The education sector is the most thriving business and it presents plenty of job opportunities than most people are aware of. The current day education sector has many exciting careers to interest the millennials. In fact, the sector is usually overlooked by career aspirants as they believe teaching is the only job in this sector. The education sector is offering well-paying and challenging jobs which require highly skilled individuals to meet the desired standards. In this post, guest author Anuradha Dutta will talk about the new-age and exciting career options in the Education Sector in India.

Career Options in the Education Sector in India

By Anuradha Dutta

How big is the Indian Education Industry?

The current value of the Indian education industry was estimated at nearly US $91.7 billion in FY18 and in 2019 it may reach US$101.1 billion. Much of the credit for this is attributed to the rapidly expanding digital learning market. Right now, India has the second e-learning market with the US occupying the top position. Nearly 9.5 million users are expected to access the e-learning market with its value expected to touch US$ 1.96 billion in the next three years.

Career Options in the Education Sector in India — Source: IBEF

Fifty percent of India’s population is the youth. This means that the Indian education sector is huge with a population of 1.13 billion. India has around 367 universities, 18,000 colleges, about half a million teachers, and 11 million pupils. The private education industry is estimated to be between 20,000–25,000 crores. There are about 1,500 management institutes, 3,500 engineering institutes, and 1,200 medical colleges in the country.

Government is also taking various initiatives to boost the distance education market and adoption of new techniques to take education to the last mile through M-Learning and E-Learning.

The higher education system of the country is one of the largest in the world with 36.64 million enrollments. India got a total of 39,050 colleges and 903 universities in 2017-18. In the last four years foundation has been laid for another 141 universities and 7 IITs.

India has nearly 500 million people in the age group 5-24 years and this is clearly indicative of the opportunities that the sector has in store. The school going population is on the rise even though there is a lack of trained teachers and poor education infrastructure. However, by 2030 Government of India plans to take the Gross Enrolment Ratio to 30%, which is also expected to give a big push to the distance education.

This data reflects that huge opportunity is available in the education sector as there is great potential for development in the sector. Most of these opportunities have been created due to the technological advancements and the shift from the traditional teaching methods.

Investments and Developments in the Education Sector in India

Much of the Indian education market is still untapped. Foreign investors are therefore investing their funds in the sector. According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the education sector has received US$ 1.75 billion from April 2000 to June 2018 as FDI.

The education and training sector in India is also attracting investors. According to the Union Government, in 2017 there have been 18 mergers and acquisitions valued at US$49 million.

What is Driving The Change in the Indian Education Sector?

Awareness of Personalized Learning

Digitization has allowed today’s students to get personalized attention of teachers or trainers. Every individual is unique and their learning abilities are also different and there are many companies who have realized this fact and are designing solutions accordingly.

Integrated Learning

The Indian education system is gradually realizing the importance of integrated learning. It is a widely accepted fact now that integrating subjects can make learning interesting for the students and help them grasp the subjects better. While teachers have to look for innovative methods, teaching and learning tools can make it easier for them. This opens a lot of opportunities for companies offering digital education solutions.

Shift to Interactive Classrooms

Active interaction between the teacher and the students creates a stress-free environment in the class. Teaching young minds needs skill and it is a kind of art. Academic excellence is not the only qualification for a candidate to be a teacher. Stress is now being given on trained teachers, who know how to help students learn using a variety of teaching and learning tools.

Adoption of Technological Advancements

From social sciences, arts to math and science, virtual reality is now used to create immersive study environment for students. This way of learning is fast gaining popularity, as virtual and augmented reality brings the curriculum to life and is a great way to unlock student potential. Schools are also adopting gamification of their curriculum. A child can retain more if he/she learns in the midst of fun and games. Instead of rote learning in traditional classrooms, leading schools in India are incorporating video games and other elements to cut down boredom.

Remote classrooms mean exposure to better education

Indian schools, colleges, and universities in India are increasing their foreign connect to give their students better exposure to world-class learning. Remote classrooms are very popular nowadays and a student in India can easily attend classes and also be assessed in a European or US school or university.

