Education Authority jobs in Northern Ireland and how to apply

The Education Authority (EA) is the main employer of non-teaching staff in Northern Ireland’s schools, and it also employs staff in its own services and headquarters. If you want a classroom assistant, catering, cleaning or similar school job, you will usually apply to the EA. The exceptions are voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated schools, whose Boards of Governors employ their own non-teaching staff.

Who the employer is

The Department of Education says most non-teaching staff are employed by the EA. The exception it names is staff in voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated schools, who are employed by the individual school’s Board of Governors. That matters when you search for jobs, because a post at one of those schools is advertised and recruited by the school itself, while a post at a controlled or maintained school goes through the EA.

Teaching posts follow a different route. For how to qualify and register, see how to become a teacher in Northern Ireland.

What the EA recruits

School-based roles are the biggest group. They include classroom assistants, and the support jobs that keep a school running: catering and kitchen staff, cleaning, supervisory and crossing patrol posts, and office roles. The EA also runs services outside the classroom, with their own staff and advertised posts. For the classroom side, see classroom assistant in Northern Ireland.

Vacancies are listed on the EA’s own jobs page at eani.org.uk/jobs, and each post comes with its own pack and closing date. The pack for the post is the authority on what the job needs.

How the process works

Public sector recruitment in Northern Ireland generally runs on an application form, shortlisting against essential criteria and an interview. Points to expect with EA posts:

• Your form is likely to be scored against the criteria in the person specification, so show how you meet each one with examples and dates.
• Check the pack for when the criteria must be met, usually by the closing date.
• Roles involving children or vulnerable adults normally need an enhanced AccessNI check. See AccessNI checks for public sector jobs.
• Some school posts are term-time only, which affects how the salary is paid.

For general advice on writing the form, applying for school support staff jobs covers the ground that applies in any part of the UK.

Pay and terms for support staff

Non-teaching pay and conditions are negotiated through the EA’s Joint Negotiating Council, where management and unions sit together. The agreements are published as JNC circulars. They generally keep EA staff on the same terms as National Joint Council (NJC) staff in Great Britain. The Department says over 95 per cent of support staff have a contractual entitlement to NJC national pay awards.

GMB, NIPSA, Unite and UNISON accepted a Pay and Grading Review Agreement for support staff on 13 September 2024. That review is separate from the annual pay award. Because the EA scales are specific to Northern Ireland, the English NJC pay spine shows how the national structure works but does not give your salary. Use the figures in the advert or the EA’s published pay documents.

Teachers’ pay follows its own track. The latest confirmed deal is 4 per cent from 1 September 2025, accepted by the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council on 13 January 2026. See teacher pay in Northern Ireland.