jobfacts

Education advisers and school inspectors

SOC 2020 2323

Education advisers and school inspectors plan, organise and direct the educational activities and resources in a local authority education area, and undertake inspections of schools and other training establishments excluding universities.

Also calledOfsted inspectorHis Majesty's InspectorHMIRegulatory inspectorAdvisory teacherAcademic skills adviserand 29 more titles
Typical full-time pay£44,5002025 Provisional
People in the job39,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month534↑ 2.2%on last year · 257th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time education advisers and school inspectors earn between £37,400 and £54,500 a year.

What full-time education advisers and school inspectors earn, 2025
£44,500 typical£31,000lowest 10%£37,40025%£54,50075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£37,400–£54,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£31,000
Lowest 20% earn less than£35,700
25%£37,400
Median£44,500
75%£54,500
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £44,500
London!£44,500
South East!£43,900
Scotland!£43,100
East Midlands!£41,000
East of England!£40,700
Wales!£36,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £44,500
London£44,500 (small sample)
South East£43,900 (small sample)
Scotland£43,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£41,000 (small sample)
East of England£40,700 (small sample)
Wales£36,100 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £37,000
  • 2024 £42,100
  • 2025 Provisional£44,500
↑ 21% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 534 jobs for education advisers and school inspectors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026657
Jul 2026604
Jun 2026538
May 2026512
Apr 2026529
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026358
Jan 2026557
Dec 2025373
Nov 2025590
Oct 2025565
Sept 2025587
Aug 2025459
Jul 2025611
Jun 2025745
May 2025734
Apr 2025470
Mar 2025728
Feb 2025571
Jan 2025462
Dec 2024366
Nov 2024455
Oct 2024393
Sept 2024475
Aug 2024426
Jul 2024554
Jun 2024531
May 2024738
Apr 2024532
Mar 2024470
Feb 2024522
Jan 2024573
Dec 2023419
Nov 2023435
Oct 2023451
Sept 2023438
Aug 2023493
Jul 2023521
Jun 2023733
May 2023773
Apr 2023565
Mar 2023809
Feb 2023765
Jan 2023758
Dec 2022738
Nov 2022758
Oct 2022886
Sept 2022759
Aug 2022781
Jul 2022868
Jun 2022811
May 2022905
Apr 2022800
Mar 2022906
Feb 2022734
Jan 2022845
Dec 2021720
Nov 2021729
Oct 2021703
Sept 2021731
Aug 2021565
Jul 2021656
Jun 2021617
May 2021663
Apr 2021493
Mar 2021748
Feb 2021444
Jan 2021478
Dec 2020417
Nov 2020437
Oct 2020467
Sept 2020486
Aug 2020379
Jul 2020449
Jun 2020356
May 2020341
Apr 2020444
Mar 2020626
Feb 2020830
Jan 2020788
Dec 2019430
Nov 2019668
Oct 2019649
Sept 2019651
Aug 2019581
Jul 2019838
Jun 2019962
May 2019777
Apr 2019671
Mar 2019584
Feb 2019627
Jan 2019650
Dec 2018401
Nov 2018659
Oct 2018660
Sept 2018582
Aug 2018631
Jul 2018534
Jun 2018749
May 2018663
Apr 2018705
Mar 2018683
Feb 2018588
Jan 2018737
Dec 2017466
Nov 2017522
Oct 2017557
Sept 2017601
Aug 2017564
Jul 2017653
Jun 2017906
May 2017817
Apr 2017697
Mar 2017828
Feb 2017618
Jan 2017675
Is there a shortage of education advisers and school inspectors?
Critical

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedWell above usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hours worked.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for other educational professionals, which includes education advisers and school inspectors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London371
Birmingham64
Manchester58
Bristol, City of35
Newcastle upon Tyne33
Leeds32
Nottingham30
Sheffield26
Glasgow City22
Liverpool22
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where education advisers and school inspectors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of education advisers and school inspectors
n/p
23%!
34%!
27%!
9.7%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
25–34Not published
35–4423% (small sample)
45–5434% (small sample)
55–6427% (small sample)
65+9.7% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent89%
Higher education below degree!3.8%
A levels or equivalent!4.8%
GCSEs or equivalent–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent89%
Higher education below degree3.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent4.8% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalentNot published

Main employers: educational support activities (15%), primary education (13%), general secondary education (13%), tertiary education (12%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
89%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

Apply directly

You can apply directly to become an inspector if you've got the relevant qualifications, skills and experience.

You'll need:

  • a degree in a subject like education, childcare or social work
  • qualified teacher status (QTS) to inspect schools
  • a track record of improving standards and services
  • up-to-date knowledge of the job, including recent developments and statutory requirements

You'll also need at least 5 years' experience of leadership in a relevant job like headteacher or senior manager in children's services to become an HMI - His Majesty's Inspector.

What you’ll need

  • meet nationality requirements
  • pass enhanced background checks

You'll also find it useful to have a driving licence.

Registration and professional bodies

Further information

You can find out more on how to become an inspector from Ofsted.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for ofsted inspector. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • advises on all aspects of education and ensures that all statutory educational requirements are being met
  • plans and advises on the provision of special schools for children with physical or learning disabilities
  • appoints and controls teaching staff
  • verifies that school buildings are adequately maintained
  • arranges for the provision of school medical and meals services
  • observes teaching, assesses learning level and discusses any apparent faults with teachers, heads of department and head teachers
  • prepares reports on schools concerning teaching standards, educational standards being achieved, the spiritual, moral and social development of pupils, resource management etc

Skills

  • advise on lesson plans
  • advise on teaching methods
  • monitor educational developments
  • advise on curriculum development
  • cooperate with education professionals
  • develop a pedagogical concept
  • evaluate education programmes
  • identify education needs
  • inspect education institutions
  • present reports
  • provide feedback to teachers
  • analyse curriculum
  • develop curriculum
  • ensure curriculum adherence

Knowledge

  • curriculum standards
  • special needs education
  • pedagogy
  • learning technologies
  • curriculum objectives
  • project management
  • assessment processes
  • disability care

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for teaching and other educational professionals, a group of 13 jobs that includes education advisers and school inspectors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 15%about 268,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.