Getting Ready for Your Next Grade

So what can you do about it?

You might have been wondering if there's some sort of rules that no one tells you... A way of determining who gets promoted and who stays stuck.

There is.

I call it the Hidden Curriculum for career progression in Higher Education - a set of step changes that you'll need to be able to demonstrate if you want to progress to the next level. The Hidden Curriculum described the differences in how you'll need to approach work: problem solving, communication, accountability etc as you get ready for your next grade. You can totally do that on your own. Or, if you're ready for support, I've made a programme to lead you through it.

Getting Ready for Your Next Grade is a group coaching programme that teaches you the Hidden Curriculum for your specific grade transition, then helps you build the credibility, competence, and conviction that senior leaders and recruitment/regrading panels are looking for.

This isn't about working harder. It's about demonstrating the right things. Think of it like understanding what the exam question is actually asking you for.

How It Works: The Progression Pathway

Over 6-12 months (depending on your career stage), we follow a structured pathway:

Phase 1: Clarity
Understand exactly what credibility looks like at your next level and where you currently stand

Phase 2: Competence
Build the skills, experiences, and evidence that demonstrate you're already operating at the next level

Phase 3: Credibility
Position yourself visibly as someone ready for promotion and let others see you that way too

Phase 4: Conviction
Apply for roles with confidence, knowing you're the obvious candidate

Choose Your Programme

Click through to learn more about the programme for your specific transition:

Getting Ready for Senior Manager 

For line managers preparing for strategic leadership and managing multiple teams

The step change: From managing individuals to leading multiple teams or a significant function

6 months | £83/month or £298 in full

Getting Ready for Head of Service/equivalent 

For senior managers preparing for institutional leadership

The step change: From senior management to shaping institutional direction and leading managers

12 months | £175/month or £2,100/year

What You Get (All Programmes)

✓ Small cohort of 6-8 people at your career stage
✓ Regular group coaching calls (60 minutes) via Kajabi community hub
✓ Personalised Hidden Curriculum profile for your institution
✓ Monthly masterclasses on key transition topics
✓ Community access with recordings, resources, frameworks
✓ Direct access to me between sessions
✓ Interview prep support when opportunities arise

What People Say

"Fiona helped me completely reframe how I think about my career progression. The Hidden Curriculum framework finally made sense of why I'd been stuck and ultimately, what to do about it."
— Professional Services Manager

"I used the approach Fiona taught me to prepare for an internal restructure interview. My Head of School told me afterwards that I was the standout candidate. My answers were 'so much more elevated than the others.' I got the role and I couldn't be happier."
— Senior Manager

"This isn't fluffy career advice. It's practical, specific, and based on real patterns in how HE actually works. I wish I'd known this stuff 5 years ago."
— Head of Service

Not Sure Which Programme Is Right for You?

Download the Hidden Curriculum Guide to see what panels actually assess:

Questions?

Email me at [email protected] - I'm happy to jump on a quick call to help you work out which programme is right for you.

About your coach

I’m Fiona Bicket, the founder of the HE Professional Services Progression Pathways and a specialist self-belief coach for Higher Education professionals.

I built this programme because in most institutions, there’s a clear Academic Promotions Pathway but nothing equivalent for Professional Services.

If we want to be taken seriously as peers and partners in shaping the future of Higher Education, then we need to take our careers seriously too. That means moving beyond waiting to be recognised, and instead learning to recognise, name, and evidence our value with credibility and conviction.

I spent 13 years as a Professional Services manager in UK HE, and over the last four years I’ve coached more than 250 HE professionals to step into leadership, secure promotions, and navigate their careers on their own terms.

The truth is: the system isn’t transparent. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck.

This programme is about giving you the insight, tools and support to move forward with purpose, strategy, and self-assurance.

If that sounds like what you’ve been waiting for, I’d love to welcome you in.