1. Role Overview
The SDR is the engine that fuels commercial growth in EdTech. Their mission is simple but not easy: identify opportunities, qualify them, and create a strong pipeline for Account Executives. In education markets, this role demands patience, empathy and an understanding of the sector’s slow moving cycles.
The best SDRs reduce acquisition costs, ease AE workload, and move deals forward faster. Without them, sales teams stall.
2. Key Responsibilities
- Prospecting and lead generation
- Researching schools, MATs, districts and universities
- Mapping decision makers
- Personalising outreach across email, phone and LinkedIn
- Qualifying inbound leads
- Booking discovery calls and demos
- Maintaining CRM hygiene
- Supporting events and conferences
- Reporting weekly activity and conversion metrics
3. Internal Stakeholders
- Account Executives
- Marketing and product marketing
- Customer Success
- Sales Operations
- Founders or VP Sales in smaller companies
4. External Stakeholders
- Teachers
- Heads of departments
- Senior leadership teams (SLT)
- IT leads
- University programme directors
- Procurement teams
5. Salary Benchmarks (USD / GBP / EUR)
United States
Base: 45k to 65k USD
OTE: 65k to 95k USD
United Kingdom
Base: 28k to 38k GBP
OTE: 38k to 55k GBP
Europe
Base: 32k to 45k EUR
OTE: 45k to 65k EUR
EdTech SDRs with education backgrounds typically earn at the top end.
6. What a Day in the Life of an SDR Looks Like
SDR work is structured, repetitive and momentum driven. Depending on whether someone is in outbound or inbound, the flow looks different.
Outbound SDR Day (Prospecting Focus)
Morning
- Prospecting and research
- Identifying MATs, schools and universities
- Personalised outreach
- Early calling windows
Midday
- Call blitz sessions
- Objection handling
- Sync with AEs
Afternoon
- Follow ups
- Updating sequences
- Planning tomorrow’s outreach
Outbound is about persistence and creativity. You are creating demand.
Inbound SDR Day (Qualification Focus)
Morning
- Reviewing new demo requests, trial signups, event leads
- Prioritising high intent inbound
Midday
- Qualification calls
- Sharing insights with marketing
- Passing strong opportunities to AEs
Afternoon
- Nurture workflows
- Light touch follow ups
- Preparing next day’s lead tasks
Inbound is about speed and clarity. You respond to demand.
7. Outbound vs Inbound SDR Work in EdTech
Outbound = You create the demand
- More research heavy
- More rejection heavy
- Harder won meetings but often bigger deals
- Messaging must be hyper personalised to actual school priorities
Inbound = The demand comes to you
- Conversations start warmer
- Speed matters more than volume
- Higher conversion but variable lead quality
Most EdTech SDRs do both, with a heavier outbound focus outside peak buying seasons.
8. Working Domestically vs Internationally
Domestic SDR (UK, US, EU)
Easiest entry point because you already know the education system:
- Local curriculum
- Assessment pressures
- Academic calendars
- Cultural communication norms
- Procurement policies
Domestic SDRs tend to ramp faster because they speak the language of educators.
International SDR
A different skill set altogether:
- Navigating time zones
- Understanding IB, CBSE, MoE frameworks, US Common Core
- Adapting messaging to cultural nuance
- Respecting global holiday calendars
- Working with resellers or distributors
- Understanding regional pricing and localisation needs
International SDRs must be strategic and culturally aware. Companies expanding globally will always prioritise talent who has:
- worked internationally
- lived abroad
- experience with global education systems
This is where RecruitHer candidates thrive. They arrive with cultural insight already built in.
9. Prior Experience Needed to Break Into SDR Roles
You don’t need hardcore sales experience. EdTech SDRs successfully come from:
Education roles
- teachers
- tutors
- TAs
- learning support
- curriculum writers
Customer facing roles
- customer service
- admissions
- student recruitment
- hospitality
- coaching
Junior commercial roles
- marketing assistant
- junior seller
- SDR in another sector
What hiring managers care about most
- writing ability
- consistency
- curiosity
- communication
- not being afraid to pick up the phone
- understanding school context
- interest in AI tools
10. Career Progression
- SDR
- Senior SDR
- Account Executive
- Enterprise AE
- Sales Manager or Team Lead
Parallel paths: Marketing, RevOps, Partnerships, Product support roles.
11. Reporting Lines
- SDR → SDR Manager
- SDR → Head of Sales
- In early stage: SDR → Founder
Most SDRs do not manage people initially.
12. Why This Role Matters in EdTech
Schools do not have time to search for tools. SDRs become the bridge between solutions and school needs.
Great SDRs:
- open doors into MATs, ministries and universities
- build trust early
- reduce AE prospecting load
- increase conversion rates
- improve brand presence
- accelerate pipeline growth across regions
This role is essential in a long cycle, relationship driven market like EdTech.
