfaction for employees but conditions are not always easy. Working hours will vary and there are often long hours including evenings. Part-time, hourly-paid jobs and fixed, short-term contracts are also becoming more common.

Teaching jobs

Universities can have tens of thousands of students and hundreds of courses. This means there’s space for a diverse group of teaching staff. Applicants will usually have undertaken their own research and be educated to at least postgraduate level. Search our database for available vacancies here.

Everyday work may include:

• developing teaching materials and preparing for lectures
• delivering lectures, seminars, practical demonstrations and fieldwork
• setting and marking assignments and exams
• uploading materials and supporting student discussions
• assessing students’ work and progress
• acting as personal tutor to students
• supervising student research
• contributing to conferences and seminars
• taking part in staff training
• doing admin

Administrative jobs

Alongside the research jobs and teaching jobs in higher education are lots of opportunities to work in administration. Jobs in the higher education industry cover a wide range of skills and services. Many colleges and universities are in fact a small community, some a small town. This brings the need for a variety of professionals, including business services, finance, IT, facilities and information management.

Because there are so many skills needed in the sector the jobs on offer go from entry-level apprenticeships, right through to senior management posts. There’s a great list of the full range of jobs here. Search our database for available vacancies here.