Demand for good education in remote areas

There are always takers for good education. Private players have a role to play here as they can find various innovative ways to bring students in far-flung areas under the fold of quality learning. As there is a gap here, several private players are using this opportunity to reach those areas which are still not covered.

Hot Career Options in the Education Sector in India

While teachers continue to be the backbone of the education industry, managers, analysts, trainers, and other professionals are increasingly finding important roles. Here are some positions which are sought after in the education industry in India today:

Academic Manager

Academic Managers are in high demand as professionally managed schools and institutions are increasing. They are responsible for improving the overall performance of the institution, including the profit it earns, by ensuring the flawless delivery of academic services. A candidate for this position should have sound knowledge of the functioning academic institutions whether school, college or any other type of institution. They also should be articulate and possess good soft skills. Training experience is sometimes a requisite for this post. While postgraduates are preferred, an MBA degree provides an added advantage.

Academic Research Writer

As online learning is penetrating fast, academic writer jobs are available in plenty. Academic writers may be required to write study materials, thesis, blogs, and articles. Anybody taking up this job should be well aware of the academic writing rules as this type of writing is different from web content writing. Apart from being an excellent writer with sound knowledge of grammar and punctuation, the candidate should know the strategic and correct use of citations.

If you are a postgraduate with the aforementioned skills, you can become an academic research writer.

Related: 6 Career Prospects in Writing

Manager – Education and Skill Training

Manager in the skills training sector may have to monitor the performance of the trainers, manage permanent and outsourced staff, design training programmes, detect opportunities for up sell and cross sell of products, ensure flawless delivery of training services, provide timely feedback to trainers, etc.

Postgraduates in science/maths or social studies with strong managerial and good communication skills are well suited for this profile. Relationship building skills help in coordinating with a large number of people, a manager education in the skill training sector comes across.

Manager of International Student Programmes

This is a specialized job for which a foreign degree is usually necessary. As more and more private Indian universities engage with foreign universities for exchange programmes and internships, managers are being recruited to build and manage relationships with foreign universities. They are required to connect with overseas university representatives and bring international students to their university for pursuing academic programmes or internships.

A manager in this position should have experience working in the higher education sector. Knowledge of foreign languages may be an added advantage he/she is required to work in several countries.

Foreign Language Teacher

A foreign language teacher is required to teach a foreign language to students. In India popular foreign languages in which students seek enrolment are French, Spanish, Chinese, German and Japanese. There are various institutions which offer courses in these languages and students can gain anything from basic knowledge to complete fluency in the language to their choice. As a language teacher, one must have complete proficiency in the specific language and must have an excellent vocabulary, grammar, and native accent.

In order to become a foreign language teacher, a bachelor’s degree in the language is necessary. Native fluency and knowledge of the culture related to the language are important criteria. If you aspire to be a foreign language teacher, teaching internships may help you to polish your skills and gain practical teaching experience.

Analyst (Higher Education Analyst)

Big data analytics is being used widely these days to understand the behavior of customers, read market trends and formulate future policies. The education sector is also widely using big data analytics for all these purposes. An education institute may or may not hire an analyst, but they are certainly hiring consultants with expertise in the sector to do the job for them. A degree in statistics from leading universities is preferred for top paying jobs.

Product Manager for Digital Education Solutions

A product manager in digital education has to take the lead from the initial stages of product development to its final execution. They have to identify the technologies needed for the operations and also work in coordination with the digital team to meet the client’s requirements. Further, he/she also needs to manage the product operations with various stakeholders.

Most of the top companies that provide digital education solutions pay handsomely to the product managers. It is a job with several responsibilities and much of the responsibility for the success of the product or solution depends on the product manager. If you aim for this position, it is important that you possess an MBA from a leading institution and have an understanding of data analysis (or analytics).

Author Bio:

Anuradha is business, health and education journalist. She is an avid reader and loves to travel. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.