HighFive Partners has enjoyed a front-row seat to the growth of a robust market for Ed Tech jobs, and we wanted to develop some deeper insights into this market when we commissioned our first-ever Ed Tech industry executive compensation survey earlier this year.

The compensation survey was recently concluded, and we are currently completing the process of tabulating the results. 

We look forward to sharing the full results with survey participants in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we wanted to provide a teaser and highlight some early takeaways from our exploratory analysis.

In this blog, we break down some high-level results showing the diverse nature of employers, professional backgrounds, and opportunities in Ed Tech.

Just getting started learning about careers in Ed Tech? Our guide can help.

About the Ed Tech Compensation Survey Sample

Over 400 respondents completed the survey, providing a robust sample for understanding some key industry trends. Nearly 70% are employed full-time in Ed Tech, with about 11% part-time or freelance, and 21% not currently in an Ed Tech position.

Due to HighFive Partners’ background as an executive recruiting firm specializing in the Ed Tech market, respondents included a substantial number of C-suite executives, Vice Presidents, and Director roles.

Respondents are divided across Ed Tech’s different market segments, with about:

• 43% in PreK-12 related positions
• 29% in higher education
• 16% in workforce education
• 3% in positions related to multiple market segments.

Respondents also reflect a variety of different skill sets and business units, including, sales, business development, product management, marketing, curriculum design, operations, and more. 98% of respondents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, with 60% holding a graduate degree.

The mean salary reported in the survey was $207,000, plus an average bonus $86,000. This average is influenced by the relatively high seniority level of survey respondents and should not be interpreted as an industry average. We will provide a more specific breakout by seniority level to survey respondents in the coming weeks.

Respondents Represent All Stages of Company Growth

The Ed Tech industry contains a mix of young startups, pre-IPO companies, and large, publicly traded global enterprises. All aspects of this diversity are represented in our sample, with about:

• 32% of respondents in privately owned companies.
• 27% in private equity-backed companies.
• 20% in VC-backed companies.
• 10% in publicly traded or government positions.
• 8% in non-profits.

Respondents also reported a range of company sizes as indicated by revenue and total number of employees:

• 10% of survey respondents work for organizations with revenues over $1 billion US.
• 50% represent organizations generating $100M or less. 

• 30% of respondents work for an organization with 200 employees or fewer.
• 30% work in 1,000+ person organizations.

A “Young” Industry with Longstanding Organizations and Experienced Professional Leadership

The Ed Tech industry has seen incredible growth over the past decades, and with it a growing mainstream perception of Ed Tech as a full-fledged industry in its own right. But while the “Ed Tech Industry” as recognized by the financial press may be relatively new, it's worth remembering that many companies (and professionals) have been working to advance technology through education for decades longer.

Our survey data provides evidence for this fact: while about 28% of respondents have been in the Ed Tech field for 10 years or less, over 30% of the sample report working in this space for 20 years or more.

The Ed Tech Industry Remains the Remote Work Leader

The Ed Tech industry helped pioneer meaningful remote work technologies and has always been at the forefront of more flexible working arrangements. Even as the broader tech industry has seen a lasting shift to remote work post-COVID, Ed Tech remains at the leading edge:

• Our survey shows that about 78% of Ed Tech professionals work remotely, with 17% hybrid and only 5% in the company office. This result may be influenced by the large number of sales and business development professionals represented in the sample.
• This compares to about 68% in the broader technology industry, itself the highest compared to any other industry.

We take a deeper look at why so many Ed Tech companies are hiring remotely here.

A Unique Combination of Professional Backgrounds

Survey respondents reflect the fact that the Ed Tech industry draws on professionals from a number of different industries and backgrounds. In Ed Tech, you’ll find Silicon Valley programmers working on teams with long-term primary school teachers and former Wall Street executives.

• 36% of respondents came to Ed Tech from education.
• 20% came from a non-Ed Tech business background.
• 24% have spent their entire career in the Ed Tech industry.

Learn More About Careers in the Ed Tech Industry

While they come from many different backgrounds, a clear majority of respondents plan to stay in Ed Tech long-term, with 70% reporting it is very likely they will continue in Ed Tech, 30% somewhat likely, and 0% answering not likely. 

This result is impressive, but not surprising for those familiar with this industry: it is full of passionate people who believe in technology’s potential to improve educational possibilities for all. 

While we are still calculating the full results of the survey, the highlights above reflect why we think the Ed Tech industry is such an incredible place to build a career.

We look forward to sharing more results in the near future.