How to Become a School Receptionist
The Role of a School Receptionist
School receptionists can be found at any school or educational institution, and are an integral part of their day-to-day operation. As a school receptionist you’ll be dealing with things like customer service, administration, clerical responsibilities, and secretarial work. The specifics of the job can and will change depending on the institution you work for since every school will have different practices.
- Handling contact with parents, visitors, and students
- Giving out information on the School’s rules and regulations
- Keeping records on a wide range of things from visits and phone calls to student registration
- Ensure any information about the school is recorded properly.
- Utilising IT systems to write letters, emails, reports and newsletters
- Welcoming visitors to the school and dealing with their enquiries
School Receptionist Skills & Requirements
School receptionists can be found at any school or educational institution, and are an integral part of their day-to-day operation. As a school receptionist you’ll be dealing with things like customer service, administration, clerical responsibilities, and secretarial work. The specifics of the job can and will change depending on the institution you work for since every school will have different practices.
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent organisational skills
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Ability to work independently and as part of a small team
- Strong customer service skills
School Receptionist Salary
The starting salary for a school receptionist can be around £17,000 but as an experienced receptionist you could earn up to around £23,398, though your wage could vary depending on the responsibilities that you have at a particular school. The average salary for a school receptionist is around £18,988.
- The average School Receptionist salary in Birmingham is £21,677
- The average School Receptionist salary in Manchester is £19,617
- The average School Receptionist salary in Liverpool is £22,079
- The average School Receptionist salary in Leeds is £18,596
- The average School Receptionist salary in London is £23,517
- The average School Receptionist salary in Newcastle upon Tyne is £18,126
School Receptionist Working Hours
As a school receptionist, you’re generally going to be working during your school’s term times but you could be working (usually for shorter periods) outside of term time as well occasionally.
The summer term stretches from the end of the Easter break to mid-July.
It includes a half term week long holiday in late May.
This is usually the busiest time, with later students sitting their GCSE’s.
The academic school year starts in early September, with the term stretching till Christmas.
The winter term is a half term holiday, usually a week long at the end of October.
Most schools have a 2 week end of term holiday stretching over New Year and Christmas.
This is the spring term and stretches from early January to Easter.
Easter usually falls on a different weekend each year, so the end of term two-week break can be either early April or late March.
This term also included a week-long half term break, usually in mid-February.
School Receptionist Career Progression
With training and experience, you could move into a senior receptionist or personal assistant (PA) role. You could also branch out into different industries such as inn a GP surgery or health centre where you could train to become a medical secretary or a practice manager.
- School Business Manager
- PA to the Headteacher
- School Administrator
- Customer Service