How to Move into a Management Role in Education
by Arnab Dey Business 15 March 2022
Working in education can be an extremely rewarding and satisfying career. You work closely with young people to shape their future, provide them opportunities in life, and watch them grow and learn on a daily basis.
There are so many benefits of working in education, one major one being the potential to move into a management role in Education.
If you have a passion for learning and education and are wanting to transform it into a career rather than just another job that pays the bills, here are the opportunities you could be aiming for and the steps you need to take to get you on the road to achieving them.
Here’re a Few Ways Move into a Management Role in Education:
1. Education Career Ladder
A career in teaching is fulfilling and rewarding, as you get to actively make a difference in the lives of young people. And the higher you climb the ladder, the more of an influence you can have over learning systems and the entire school experience of the children.
To begin with, you will be focused on a basic teaching role. If this is in primary education, you will cover all subjects, but secondary education tends to see you specialize in one specific subject.
The next stage to progress to is becoming the head of a department. Department heads are responsible for the staff, learning, and education within their specialized subject, creating improvements to learning methods and the curriculum, and listening and responding to the needs of the staff and students. Generally, department heads still have a lot of teaching time.
The hierarchy depends on the school you work in or the area you live, but there tends to be Head of Years, Key Stage Coordinators or a title with similar responsibilities of overseeing an entire year group or age range, all of which report to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
The SLT tends to include both the Deputy Head Teachers and the Head Teacher; both of these roles oversee the overall running of the school, ensure targets and achievements are met, school values are upheld whilst also focussing on the business and administration side of education.
Getting to the top of the career ladder in education will take dedication, passion, and hard work, but there are a few things that you can do to get yourself noticed.
2. Take on Responsibility
A teacher that arrives just as the first bell for class rings and is packing their things away at 3.30 pm on the dot is not someone that is going to be considered for a management role in education.
Teaching doesn’t start and end with the set school day and taking on more responsibilities within the school will show that you are dedicated, driven, eager to progress, and willing to put in the time and effort.
Taking on more roles within the school could mean running extracurricular activities, leading committees, and groups, and working closely with the PTA.
Showcase that you are able to handle responsibility by committing yourself to school activities.
3. Show Leadership Skills
When taking on these extra responsibilities, make sure your leadership skills are clear and apparent. Take the reins by publicly representing groups or committees, making presentations, and discussing your ideas for improvements and changes openly with members of the SLT.
Leadership is also about making connections and motivating your peers and staff, so come up with innovative ideas that showcase your ability to do this. Demonstrate your leadership skills at every chance you can get to move into a management role in education.
4. Excel in Your Current Role
Showing your commitment to the role you currently hold is key in progressing further up the career ladder.
The leadership team needs to know that you are more than capable as a teacher before you can be considered to progress up the ranks.
Don’t just completely focus on taking on more responsibility and moving into a management role; also put a lot of time and energy into progressing your teaching abilities and achieving the academic results that the school and leadership team want to see.
Research innovative teaching methods, try new things, don’t be afraid to take risks, but make sure you become the best teacher that you can possibly be.
5. Further Your Education
To be a great teacher and excel in a management role in education, you need to have a passion for learning, not just teaching.
Focus on your personal development in all aspects of teaching to show that you are committed to investing in yourself, want to continue to grow as an educator, and are a valuable asset to the management team.
A masters in education distance learning programme from Exeter University will prepare you to succeed in a range of educational contexts, giving you an insight into innovative teaching methodologies and learning processes.
It will also give you the potential to shape the future of education. Furthering your education and continuously developing your teaching skills and leadership abilities will get you noticed and help you move into a management role.
6. Build Relationships
It isn’t all about what you know, but rather who you know. You never know who could be moving up the ranks over the summer, leaving at the end of term or where there may be openings in the upcoming months, which is why it is important to build relationships with your colleagues and those in higher roles.
Knowing and befriending the people you work with may help you get your foot in the door if anything does come up that you would be interested in.
7. Be Proactive and Confident
To get noticed and be in the running for any future management roles, you have to be confident and proactive in your teaching methods and within the school in general.
If you have an idea on how to improve certain systems or aspects of the curriculum, make yourself heard.
Leaders are people that can use their initiative to ignite change and enhance outcomes. By being confident in your thoughts or ideas and proactively making improvements and alterations, you are showing you have the drive and skills to succeed in a management role in education.
There are different career paths that you can take to climb the ladder in education. But no matter what your end goal is, following these tips will make reaching it that much easier.
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