National Education Union

What National Education Union does

The National Education Union (NEU) is the largest education union in Europe, formed in September 2017 through the merger of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). It represents approximately 450,000-500,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff, and school leaders working in maintained and independent schools, sixth-form colleges, and further education institutions across the UK, including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. The union is an independent, member-owned, non-profit professional association that is not affiliated to any political party, operating instead through a non-party political fund established by member ballot in November 2017. The NEU is headquartered in London (Hamilton House, Mabledon Place) with regional offices in Cardiff (NEU Cymru) and Belfast (NEU Northern Ireland).

The NEU's core product is union membership, delivered through a community-led, workplace-organizing model. Accredited workplace representatives in schools and colleges conduct recruitment and member support, while local branches, districts, and regional offices provide localized bargaining structures. Member-facing services include the AdviceLine telephone service staffed by professional advisers, National CPD/training courses, the NEU Trust Fund (Registered Charity No. 1123305), legal services via Thompsons Solicitors, indemnity insurance via Alan Boswell Group, and mortgage/financial products via Teachers Building Society. The myNEU online portal provides self-serve membership management and myRewards discounts. Publications include the bi-monthly Educate magazine and the quarterly Lead magazine for school leaders. The union conducts an annual conference (up to ~1,600 delegates) as its principal decision-making body and runs political campaigns on issues including teacher pay, school funding, Ofsted inspection reform, and SEND provision.

The NEU's business model is subscription-based. Membership income of £76,289,306 for FY 2023-24 (12 months ended August 2024) accounts for the vast majority of total income of £81,361,112, with the balance comprising political fund contributions (£487,871) and other income. Subscription rates are tiered by role and contracted hours: full-time standard teachers pay £227.66/year, leadership members pay £261.24/year, support staff pay £117.94/year (21+ hours), Early Career Teachers pay £1 in their first year, and student/trainee members are free. Total expenditure was £69,805,330, producing a surplus of approximately £11.6M. The union is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), and Education International (32 million educators across 178 countries), and pursues international solidarity partnerships with entities including Save the Children UK, Amnesty International UK, and various education and human rights coalitions.

Name

National Education Union

Legal name

National Education Union

Website

https://neu.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The National Education Union (NEU) is the UK's largest education union, representing approximately 500,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff, and school leaders through workplace organizing, collective bargaining, and member services including legal advice, CPD, and a Trust Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Primary revenue source from membership subscriptions. Standard membership at full-time rate is £227.66 annually, with tiered pricing for part-time staff. Total membership income was £76,289,306 for the period ending August 2024.
2. Political fund contributions: Optional contributions from members who wish to support campaigning work, set at 1% of the full-time standard national subscription rate. Total political fund income was £487,871.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The National Education Union (NEU) is the largest education union in Europe, representing over 450,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff, and school leaders across the UK. Its core offering is trade union membership providing workplace representation, collective bargaining, employment law advice, legal support, and campaigning on education policy. Supplementary services include professional development (National CPD courses), a member advice line, charitable support (NEU Trust Fund), and member publications.

Product overview

The National Education Union (NEU) is the largest education union in Europe, representing over 450,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff, and leaders across the UK. It operates as a unified membership organization rather than a platform with separate modules. The core offering is NEU Membership, which provides collective bargaining representation, workplace advocacy, and legal support through services like the AdviceLine. Supplementary offerings include professional development through National CPD/training courses, charitable support via the NEU Trust Fund, and member publications (Educate Magazine and Lead. Magazine). The myNEU member portal provides online access to benefits and membership management. Additional resources include rep training materials, toolkits for workplace issues (workload, pay, appraisal), and advocacy tools like Ofsted risk assessment guides. The union also conducts annual conferences and international solidarity work as part of its broader mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NEU Membership Trade union membership for teachers, lecturers, support staff, and leaders in maintained and independent schools and colleges across the UK, providing workplace representation, collective bargaining, legal advice, and access to member benefits.
• AdviceLine

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of teachers voted to reject government's unfunded 6.5% pay rise proposal in indicative ballots
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Save the Children UKflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025NEU has partnered with Save the Children for the 'Raising Hope for Children in Crisis' appeal to support children in humanitarian emergencies worldwide. Funds support Save the Children's Emergency Fund helping children in Afghanistan, Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen.
• Education InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal federation of education unions representing 32 million teachers and support staff in 178 countries. NEU works with sister unions internationally to defend and improve educator rights, support human rights, and collaborate on development projects.
• European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean-level trade union committee for education. NEU is affiliated and works collaboratively on European education policy and professional standards.
• Trades Union Congress (TUC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK federation of trade unions. NEU is affiliated and participates in collective bargaining advocacy and labor movement activities.
• Musicians' UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to enhance promotion of music education in schools. Includes joint membership deals, bespoke CPD, and joint projects with Music for Youth festival series.
• Thompsons SolicitorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides legal services to NEU members including personal injury claims, medical negligence, wills and probate, and conveyancing. Offers free basic online will for members and spouses/partners.
• Alan Boswell GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides indemnity insurance for NEU members who provide private tuition, lecturing or coaching outside main employment. Covers teaching all academic subjects plus sports coaching, music, drama, technology, cookery and practical science activities.
• Teachers Building SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by the NUT in 1966 to help teachers own homes and save for futures. Offers mortgages to NQTs two months before first post, teachers with 5% deposits, and those approaching retirement. Provides competitive savings options.
• Send My Friend to School coalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEU is a leading member of this coalition bringing together young people, politicians, teachers and civil society to demand quality education globally. Currently running 'Invest in My Friend's Learning' campaign.
• Amnesty International UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEU is affiliated to Amnesty International UK as part of its international solidarity work on human rights.
• Palestine Solidarity CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEU affiliated to campaign for Palestinian rights and has partnership with General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT).
• Cuba Solidarity CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEU affiliated to campaign opposing US blockade of Cuba and supporting Cuban education.
• Justice for ColombiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEU works with campaign group Justice for Colombia and sister union FECODE to uphold human rights and improve education access in Colombia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Federation of Teachers (AFT):
• National Education Association (NEA): Largest US education employee union with ~3M members; comparable international peer operating in K-12 and higher education with similar representation, bargaining, and advocacy functions.

Direct peers

• University and College Union (UCU): UK union for further and higher education staff; overlaps with NEU's lecturer and sixth-form college membership across post-16 education.
• Voice Community (now Community): UK union for education professionals and school leaders; competes with NEU in smaller specialist education segments and leadership representation.
• NASUWT: One of the UK's largest teachers' unions directly competing with NEU for the same classroom teacher membership in maintained and independent schools across the UK.
• National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT): UK union for school leaders, headteachers and senior staff; competes with NEU's Leadership membership tier for the same headteacher segment.
• Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL): UK union for secondary school and college leaders; competes directly with NEU's leadership and college segments for representation and CPD.
• UNISON: UK's largest union representing school support staff alongside public sector workers; competes with NEU for support-staff subscriptions in schools.
• GMB Union: UK general union with significant membership among school support and catering staff; competes with NEU for the same school support-staff segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NEUnion
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationaleducationunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://neu.org.uk/node/1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Education Union