United Kingdom · Compliance, quality and safety · Senior (5-8 years)

Senior Health and Safety Officer

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

Free to start: a plan built for this role, and a Future Fluency module to try first. No card.

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Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

Also at another level: the Health and Safety Officer job description.

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  • Experience bandSenior (5-8 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toHealth and Safety Manager
  • UK framework levelUsually a professional owning their own work, or leading a small team

Also advertised as Senior H&S Advisor · H&S Specialist · Compliance & Safety Lead

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Qualifi Level 5 Extended Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Qualifi Ltd · Level 5 · covers 2 of 10 standards
CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 2 of 10 standards
NOCN Level 5 Diploma in Electronic and Communications Engineering NOCN · Level 5 · covers 2 of 10 standards
NOCN Level 5 Diploma in Civil Engineering NOCN · Level 5 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Process Management and Review for Occupational Health and Safety Qualifi Level 5 Extended Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
Manage Health and Safety in own area of responsibility CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership
Maintain Systems and Processes for Health, Safety, Welfare and Environmental Protection in a Working Environment NOCN Level 5 Diploma in Electronic and Communications Engineering
Maintain Systems and Processes for Health, Safety, Welfare and Environmental Protection in an Engineering Environment NOCN Level 5 Diploma in Computer Engineering (Information Technology and Data Science)

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Senior Health and Safety Officer

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Process Management and Review for Occupational Health and Safety Qualifi Ltd · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 5
  2. Manage Health and Safety in own area of responsibility Chartered Management Institute · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 5
  3. Maintain Systems and Processes for Health, Safety, Welfare and Environmental Protection in a Working Environment NOCN · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 5
  4. Maintain Systems and Processes for Health, Safety, Welfare and Environmental Protection in an Engineering Environment NOCN · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Senior Health and Safety Officer?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Advanced Behavioural Psychology for Safety
  • Ethical AI & Data Governance in H&S
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Senior Health and Safety Officer plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

3What this role really is

A Senior Health and Safety Officer makes sure everyone goes home safe at the end of their shift. You'll answer tricky safety questions, lead investigations when things go wrong, and help build a safer workplace.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

EHS Management Platform (Intelex, VelocityEHS, Cority) Advanced

Configuring new incident types, building custom dashboards, analysing trend data, training end-users on the platform, and managing complex action items.

Risk Assessment Software (BowTieXP, CGE Risk) Expert

Building complex risk models (e.g., BowTie diagrams) from scratch, facilitating HAZOP/FMEA sessions using the software, and validating control effectiveness.

Data Analytics & Visualisation (Power BI, Tableau) Advanced

Developing interactive dashboards combining leading and lagging indicators, using DAX/calculated fields for deeper analysis of safety performance.

Regulatory Tracking (Enhesa, Libryo) Advanced

Proactively tracking upcoming legislative changes, performing gap analyses against current procedures, and managing the Management of Change (MOC) process for compliance updates.

Training & LMS (iHASCO, SAP Litmos) Advanced

Developing custom e-learning content, evaluating training effectiveness, and managing the overall safety training matrix for your site or region.

Collaboration & Docs (MS Teams, SharePoint, Confluence) Advanced

Designing SharePoint sites for H&S document management, creating automated workflows (e.g., for SOP reviews), and championing best practices for information sharing.

Office Suite (Excel - PivotTables, Power Query) Expert

Using PivotTables and Power Query to analyse large incident datasets, building complex investigation timelines, and creating sophisticated tracking dashboards for H&S metrics.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Incident Investigation Methodology Follows prescribed methodology (e.g., 5 Whys), escalates complex incidents. Chooses appropriate methodology for routine incidents, consults on complex ones. Selects and leads the application of advanced methodologies (e.g., TapRooT®, SCAT) for significant incidents, justifies choice to management.
New Safety Procedure Design Contributes to drafting sections of procedures based on templates. Drafts and revises procedures for specific tasks, seeks approval from manager. Designs and develops entirely new safety procedures or programmes from concept to implementation, consulting with stakeholders and gaining final approval from H&S Manager.
Risk Control Selection Identifies controls from a pre-defined list, applies PPE as directed. Proposes controls from the hierarchy, focusing on administrative and PPE, seeks approval. Strategically applies the hierarchy of controls (pushing for elimination/substitution/engineering solutions), justifies cost/benefit to management, makes technical decisions on control effectiveness.
Mentorship & Training Receives training and mentorship. Delivers basic toolbox talks, informally guides new starters. Formally mentors 0-2 junior H&S staff, develops custom training content, evaluates training effectiveness for specific programmes.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Near-Miss Reporting Rate Increase
The percentage increase in reported near-misses and good catches year-on-year.
Target · Increase by 25% year-over-year

If we had 100 near-misses reported last year, we're aiming for at least 125 this year. This shows people feel safe reporting, which is a leading indicator of a healthy safety culture.

