At a Glance
- Tasks: Engage families and guide them through the admissions process for a premium school experience.
- Company: Join a leading independent school focused on exceptional visitor experiences.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, full-time hours, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic role with travel opportunities and a focus on building lasting relationships.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by helping families find the perfect educational fit for their children.
- Qualifications: Experience in customer service or relationship management; strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.
Responsible to: Registrar
Salary: Competitive
Contract Type: Full time, Permanent
Hours of Work: Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm, 37.5 hours per week.
Job Purpose
The Admissions Officer (Visitor Experience) is a recruitment and conversion specialist responsible for attracting, engaging, and converting high-quality applicants across the school’s entry points, including both day pupils and full boarders. Responsibility will be allocated for a specific age group; Kindergarten to Year 9 or Year 10 to Postgraduate with post holders required to flex between these if required. The post holder owns the visitor experience both online and on campus, the scholarship and bursary process, the relevant feeder school and international agent relationship network, and the key assessment touchpoints that define a family’s first impression of the school for the specific year groups. They are also the primary relationship manager for families seeking a premium school placement. The ultimate measure of success in this role is conversion. Prospective families who engage with the school should leave with no reason to look elsewhere.
General Responsibilities
This is a high-energy, relationship-focused role that combines warm, emotionally intelligent family engagement with rigorous pipeline management. It demands exceptional interpersonal skills, a confident and knowledgeable pitch for the relevant academic programmes, and the commercial focus to manage a diverse pipeline of domestic and international families through to confirmed enrolment. Customer service is at the heart of this role. Every family, regardless of entry point or country of origin, should receive an impeccable admissions journey from first contact to first day. The post holder works in close collaboration with the Admissions Officer (Data & Compliance), who handles international compliance and agent management, and the Admissions Coordinator, who manages logistics and scheduling. This structure allows the Visitor Experience Officer to concentrate entirely on high-impact family engagement, conversion activity, and senior market relationship-building. The role involves regular domestic and international travel during key recruitment seasons.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategy: Contribute to the development of the year groups’ recruitment strategy by providing market intelligence on competitor positioning, demand trends, and opportunities to grow the relevant boarding, day, and international entry pipelines. Work collaboratively with the Admissions Officer (Data & Compliance) to develop and refine metrics for predicting year-group fill rates and measuring conversion success from key feeder schools and agent partners over time. Stay informed of developments in the independent school and IB sector for the relevant year group, including competitor programme developments, scholarship positioning, and boarding market trends, and actively use time spent at fairs, agent meetings, and school visits to gather first-hand market intelligence, feeding relevant insights back to the Admissions Manager promptly.
- Leadership and Management: Recruit, train, and manage Pupil Ambassadors and Staff Tour Guides for senior-age visits, ensuring each individual is well-prepared to deliver an authentic, confident, and persuasive representation of life in the senior school. Lead the transition and 'Welcome' process for new families, coordinating with House staff, relevant Programme Coordinator, and academic leads to ensure a seamless handover from the admissions process into school life.
- Academic and Pastoral Provision: Develop a confident working knowledge of the school’s relevant academic pathways, including the PYP, MYP, IB Diploma, IB Career-related Programmes, GCSE/IGCSE, and Postgraduate programme, enabling informed, compelling conversations with students and parents about transition between parts of the school, subject choices, university progression, and the demands and rewards of senior school life as required. Be genuinely fluent in the educational proposition of the school, its curriculum, pedagogy, and pastoral approach, and able to speak about it with depth and conviction in both one-to-one and group settings. Champion a whole-school approach to conversion, actively engaging teaching staff, HsMs, relevant Programme Coordinators, and academic leads in the admissions journey, ensuring that prospective senior pupils and their families experience the breadth, ambition, and community of the school during every visit, not just the admissions function.
- Child Protection: Exercise high levels of emotional intelligence and discretion when liaising with academic and pastoral staff regarding prospective senior pupils, ensuring sensitive information shared by families is handled carefully and shared only with authorised colleagues. Maintain full compliance with the school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy throughout all family-facing activities.
- Marketing and Recruitment: Manage the end-to-end recruitment journey for all applicants, including domestic and international boarders and day pupils, ensuring a high-touch, personalised experience that drives conversion at every stage. Design and deliver the gold-standard on-campus visitor experience for applicants and their families, including bespoke campus tours, webinars, information evenings, open days, and taster days, ensuring every touchpoint reflects a premium brand and leaves a lasting positive impression. Build and maintain strong working relationships with feeder schools at the appropriate level, both domestically and internationally, growing the top-of-funnel enquiry pipeline and reinforcing the school’s reputation as the natural next step for ambitious pupils. Maintain a comprehensive feeder school and agent contact database within the CRM, tracking engagement levels, visit history, and conversion rates to inform future outreach and strategic investment decisions. Develop and implement yield management strategies to reduce pupil withdrawal between offer and arrival, providing personalised follow-up for hesitant or undecided families, with particular attention to boarding applicants and those joining from overseas. Represent the school at domestic and international recruitment fairs, agent meetings, and school visits, delivering a compelling and confident narrative of the school’s IB programme, boarding offer, and Postgraduate year. Ensure every physical and digital touchpoint of the visitor journey reflects a premium brand experience, working closely with Marketing on collateral, web content, and social media relevant to this age group. Work in close partnership with Marketing to ensure that lead generation campaigns, events, and digital activity translate into meaningful family engagement and confirmed enrolments.