13. KPIs and Success Metrics
- Meetings booked
- Qualified opportunities created
- Email engagement
- Call reach rate
- Meeting to opportunity conversion
- Pipeline value created
EdTech specific KPIs:
- Performance during term vs holiday periods
- Alignment of leads to actual curriculum needs
- Stakeholder mapping accuracy
14. Skills Required
Core SDR skills
- Resilience
- Active listening
- Objection handling
- Research
- CRM fluency
- Strong writing
EdTech specific skills
- Understanding school systems
- Knowledge of curriculum context
- Awareness of safeguarding and compliance
Upskilling Areas
- AI for prospecting and personalisation
- Sales sequencing tools (Outreach, Apollo, Lemlist)
- LinkedIn personal branding
- Education market insight
15. Interview Questions for SDRs
- How do you tailor outreach for different education stakeholders
- Tell me about a time you turned a cold lead into a warm conversation
- What do you know about school procurement
- How do you manage rejection
- What EdTech tools do you admire and why
16. How to Stand Out as an SDR
- Build a visible LinkedIn presence
- Share insights about what educators care about
- Attend events like Bett, EDUtech Europe or SAAShow
- Bring examples of personalised outreach to interviews
- Show curiosity about pedagogy, not just sales
This is where RecruitHer candidates shine.
17. Gender Representation in SDR Roles
Current Gender Split
SDR roles across tech are slightly male dominated.
EdTech is more balanced, but still leans male in outbound heavy teams.
Why EdTech Needs More Female SDRs
Research shows women:
- build trust quickly with school stakeholders
- excel in communication and active listening
- bring collaborative leadership styles that improve customer relationships
Schools respond well to diverse sales teams.
RecruitHer actively encourages women to enter commercial roles because the pipeline of female leaders starts here.
18. When Is a Good Time for an SDR to Ask for a Promotion
Asking for a promotion can feel intimidating, especially in EdTech where teams are lean and sales cycles are long. But timing and evidence matter far more than confidence alone. Here is how to know when you are genuinely ready to move from SDR to Senior SDR or Account Executive.
A. You’ve hit your KPIs consistently for at least two consecutive quarters
One strong quarter is great.
Two show you are not a one off.
Three prove you are operating at the next level.
Look for patterns like:
- hitting or exceeding meeting targets
- generating high quality pipeline
- strong meeting-to-opportunity conversion
- positive AE feedback
Sales managers promote consistency, not luck.
B. AEs trust you with more than handovers
If your Account Executives:
- ask for your help on research
- involve you in email threads
- invite you into discovery calls
- tell leadership you are making their life easier
…you are already doing parts of the AE job.
This is the strongest signal you’re ready.
C. You can show you understand the full sales process, not just top of funnel
Before promoting SDRs, hiring managers want proof that you understand:
- qualification
- stakeholder mapping
- budget and buying power
- procurement timelines
- how deals progress
If you can talk through how a typical school or MAT makes a decision, you are no longer “just prospecting”. You are thinking like an AE.
D. You’ve built a presence in the EdTech community
In this sector, your brand matters.
Good signs you are ready:
- active LinkedIn presence
- connections with educators and EdTech leaders
- engagement with events like Bett, EduTech, ASU GSV
- visible interest in learning outcomes and pedagogy
Leaders promote SDRs who show they care about the sector, not just the job.
E. You’ve taken initiative on projects outside your job description
Examples:
- improving sequences
- testing AI tools for outreach
- helping to onboard new SDRs
- sharing best performing emails
- building prospect lists for new segments
Managers notice people who make the team better.
F. You’ve already demonstrated AE behaviours
You might be ready if:
- you run parts of discovery calls
- you qualify deeper than just BANT
- you help craft outreach strategy
- you already close micro deals (common in EdTech)
Many SDRs become AEs informally before being promoted formally.
G. You’ve had an open conversation with your manager
Never surprise your manager.
The best time to ask is:
- during a quarterly review
- after a strong quarter of performance
- when you can clearly show metrics and added value
- when the company is in (or approaching) a hiring phase
Promotions in EdTech often align with budget cycles or funding rounds.
H. You’re prepared for more responsibility, not just the new title
A promotion is not a reward.
It is an increase in expectations:
- revenue targets
- deeper product knowledge
- complex stakeholder management
- forecasting accuracy
- working across regions or segments
Make sure you want the work, not just the badge.
I. RecruitHer Advice: Ask when the data supports you
Women in particular often wait too long, believing they must be “perfectly ready”.
Meanwhile, male counterparts tend to ask earlier and more confidently.
Our rule of thumb:
If you’re performing at the next level 60 percent of the time, start the conversation.
Your manager won’t promote what they cannot see.