Critical Incident Investigation Closure Rate
Percentage of high-severity incidents (e.g., those requiring formal RCA) where the investigation is completed, root causes identified, and corrective actions initiated within agreed timescales (typically 30 days).
Target · 95% completion within 30 days

Out of 10 significant incidents in Q2, 9 investigations were fully closed with actions assigned within the month. The one outstanding was due to external lab analysis delays, which was clearly documented.

New Safety Programme Implementation Success
Successful launch and adoption rate of new safety initiatives or procedural changes you've led (e.g., a new JSA process, revised MOC procedure).
Target · 90% adoption and compliance within 3 months of launch

After rolling out the new contractor induction programme, 92% of new contractors completed it within their first week, and audit checks showed consistent application of the new JSA forms.

Audit Finding Resolution Rate
Percentage of internal or external audit findings (non-conformances or observations) for which you are responsible that are closed out by their agreed due date.
Target · 98% resolution by due date

During the last ISO 45001 audit, 15 findings were raised. You were assigned 7, and all 7 were closed out and verified by the audit team before the deadline.

Quality of Root Cause Analysis
The depth and effectiveness of incident investigations you lead, moving beyond superficial causes to identify systemic issues.
  • Feedback from management on investigation reports
  • corrective actions address underlying system failures, not just individual blame
  • repeat incidents of the same type are genuinely reduced
  • you're often asked to lead the most complex investigations.
Stakeholder Buy-in & Influence
Your ability to persuade and influence operational teams and management to adopt safer practices, even when there's initial resistance.
  • Operational leaders proactively seeking your advice before making changes
  • positive feedback from production supervisors on your approach
  • new safety initiatives are adopted with genuine enthusiasm, not just grudging compliance
  • you get invited to early planning meetings for new projects.
Mentorship Effectiveness
Your contribution to the development and growth of junior H&S colleagues.
  • Junior team members consistently seek your guidance
  • positive feedback from mentees in their performance reviews
  • junior staff demonstrating increased confidence and capability after working with you
  • you're seen as a trusted resource for tricky problems.
Proactive Risk Identification
Your knack for spotting potential hazards and systemic weaknesses before they lead to an incident, and then proposing effective controls.
  • You regularly bring forward new, previously unrecognised risks for discussion
  • your risk assessments are comprehensive and identify controls beyond just PPE
  • you're often the first to flag a potential issue with a new piece of equipment or process change.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Making a Tangible Difference

You'll feel a real sense of accomplishment when you see a safety improvement you championed being used, or when an incident is prevented because of a procedure you helped put in place. It's about knowing your work genuinely protects people.

Seeing a new machine guarding system you designed prevent a potential hand injury, or getting positive feedback from a worker who feels safer because of a new training module you developed.

Solving Complex Problems

If you enjoy unpicking complicated situations, figuring out why something went wrong, and then designing a solution that addresses the real underlying issues, you'll love the incident investigation and risk assessment aspects of this role. It's like being a detective for safety.

Leading a multi-faceted incident investigation, piecing together witness statements, evidence, and process flaws to pinpoint the exact root causes, and then crafting a comprehensive set of corrective actions.

Continuous Improvement & Learning

You're always looking for better ways to do things, whether it's optimising a safety procedure, improving training delivery, or staying on top of the latest regulatory changes. The world of H&S is always evolving, and you'll thrive on keeping pace.

Proactively researching new risk assessment methodologies and proposing how we could integrate them, or staying updated on emerging industry best practices and suggesting their application here.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Safety Cop' Stigma: Constantly battling the idea that you're there to stop work and write people up, rather than enable safe and productive work.
  • Production vs. Safety: The daily tension of advocating for a safety stop or a procedural change when supervisors are under immense pressure to meet production targets.
  • Blame Culture: Conducting a thorough Root Cause Analysis that points to systemic failures (e.g., poor design, inadequate training), only to have management insist on blaming the individual worker.
  • Death by Paperwork: Drowning in compliance documentation, risk assessments, and investigation reports, which keeps you chained to a desk instead of being on the floor where the risks are.
  • Engagement Apathy: Making mandatory safety training feel relevant and engaging to an audience that has 'heard it all before' and just wants to tick the box.
What this role does not give you
  • Direct managerial authority over operational teams – your influence is through expertise and persuasion.
  • A quiet, desk-bound role – you'll be out on the floor a lot, and dealing with people is central.
  • A role where every single one of your recommendations is immediately adopted without question or debate.
  • A predictable, unchanging routine – new risks and challenges pop up all the time.

