Remote education and edtech careers: a career guide

Career tracks in education

Education careers span nonprofits, venture-backed startups, and corporate learning. Remote work is common across all three.

• Nonprofit education — Programme managers, curriculum developers, and education policy analysts at organisations like Teach For All, KIPP, and education foundations.
• Edtech startups — Product managers, engineers, content creators, and learning designers at companies building educational technology.
• Corporate L&D — Learning and development specialists, instructional designers, and training managers building employee education programmes.
• Content and curriculum — Subject matter experts, content writers, and curriculum designers creating educational materials and courses.

Key skills employers want

Teaching and tech: Edtech companies value educators who can code and technologists who understand pedagogy. Candidates who combine both are well placed.

• Instructional design — ADDIE, SAM, backwards design. Tools: Articulate, Captivate, Rise. Learning objectives, assessment design, accessibility (WCAG).
• Learning science — Cognitive load theory, spaced repetition, gamification, personalised learning paths, data-informed curriculum iteration.
• Education data — Learning analytics, A/B testing educational interventions, outcomes measurement, student success metrics.
• UX for education — User research with learners, accessibility, engagement design, mobile-first learning experiences.

Employers hiring remotely

Khan Academy

Nonprofit offering free online education. Fully remote, hiring engineers, content creators, product managers, and learning scientists.

Type: nonprofit, fully remote. Pay: $100K–180K for tech roles.

Duolingo

Language-learning app and public company (DUOL) with remote roles in engineering, content, research, and design, and a dedicated learning science team.

Focus: research, engineering. Pay: $120K–200K+.

Coursera

Online learning platform that partners with universities and companies. Public company (COUR) offering degrees, certificates, and enterprise learning, with remote roles in product, content partnerships, and engineering.

Type: B2B and B2C, remote-friendly.

Teach For All

Global network of independent partner organisations working to expand educational opportunity. Remote roles in network support, knowledge management, and programme design.

Type: nonprofit network. Roles: programme and network support.

Outschool

Marketplace for live online classes for children aged 3–18, connecting independent educators with learners. Remote-first, hiring for product, engineering, and educator success.

Type: startup, remote-first.

Also worth looking at: 2U/edX, Udemy, Skillshare, Brilliant, Age of Learning (ABCmouse), Carnegie Learning, Newsela, and education-focused foundations such as the Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a teaching background for edtech jobs?

Not always. Product, engineering, and marketing roles at edtech companies often prioritise tech skills over classroom experience. However, instructional design, curriculum development, and learning science roles typically prefer candidates with education backgrounds. Former teachers are valued for content roles and user research.

What's the salary range for remote education jobs?

Instructional designers earn $65,000–$95,000. Edtech product managers earn $100,000–$150,000. Curriculum developers at nonprofits earn $55,000–$85,000. Education programme managers at foundations earn $70,000–$110,000. Software engineers at edtech companies earn $120,000–$200,000+.

Which edtech companies are fully remote?

Khan Academy, Outschool, and many smaller edtech startups are fully remote. Duolingo, Coursera, and 2U/edX are remote-friendly with some in-office roles. Nonprofit education organisations like Teach For All and Education First also have remote roles.