Headteacher to education administrator
A headteacher already meets 69% of what the education administrator role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
31/ 100
1 How much of what an education administrator is expected to do is already part of a headteacher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the education administrator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An education administrator role treats 9 of its required skills as things a headteacher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- budgetary principles
- education administration
- electronic communication
- handle financial transactions
- maintain records of financial transactions
- manage budgets
What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An education administrator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a headteacher background worth leading with.
- already held manage school budget management skills
- already held provide information on education financing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide information on school services assisting and caring
- already held evaluate budgets management skills
- already held kindergarten school procedures education
- already held education administration business, administration and law
All 21 carried skills, including the 9 the education administrator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage educational institution's administration required
- optional, not held handle mail optional
- optional, not held deliver correspondence optional
- optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
- optional, not held use office systems optional
- still to learn communicate by telephone required
- optional, not held consult student's support system optional
- optional, not held maintain internal communication systems optional
- still to learn customer service required
- optional, not held student financial aid programmes optional
- optional, not held manage office facility systems optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an education administrator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 customer service study this
- 02 communicate by telephone practise this
- 03 manage educational institution's administration practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 21 skills that carry over
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held education administration knowledge
- already held electronic communication knowledge
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held maintain records of financial transactions skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage school budget skill
- already held office software knowledge
- already held trace financial transactions skill
- already held accounting knowledge
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held evaluate budgets skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held kindergarten school procedures knowledge
- already held maintain contract administration skill
- already held primary school procedures knowledge
- already held provide information on education financing skill
- already held provide information on school services skill
- already held secondary school procedures knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held handle mail optional
- optional, not held student financial aid programmes optional
- optional, not held consult student's support system optional
- optional, not held deliver correspondence optional
- optional, not held maintain internal communication systems optional
- optional, not held manage office facility systems optional
- optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
- optional, not held use office systems optional
32 held skills the education administrator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on teaching methods skill
- not needed by the target role analyse curriculum skill
- not needed by the target role apply for government funding skill
- not needed by the target role assess students skill
- not needed by the target role build trust skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with youth skill
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role curriculum objectives knowledge
- not needed by the target role curriculum standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop learning curriculum skill
- not needed by the target role develop organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role education law knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate education programmes skill
- not needed by the target role funding methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify education needs skill
- not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead inspections skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with board members skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage enrolment skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage student admissions skill
- not needed by the target role post-secondary school procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare examinations for vocational courses skill
- not needed by the target role prepare syllabuses for vocational courses skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote education programmes skill
- not needed by the target role provide education management support skill
- not needed by the target role supervise educational staff skill
- not needed by the target role work in vocational school skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn customer service required
- optional, not held student financial aid programmes optional
Common questions about this move
Can a headteacher become an education administrator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A headteacher already covers 69% of what an education administrator is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 9 of which the education administrator role treats as required.
What skills does a headteacher need to become an education administrator?
3 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is customer service.
How hard is the move from headteacher to education administrator?
Its learning distance is 31 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.