8Who you work with

Your work directly impacts our operational safety, regulatory compliance, and overall employee wellbeing. You'll be instrumental in reducing workplace incidents, mitigating legal and financial risks, and fostering a strong, positive safety culture. Essentially, you're helping us protect our people and our business.

Inside the business
  • Operations Leadership
  • Engineering & Maintenance Teams
  • HR Business Partners
  • Site Managers
  • Production Supervisors
  • Procurement
Outside the business
  • Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
  • External Auditors (e.g., ISO 45001)
  • Contractors & Vendors
  • Insurance Providers
  • Industry Bodies

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven experience (typically 5+ years) in a dedicated Health and Safety role, ideally within a manufacturing, logistics, or similar operational environment.
  • Demonstrable experience leading complex incident investigations and applying recognised root cause analysis techniques.
  • Solid track record of designing, implementing, and improving safety procedures or programmes.
  • Ability to interpret and apply UK health and safety legislation to practical workplace scenarios.
  • Experience with formal risk assessment methodologies (e.g., JSA, HAZOP, FMEA).
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence at all levels of an organisation.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

IoT & Sensor Integration for Proactive Monitoring

The ability to integrate data from IoT devices (wearables, environmental sensors, machine telemetry) into our EHS platforms will be crucial within the next 12 months. This shifts us from reactive reporting to real-time, predictive hazard detection.

Real-time Hazard Detection · Wearable Technology for Worker Safety · Data Stream Processing · Alert & Notification Systems

  • This month: Research current IoT safety solutions in our industry sector.
  • Month 2: Identify one area in our operations where a sensor-based solution could significantly improve safety.
  • Month 3: Work with Engineering/IT to understand data integration capabilities for a potential pilot.
  • Month 4: Develop a business case for a small-scale IoT safety pilot project.

Quick win: Start by exploring existing machine telemetry data we already collect and think about how it could be interpreted for safety insights. Look for simple, off-the-shelf sensor solutions that could solve a known problem.

Advanced Data Storytelling & Visualisation

It's not enough to just have data; you need to tell a compelling story with it. Within 6 months, being able to create highly impactful, interactive visualisations that clearly communicate complex safety trends and the 'so what' to senior leadership will be essential for driving investment and cultural change.

Dashboard Design Principles · Narrative Visualisation · Interactive Reporting · Audience-Specific Visualisation

  • This week: Take an online course on advanced Power BI or Tableau dashboard design.
  • This month: Re-design one of our existing H&S reports into a more interactive, visually compelling dashboard.
  • Month 2: Seek feedback from operational leaders on your new dashboard's clarity and usefulness.
  • Month 3: Present a complex incident analysis using only visual aids and a clear narrative.

Quick win: Start by simplifying your current charts. Use colour strategically. Add clear titles and annotations to guide the viewer. Think about the 'one key message' you want to convey with each visual.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending industry conferences and workshops (e.g., IOSH conferences, HSE events) to stay current with best practices and regulatory changes.
  • Actively participating in professional H&S networks or forums to share knowledge and learn from peers.
  • Undertaking continuous professional development (CPD) through online courses, webinars, and reading industry publications.
  • Seeking out opportunities to lead internal training sessions or mentorship programmes for junior colleagues.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Advanced Behavioural Psychology for Safety

We're moving beyond just 'telling people to be safe' to understanding the deeper psychological drivers behind risk-taking and safe behaviours. This is critical within the next 12 months if we want to truly shift culture, not just compliance.

  • Nudge Theory in Safety
  • Psychological Safety
  • Cognitive Biases in Risk Perception
  • Reinforcement Learning for Safety

Ethical AI & Data Governance in H&S

As we use more AI for predictive analytics and automated monitoring, understanding the ethical implications of data collection (e.g., worker surveillance) and ensuring data privacy is critical within 18 months. Getting this wrong could damage trust and lead to legal issues.

  • Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR)
  • Bias in AI Algorithms
  • Transparency & Explainability (XAI)
  • Worker Trust & Acceptance

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Incident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
  • Risk Assessment Methodologies
  • Safety Management Systems (SMS)
  • Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS)
  • Hierarchy of Controls
  • Legal & Regulatory Interpretation

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Health and Safety Officer (L2) Internally

    3-5 years as an H&S Officer

    Skills to master

    • Leading routine incident investigations, delivering effective toolbox talks, managing specific compliance tasks, and demonstrating strong stakeholder engagement.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Consistently closing out assigned actions on time and to a high standard.
    • Proactively identifying and proposing solutions for minor safety issues.
    • Being the 'go-to' person for basic H&S queries from operational teams.
    • Successfully delivering engaging and informative safety training sessions.
  2. 2

    Operational Role with H&S Specialism (e.g., Production Supervisor, Engineer)

    5-7 years in an operational role, plus 2-3 years focused H&S experience

    Skills to master

    • Deep operational knowledge, understanding of production pressures, ability to translate H&S theory into practical application, and gaining formal H&S qualifications (e.g., NEBOSH Diploma).

