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Between 2006 and 2009, 0.1% of employed doctoral graduates, or 25 employed doctoral graduates in total, are known to have been working as education officers six months after graduation.

Job description

Education officers are part of the ‘other teaching occupations' cluster of doctoral occupations.

Many education officers from doctoral backgrounds work within education institutions to promote learning in higher education or specific subject areas, such as science or the arts.

An education officer promotes a wide range of educational and developmental activities to members of the community, regardless of age.

Community education aims to encourage learning at all levels from very basic life skills to learning for further and higher education. It also includes learning for enjoyment and for building better citizens and communities.

The work involves engaging with local individuals and groups to identify community interests, needs and issues and then facilitating access to the different available projects and programmes.

In providing these activities, community education officers work in partnership with a range of other local authority and voluntary sector providers as well as providers of further and higher education.

Typical work activities

Community education roles typically involve an element of community engagement to increase participation in mainly informal, educational activities. Some roles, such as adult literacy work, may also include tutoring, but most involve the following tasks:

  • Engaging with individuals and community groups, such as residents' associations, parents' groups and young people
  • Identifying local interests and needs
  • Helping potential learners to overcome existing barriers to learning
  • Working with individuals to create learning plans
  • Formulating service plans and priorities, in cooperation with other providers
  • Encouraging and influencing the development of new learning opportunities through formal and informal classes as well as individual tutoring and mentoring
  • Identifying and providing for the training needs of local volunteers
  • Sourcing grants and funding for community projects
  • Allocating and monitoring budgets
  • Undertaking the administration and evaluation of provision and reporting to stakeholders, interested societies, advisory bodies and management groups

Entry requirements

There are no fixed requirements for roles of this nature. For jobs promoting specific activities or areas of learning, a relevant degree or postgraduate qualification is strongly advised.

Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • The ability to relate to, motivate and empathise with a wide range of people from different backgrounds
  • Persistence and resilience, as results are often not immediate and outcomes cannot be guaranteed
  • A range of group-work skills, from creating and leading a group to being a participative member
  • The ability to work independently, making decisions and using initiative to establish projects
  • Good planning and organising skills
  • A high level of creativity and problem-solving skills - helping people to overcome barriers can be challenging
  • A flexible approach and the ability to cope with change
  • Awareness of, and the ability to promote, equal opportunities practices
  • Ability to interpret, communicate and implement complex information
  • Ability to reflect constructively on current practice and adapt accordingly

Salary

  • Range of starting salaries in the public sector is: £23,500 - £28,000.
  • An equivalent position in the voluntary sector may attract a lower salary, but this will depend on experience.
  • Salaries for more senior posts are £26,000 - £29,000.
  • Staff combining management or strategic roles with tutoring and curriculum development, or those in school management posts with a community remit, may be on higher pay scales.
  • Many posts are initially short-term or fixed-term contracts and depend on funding provision.

Sector and disciplinary information

Sector information

Doctoral graduates from 2006-9 working in this occupation were known to be employed in the following profiled sectors six months after graduation:

Disciplinary background

The most common disciplinary backgrounds for doctoral graduates (2006-2009) entering education officer jobs were:

Any doctoral background can, in theory, be used for this role.

Career stories

None available

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