jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • SEO Jobs Profile
        • Office Admin Jobs
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

How to Search for Job Vacancies in Further Education

man searching for a job in further education

The Further Education sector offers a range of exciting career options. Whether you are interested in administrative support, managerial or teaching roles, there are several schools and colleges you could consider. Here are some tips to help you with your next job search.

Decide what roles to apply for

Have you been thinking about applying for vacancies however seem to put it off most of the time. Often people procrastinate about applying for vacancies because they are not clear about what role they could aim for. If you are not sure about what level or role you should consider, you could devote a few hours simply researching vacancies online.

At this initial stage, it is best just to research options and see what piques your curiosity. The more clear and specific you are about the role you want, the easier it will be to find it.

Do ask yourself the following questions:

  • Would you like to work in a freelance role or would you prefer an employment contract?
  • Would you be looking to work full-time or part-time hours?
  • Would you consider contracted positions such as those for 6 or 12 months?
  • Are you looking for primarily home-based, office-based, or blended roles?
  • How long are you willing to commute?
  • In an ideal world, what would be your perfect position like?
  • What is the contribution you would like to make in your new role?

Structure your search

Once you have identified your ideal role, you might find it helpful to structure your job search. Do think about finding a new job as a project. You could start an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the details of your search. In your Excel file, create some subheadings such as what position you applied for and when, where you found the vacancies, and how many hours you have spent searching each week.

Do not be tempted to search for jobs every day. If you search for vacancies most days, you could end up seeing the same openings and lose motivation. It is best to devote a couple of hours weekly to keep up to date with new vacancies. It can be very helpful to note where you find new interesting jobs. Often people discover that they find the most suitable positions in a small number of online platforms. In addition to your structured weekly search, you could also sign up for some job alerts.

To find suitable positions in the further education sector, you could find out about local or regional schools and colleges, and see what vacancies they have available. Depending on the role you are considering, you might find that there are slightly more vacancies published before the start of the autumn semester and the beginning of the New Year. It is worthwhile to keep track of job postings regardless of the time of the year, however. This will help you to ensure that you do not miss out on great job opportunities.

In addition to your online job search, you could speak with friends, colleagues, or family members who work in the education sector. Some larger organisations regularly recruit temporary workers with the view to offering a permanent position to the right candidate.

Sarah has accepted a short term HR position working for a leading college in the southeast of the country. The college was keen to fill the post urgently whilst the position was being approved to become permanent (and to be advertised). At the time, Sarah did not know that the position would become a full-time permanent role. After working in the role for a few weeks, her manager encouraged her to apply for the permanent role and to consider staying on. A month later, Sarah was thrilled to receive an offer to work as the department’s new Human Resources Manager.

Consistency and resilience

When you start applying for vacancies, you are likely to receive some disappointing news. Dealing with rejection is not easy. However, you can turn unfavourable responses into learning opportunities. Make sure that you continuously improve the quality of your job applications and polish your CV and cover letters. The key to successfully receiving a job offer is consistency and resilience.

Rita, who is an experienced college lecturer, has been keen to work for a large reputable college. Despite applying for a couple of positions, she has not even received an interview invite. One day, she saw a freelancer position advertised by the college. Although this would have been the third time applying, she decided to try again. Rita has been offered a freelancer contract, and six months later she was appointed as a permanent full-time lecturer.

You would need to consistently devote time to searching for vacancies. If you find accountability helpful, do tell a friend about your intention to spend time searching for jobs weekly. Do notice what works (and what does not work). If you constantly look for ways to improve the quality of your applications and are willing to put in the effort, you will eventually succeed.

Most people find it hard to handle rejections. The key however is not to give up. Keep on searching, applying, and going for job interviews. Every time you receive some disappointing news, consider carefully how you could improve. Are you perhaps applying for jobs that are much more senior than where you currently stand? Is there any way you could make your CV and your cover letter more aligned with the job criteria? If you were part of the recruiting panel, would you consider your application successful?

Do consider the nature of the career progression you are aiming for. Those who have already worked in the UK further education sector and want to stay within the same professional area might experience fewer challenges in the application journey. If you are looking to change either your industry or your function, you may experience more initial hurdles and it could take you longer to succeed.

Updating your CV and Cover Letter during your job search will be beneficial, and is a good practice to follow.

What did you think of our article? - please rate

5 / 5. 1


Share this article

Henrietta Nagy

Henrietta Nagy is a seasoned portfolio worker with over 10 years’ experience in the UK education sector. Henrietta writes educational content, designs academic courses, delivers university lectures, mentors entrepreneurs, and provides career development coaching. One of Henrietta's recent organisational clients is the Oxford University where she has facilitated over 100 hours of learning events. With 9 years of higher education studies internationally (including an MBA), she has worked with CEOs, academics, scholars, managers, women entrepreneurs, academic administrators and other consultants.

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

  • Closeup keyword EdTech (EduTech, Educational technology) on tablet

    Embracing EdTech advances in Further Education

  • Speaker at Business convention and Presentation.

    A Guide to Community Teaching and Learning

  • online brand - social media icons

    Developing Your Online Brand

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

3 × one =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Searching for a job in the United Kingdom

Latest Jobs

  • PhD Studentship: From Global Promise to Local Impact: Evaluating Climate Funding at the Local Level

    Business / Law, University of Essex

    Location: Colchester

    Salary: Living costs stipend at the UK Research and Innovation recommended level per year. The stipend for 2024-25 is £19,237. The rate for 2025-26 £20,780.


  • Senior Research Associate

    Faculty of Science - School of Computing Sciences , University of East Anglia

    Location: Norwich

    Salary: £38,249 Salary on appointment will be £38,249 per annum, with an annual increment up to £45,413 per annum.


  • Senior Research Associate

    Faculty of Science - School of Computing Sciences , University of East Anglia

    Location: Norwich

    Salary: £38,249 Salary on appointment will be £38,249 per annum, with an annual increment up to £45,413 per annum.


  • Senior Lecturer and Lecturer in Paramedic Science

    York St John University

    Location: York

    Salary: £39,355 - £59,139 per annum


  • Head of Postgraduate Admissions (110386-0325)

    Education - Admissions Service, University of Warwick

    Location: Coventry, University of Warwick

    Salary: £57,422 - £66,537 per annum


  • Associate Professor B/Associate Professor A in Food Science

    Faculty of Science & Engineering - Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick

    Location: Limerick

    Salary: £55,066.78 - £102,376.73 - please see advert


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025