- Data and Assessment: Coordinate the CAT4 assessment process and other entrance examinations applicants, liaising with Academic departments to ensure efficient scheduling and the timely, sensitive communication of results to families. Oversee the full enrolment lifecycle from initial promotion in partnership with Marketing and application management, through to assessment coordination, taster day delivery, offer communication, enrolment confirmation, and the welcome programme, in partnership with the Admissions Manager. Implement visitor feedback surveys following each campus visit and open day, using insight to continually improve the visitor journey, identify conversion barriers, and provide the team with actionable improvement priorities.
- Additional Responsibilities: Undertake domestic and international recruitment travel as required, planning trips efficiently to maximise pipeline outcomes. Participate in relevant whole-school events, information evenings, and marketing activities as required. Provide proactive input to the wider admissions team during peak recruitment periods, supporting colleagues across year groups and entry points where needed. This role requires domestic and international travel during key recruitment seasons, and post holders should expect occasional weekend working in connection with open days, recruitment fairs, and school events.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Education, Training and Qualifications
- Essential: HND or equivalent level of education, or demonstrable experience in a professional customer-facing or relationship management role. Degree-level education or equivalent. Strong IT literacy including Google Workspace and CRM experience.
- Desirable: Degree-level education or above. Familiarity with the IB Programmes or other academic qualifications. Admissions, Marketing, communications, or events management training.
Experience
- Essential: Minimum 2 years' experience in admissions, school engagement, hospitality or a client-facing commercial role. Demonstrable experience delivering exceptional customer or visitor experiences. Experience engaging confidently with young people and their parents in a professional or educational context.
- Desirable: Experience in an independent school admissions or education marketing role. Experience managing scholarship or competitive entrance processes. Experience of international recruitment travel and agent engagement. Experience leading tours, open days, or similar recruitment events.
Skills
- Warm, engaging communication style with the ability to build rapport quickly with families from diverse backgrounds. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a complex pipeline of applicants. Ability to adapt tone and approach when speaking to a diverse range of people.
- Desirable: Experience with HubSpot or similar CRM. Understanding of the CAT4 or similar standardised assessment tools.
Interpersonal skills
- Essential: High emotional intelligence and professional warmth in family-facing interactions. Ability to exercise discretion and confidentiality in all communications. Collaborative and flexible team player who works effectively across departments. Motivated by targets and energised by the challenge of conversion.
- Desirable: Strong network within the senior independent or international school sector. Experience representing an organisation at competitive international education fairs.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
St Leonards is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, where all members of the community - colleagues, pupils and families - are seen and valued. This culture ensures that St Leonards delivers an outstanding global education in a multi-cultural living, learning and working environment. Applications should be made via St Leonards Teacheroo portal. Closing date and time for applications is Noon on Friday 19th June 2026. Interview to take place ASAP. We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier. Any questions may be directed to recruitment@stleonards-fife.org in the first instance. All successful applicants will be required to undertake a Criminal Record check and either hold or be accepted for membership of the Disclosure Scotland Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.
Admissions Officer (Visitor Experience) employer: Scottish Council of Independent Schools
St Leonards is an exceptional employer that prioritises a supportive and inclusive work culture, fostering professional growth and development for its staff. As an Admissions Officer (Visitor Experience), you will enjoy a competitive salary, a structured work-life balance with Monday to Friday hours, and the opportunity to engage with diverse families in a vibrant educational environment. The school is committed to delivering a premium experience for both applicants and employees, ensuring that every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute to the school's success.
Contact Details:
Scottish Council of Independent Schools Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Admissions Officer (Visitor Experience)
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the school inside out! Familiarise yourself with its academic programmes, values, and unique selling points. This way, when you chat with families, you can confidently showcase why this school is the best choice for their children.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Attend recruitment fairs and school visits to build relationships with feeder schools and agents. The more connections you make, the better your chances of attracting high-quality applicants.
✨Tip Number 3
Create a stellar visitor experience! Whether it’s a campus tour or an open day, ensure every interaction reflects the school's premium brand. A warm, engaging atmosphere will leave families eager to enrol.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up with families! After initial contact, keep the conversation going. Personalised follow-ups can help ease any hesitations and show families that you genuinely care about their journey.
We think you need these skills to ace Admissions Officer (Visitor Experience)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through! We want to see how much you care about creating an exceptional visitor experience and engaging with families. Share personal stories or experiences that highlight your passion for education and admissions.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to reflect the specific requirements of the Admissions Officer role. Use keywords from the job description and demonstrate how your skills and experiences align with what we're looking for. This shows us that you've done your homework and are genuinely interested in the position.
Be Personable:Remember, this role is all about building relationships! Use a warm and engaging tone in your written application. We want to get a sense of your personality and how you connect with others, so don’t be afraid to let your authentic self come through.
Proofread Like a Pro:Before hitting send, give your application a thorough proofread. Typos and grammatical errors can distract from your message and make it seem like you didn’t put in the effort. We’re looking for attention to detail, so take the time to polish your application to perfection!
How to prepare for a job interview at Scottish Council of Independent Schools
✨Know Your Audience
Before the interview, research the school’s ethos, values, and the specific age group you’ll be working with. Understanding their unique needs will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate that you’re genuinely interested in enhancing the visitor experience.
✨Showcase Your Interpersonal Skills
As an Admissions Officer, your ability to connect with families is crucial. Prepare examples of how you've successfully engaged with diverse groups in previous roles. Highlight your emotional intelligence and how it has helped you build rapport and trust with clients or students.
✨Be Ready to Discuss Strategy
Familiarise yourself with current trends in admissions and recruitment strategies, especially in the independent school sector. Be prepared to discuss how you would contribute to the recruitment strategy and share insights on competitor positioning and market intelligence.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and customer service approach. Think about past experiences where you’ve had to manage complex situations or difficult conversations, and be ready to explain how you handled them effectively.