Skip to main content

Education Alternatives

Research careers and find opportunities in education outside of mainstream teaching

About

If you’re interested in a career in education outside of a mainstream school, there are a wide range of options to consider.

There are opportunities to teach in alternative settings such as private tutoring or teaching in prisons. There are also roles which include training adults or supporting children and young people.


Roles, skills and salaries

The range of companies and sectors you can work in is huge and can suit graduates with a variety of skills. You can find opportunities in various roles, including museum education or school business management.

Job profiles
Skills employers look for
  • excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • the ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds
  • empathy, diplomacy, sensitivity and a non-judgmental manner
  • a respect for confidentiality
  • flexibility
  • the ability to work on your own initiative as well as part of a team
  • resourcefulness
  • problem-solving skills
  • attention to detail
  • the capacity to cope with pressure
  • the ability to liaise with other professionals and organisations

Be inspired

It’s not always easy to know which roles to apply for. The resources in this section can help you find inspiration from previous students and know where to get further support.

Inspiration from people working in the industry
  • browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
  • use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
  • attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
  • sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
  • attend , including recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions
Online reviews

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

Not sure what you want to do?

If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do, we can help. You can book a guidance appointment via MyCareer. Our careers consultants can help you explore your options or plan your career.


Sector and industry insights

Researching the industry is essential, whether it’s to:

  • help you decide which area to work in
  • identify who to apply to
  • tailor your application
  • impress an interviewer with your knowledge of the sector

Here are some resources to help you get started.

Career guides

Read career guides for this sector, such as:

  • Prospects – Jobs in education
  • TargetJobs – What else can I do with an education or teaching degree?
Industry news

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

Attend events

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry. 

See our events page for upcoming events, including recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights.

Student societies

Join education specific student societies.

The Education Society often organises and promotes events or invites guest speakers to talk about their careers.

Social media

Use social media to find industry insights

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career and subscribe to our sector Twitter list.

Professional bodies

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

  • run networking events
  • have specialist groups you could join
  • post vacancies on behalf of their members
  • have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Key organisations include:

 

Finding professional bodies worldwide

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.


Guide to finding opportunities

There are various ways to find internships, placements and graduate opportunities. We’ve added some tips below to help you get started.

  • search foradvertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below
  • look at the careers sections on company websites for student and graduate opportunities
  • use Researching employers to help you gain insights into companies
  • attend events such as recruitment fairs  and  employer and sector insights
  • contact employers speculatively – see  to help you find organisations to approach
  • follow companies on Social Media for latest news and updates
  • consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs
  • register with EmployAbility if you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a mental health condition. They can offer advice and support on applications to Newcastle students. They also run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners
  • consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills
  • create your own opportunity by starting your own business or working freelance

Advertised work experience

Advertised placements and summer internships are less common in this sector. However you could gain relevant skills and experience in a related role.

Gaining experience through volunteering is common in this sector. Use these resources to find opportunities:

  • NUSU Volunteering - voluntary projects for Newcastle students, both long-term and one-off
  • Do-it.life – a database of national voluntary opportunities

National Citizen Service offer paid summer opportunities to work on their 3-4 week residential programmes for young people in the UK.

You may find advertised work experience on the Finding Experience sections of relevant Explore Occupations sections. For example:

Search for internships and placement years

Use our resources to get started:

NCL Internships

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage.

Search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.

You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.

Worldwide experience

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

  • additional vacancy websites
  • CV, application and interview advice
  • advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world
Looking for ideas

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.


Graduate vacancies

Opportunities are available across every sector, from community, advice and guidance to museums and galleries. Look at our other Explore Occupations pages to find additional sources of vacancies.

You can also find opportunities within government agencies and public bodies, such as local councils and the Civil Service.

Vacancy sites

Use our resources to get started:

  • MyCareer - search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
  • Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites

Search the sites below for more opportunities

Private and online tutoring

Teaching English as a foreign or second language

Adult and community education

Outdoor activities instruction

Prison education

Museum education

Non-teaching education roles

Supporting children and young people

Careers and educational guidance

Training and development

Worldwide Vacancy sites

See International jobs for details of overseas vacancy sites.

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

  • additional vacancy websites
  • CV, application and interview advice
  • advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world.

Non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs

Not all work experience and graduate jobs are advertised. In fact, many people create opportunities through:

A speculative approach is common for finding work experience and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available.

How to access hidden opportunities

Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities:

  1. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
  2. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
  3. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
  4. If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!
When to contact organisations

You can use this approach at any point in the year. We recommend that you:

  • start your research as early as possible to gather relevant contacts
  • contact organisations around three months before you want the opportunity to begin
How to find organisations
  • find organisations on MyCareer. Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
  • use the business directories and databases on our  page
  • search for companies on LinkedIn. The Find Alumni tool shows you where Newcastle graduates are currently working
  • browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

Use the resources below to find organisations in the North East, UK and worldwide.

North East organisations
UK organisations
  • targetjobs - search employers by sector.
  • Youth Access has a directory of support services for young people.
  • Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers.
Worldwide organisations

Search GoinGlobal’s employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world.


Specialist recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs. These tend to be for immediate start positions. It's worth registering with one or two agencies towards the end of your course.

Specialist agencies include:

Protocol offer national adult teaching, training and tutoring and prison teaching roles.

In the North East

PK Education recruit for education support roles and outdoor education instructors.

See Recruitment Agencies to find more agencies.

Finding overseas recruitment agencies

GoinGlobal's country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:

  • Staffing agencies and temporary help firms
  • Executive recruiters and search firms

Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.


Other ways to gain relevant experience

We've added some suggestions to help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience.

  • complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships in education
  • sign up for free online courses. Coursera has free courses in areas such as advice skills or education.
  • attend events and network to make contacts and connections.
  • volunteer. See Volunteering for more opportunities

Work for yourself

Working as self-employed or freelance is common in the education and training.

Private and online tutors are often self-employed, finding work through an agency or online platform.

COBRA provides factsheets and reports on starting up and running a business or working for yourself. COBRA can only be accessed through a University computer on the Newcastle campus.

Prospects gives advice on being self-employed.

Our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. Whether you want to explore an idea or have already launched a business or freelance career, you can access the following help:

  • support with idea generation
  • provide tailored advice
  • help you develop your skills
  • introduce you to like-minded peers
  • refer you to further support from mentors
  • award grant funding up to £3,000

Related sectors

Our occupational guides can help you explore and consider your options. If you’re interested in education you may also be interested in: