Education Support Staff Salaries – What’s the Market Really Saying
Education Support Staff Salaries – What’s the Market Really Saying
When it comes to attracting top talent into senior support roles - Finance, HR, and School Business Management (SBM) - salary still matters. Naturally, every candidate I speak to considers pay. But here’s the shift: it’s no longer the only deciding factor.
More and more, candidates are placing flexibility on an equal footing with salary.
Hybrid arrangements. Compressed hours. Occasional working from home.
For many experienced professionals - particularly those coming from sectors where flexibility is the norm - these options can be more appealing than a slightly higher salary band. Even candidates already within education are beginning to view flexibility as a clear “have or have not” factor when weighing up opportunities.
Of course, not every role in a school can offer the same level of flexibility. But in the wider conversation about recruitment and retention, schools that explore what is possible, and communicate it well, stand out. They’re more likely to attract, and keep, high-calibre candidates.
It doesn’t have to mean radical change. Sometimes it’s the small shifts, an earlier finish once a week, limited home working, or more flexibility around school holidays, that can make a real difference.
So if your school’s budget won’t stretch to a major uplift, don’t panic. A little creative thinking outside of pounds and pence can go a long way.
