School houseparent

A school houseparent looks after the welfare, safety and pastoral care of students in boarding schools.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a school houseparent, you would:

  • look after the welfare and personal development of students
  • supervise and co-ordinate activities
  • maintain discipline, standards of behaviour, manners and dress
  • work with parents, heads of year and teaching staff
  • help at events like concerts, sports fixtures and school functions
  • do administration tasks like organising rotas, updating attendance records and making travel arrangements for school outings

Working environment

You could work at a school.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

You could become a senior houseparent or head of boarding.

With experience and further training, you might move into related education roles, such as mentoring, teaching or school business support.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • the ability to work well with others
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to think clearly in a crisis
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

You could take a relevant college course that might help you when applying for jobs. For example:

  • Level 2 Award in First Aid Essentials
  • Level 2 Award in Safeguarding Children and Young People
  • Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

More Information

You could start as a trainee houseparent or member of the wider pastoral care team in a school and work your way up. For example, by taking on-the-job training through the Boarding Schools' Association.

You will most likely need paid or voluntary experience of working with children and young people. You could volunteer at your local school or search for opportunities on:

You could apply directly for jobs as a school houseparent. Employers will be interested in your personality and character.

You'll usually need experience of working with young people. Employers may also ask for relevant training and qualifications, including GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths, and a first aid certificate.

Career tips

Some employers look for people with experience in roles like:

  • nursery assistant, teaching assistant or nanny
  • education welfare officer or nurse
  • young people's counsellor or youth worker
  • mentor or behaviour support assistant

Further information

You can learn more about about working in boarding schools from the Boarding Schools' Association.

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