How to Become a Community Manager in the UK
Community managers build and look after a brand's online community, on Discord, Slack, forums, Facebook groups or a platform such as Circle. You welcome new members, start conversations, run events and AMAs, moderate content, handle complaints, and feed what members say back to product and marketing teams. Common employers include software companies, games studios, creators and membership businesses.
You do not need a degree. Most people get in through volunteer moderation, social media or customer support roles, and show employers a community they have grown or run.
Quick facts
- Starting salary
- £24,000 - £32,000
- Mid-career salary
- £35,000 - £55,000
- Senior salary
- £60,000 - £90,000+
- Work environment
- Mostly remote, very online
- Time to entry
- 1 - 3 years
- Degree required
- Not required
- Category
- Marketing and Media
Compare pay across careers in the UK salaries by career report. Also in: High-paying careers, No-degree careers, Creative careers, Stable careers, Career change.
What a Community Manager does
Build, grow and look after online communities for brands - on Discord, Slack, forums or social.
- SaaS Community Manager - Run user communities for software products.
- Creator Community Manager - Run communities and memberships for creators and educators.
How to become a community manager in the UK
There is no formal qualification for community management. The practical route is to moderate or help run an online community, even an unpaid one, then apply for community executive, moderator or community support roles. Many people move across from social media manager, customer service advisor or marketing executive jobs. Learn community platforms, moderation tools, simple analytics and how to write clear community guidelines. Short digital marketing courses help, but a portfolio showing growth, engagement and how you handled problems matters more.
- Volunteer as a moderator for a Discord server, subreddit, forum or Facebook group in a topic you know well, and stay active for several months.
- Write or improve that community's guidelines, onboarding messages and moderation process, and keep before-and-after examples for your portfolio.
- Run a few community events, such as AMAs, live streams or challenges, and record attendance and engagement numbers.
- Learn the tools employers use, such as Discord bots, Slack, Circle or Discourse, plus basic analytics for growth, retention and activity.
- Practise handling conflict and abuse calmly, including when to warn, mute, ban or escalate, as interview tasks often test this.
- Apply for community executive, moderator or community support roles at games studios, software companies, creators and membership businesses.
| Route | How long | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer moderator, then paid role | 6-18 months | Free | People already active in online communities |
| Social media or customer support role, then community | 1-3 years | None - paid role | Career changers in marketing or support |
| Level 3 marketing apprenticeship | About 12-18 months | Paid by the employer | School leavers |
| Marketing or communications degree | 3 years | Tuition fee loan | Graduate marketing schemes |
How long it takes
Most people take 1 to 3 years to land a paid community manager role, often via moderation, social media or support jobs. If you already run an active community, you can apply for junior roles sooner.
Community Manager salary in the UK
Junior community managers and executives typically earn around £24,000 to £32,000. Experienced community managers usually earn £35,000 to £55,000, and heads of community at larger tech, gaming or creator businesses can reach £60,000 to £90,000 or more. Software and games companies tend to pay more than charities and small brands. Many roles are remote, so pay may follow the company's location policy rather than where you live. Some community managers freelance for several creators or brands.
Key skills
- Writing
- Empathy
- Moderation
- Events
- Analytics
Community Manager FAQs
How do I become a community manager?
Start by moderating or helping run an online community, then build a portfolio showing growth, events and how you handled problems. Apply for community executive, moderator or support roles, or move across from social media, customer support or marketing jobs.
Do you need a degree to be a community manager?
No. Employers hire community managers on experience and judgement. A marketing or communications degree can help with graduate schemes, but a community you have grown or moderated, with numbers and examples, is far more convincing.
How much does a community manager earn in the UK?
Junior community managers typically earn £24,000 to £32,000, experienced community managers £35,000 to £55,000, and heads of community £60,000 to £90,000 or more. Tech and gaming companies usually pay more than small brands and charities.
What is the difference between a community manager and a social media manager?
A social media manager mainly publishes content to grow an audience on public channels. A community manager focuses on conversations between members, often in owned spaces such as Discord or forums, and looks after moderation, events and member feedback. The roles overlap at smaller companies.
Related careers
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