Education and teaching department: roles and hierarchy

What the academic department does

Teachers plan lessons, teach classes, set and correct assessments, maintain attendance and marks registers, meet parents and mentor students. Heads of department and academic coordinators split the syllabus across the year, review lesson plans, observe classes and moderate question papers. The examination cell schedules tests, prepares papers, conducts exams and publishes results. In colleges, faculty also guide projects and research and serve on committees for admissions, discipline and accreditation. In coaching institutes and edtech companies, faculty teach batches or live and recorded classes, while academic content teams write study material and test series.

• Schools: PRT for primary, TGT for middle, PGT for senior classes, plus coordinators
• Colleges: assistant professors, associate professors, professors and HODs
• Coaching institutes: subject faculty, batch coordinators and academic heads
• Common support: exam cell, lab assistants, librarian and counsellors

Academic staff at 50, 500 and 5,000 employees

A 50-employee school usually has a principal, a vice principal or headmistress who also teaches, teachers for each class and subject, and a few lab assistants. Teachers report directly to the principal, who sets the timetable. A 500-employee education group, such as a chain of five schools or a college with several streams, has a principal for each school or a director for the college, academic coordinators by level, subject heads, and a central academic office that sets common assessments.

At 5,000 employees, typically a large school network, a university or a national coaching brand, there is an academic director or dean of academics above principals or campus directors, subject or department heads across campuses, a curriculum and assessment team, and a teacher training academy for induction and in-service training. University faculty follow a ladder from assistant professor to professor, and visiting faculty are engaged per lecture or per semester.

How teaching staff work with administration and HR

Academics and administration meet every day. The admin office handles admissions, fee collection, transport, the canteen and the building, and relies on teachers for student attendance, results and parent communication. The exam cell and the accounts team coordinate fee clearance before hall tickets are issued. HR handles recruitment in the months before the academic year starts, background and police verification for staff who work with children, appointment letters, probation reviews after the first term, and leave, which is tightly controlled during exams. Transport, security and support staff coordinate with teachers on dispersal and student safety.

Academic reporting lines, substitutions and leave approvals

Teachers report to the subject head or academic coordinator, who reports to the vice principal and principal; the principal reports to the school management committee, the trust or the group's academic director. In colleges, faculty report to the HOD, who reports to the principal or dean. A teacher's leave is approved by the coordinator only after a substitute is arranged for each period, then by the principal and HR, and long leave in exam weeks is usually refused. Timetable changes, new electives and examination schedules are approved by the principal or the academic council. Probation reviews after the first term are rated by the coordinator and confirmed by the principal.

Typical education and teaching team structure

Education and Teaching designation hierarchy

Every education and teaching role on ZeniaHR, from leadership to entry level. Open a role for its job description, KRAs and reporting line.

Frequently asked questions