    You're ready to move on when

    • Demonstrable experience leading safety initiatives within an operational team.
    • Formal H&S qualification at Diploma level.
    • Proven ability to conduct initial incident investigations and risk assessments.
    • Strong credibility with frontline workers and operational management.
  3. 3

    External Senior H&S Role (from another industry)

    5-8 years in a similar senior H&S role elsewhere

    Skills to master

    • Adapting to our specific industry hazards and culture, quickly building internal relationships, and demonstrating transferable skills in incident investigation and programme management.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Proven track record of leading complex H&S projects and investigations.
    • Strong understanding of UK H&S legislation.
    • Excellent communication and influencing skills.
    • Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new operational environments.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to managing safety across a whole business, or working as an independent expert advising several organisations.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Senior Health and Safety Officer is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Process Management and Review for Occupational Health and Safety, worked against Senior Health and Safety Officer.

Process Management and Review for Occupational Health and Safety Level 5

Applied to your work in Senior Health and Safety Officer

This unit aims to equip learners with the ability to manage and review occupational health and safety processes within a workplace. Learners will explain process management principles, evaluate the efficiency of existing systems, design effective health and safety processes, and implement improvements based on monitoring data and feedback.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Senior Health and Safety Officer
  • Incident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
  • Risk Assessment Methodologies
  • Safety Management Systems (SMS)
  • Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS)
  • Hierarchy of Controls
  • Legal & Regulatory Interpretation
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Senior Health and Safety Officer is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Lead H&S Specialist / H&S Business Partner (L4)

    3-5 years in a Senior H&S Officer role

    This is a significant step up, moving from owning workstreams to managing complex H&S programmes and acting as a subject matter expert for an entire business unit.

    • H&S Strategy Definition Contributing to and shaping the H&S strategy for a business unit.
    • Enterprise Risk Integration Understanding how H&S risks fit into broader enterprise risk management.
    • Vendor & Contractor Management (strategic) Managing relationships with key H&S vendors and contractors.
    • Crisis Management Leadership Leading H&S aspects of major crisis response.
  2. Health and Safety Manager (L5)

    4-6 years in a Senior H&S Officer role (or Lead H&S Specialist)

    This path is about moving into direct management, overseeing a team and taking accountability for the entire H&S function for a site or region.

    • Site/Regional H&S Strategy Defining and executing the H&S strategy for a specific operational area.
    • Compliance Assurance Ensuring complete regulatory compliance across a defined scope.
    • Emergency Response Planning (strategic) Overseeing the development and testing of site-wide emergency plans.
    • Contractor Management (strategic) Developing and managing the framework for contractor safety across the site/region.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be honest, the world of Health & Safety involves a lot of paperwork, data crunching, and communication. What if you could cut down on the tedious bits and focus on what really matters: preventing incidents and building a safer culture? Our AI Productivity Hub is designed to do just that.

For a Senior Health and Safety Officer, AI isn't about replacing your expertise; it's about giving you superpowers. Think about it: less time on routine tasks means more time for deep investigations, strategic planning, and hands-on engagement with our teams. It's a game-changer for how you'll approach your day-to-day.

Automated Report & Form Analysis

Use AI with Natural Language Processing (NLP) to scan and digitise handwritten safety observation cards or inspection forms. The AI can automatically identify keywords, assign risk levels, and even create initial action items directly in our EHS platform. No more manually typing up hundreds of forms!

Predictive Risk Hot-Spotting

Imagine machine learning models analysing historical incident data, work schedules, and operational tempo to predict high-risk 'hot-spots' – specific areas, times, or tasks – before an incident occurs. This means you can proactively allocate resources, conduct targeted inspections, or deliver specific toolbox talks exactly where they're needed most.

Regulatory Intelligence Briefings

An AI agent can monitor global regulatory bodies for new legislation or changes to existing standards. It'll provide you with daily or weekly summaries of relevant changes, perform an initial impact analysis, and highlight exactly which of our procedures might need review. No more sifting through endless legal documents yourself.

Instant Safety Communication Drafts

Need to quickly put together a toolbox talk, a safety alert, or an email about a new procedure? Just give the AI a prompt, like: 'Based on our recent incident involving a hand injury from improper machine guarding, draft a 5-minute toolbox talk for frontline manufacturing staff emphasising lockout-tagout procedures.' You'll get a solid first draft in seconds, ready for your expert review.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Senior Health and Safety Officer?

Common routes in include Health and Safety Officer Internally (3-5 years as an H&S Officer), Operational Role with H&S Specialism (e.g., Production Supervisor, Engineer) (5-7 years in an operational role, plus 2-3 years focused H&S experience) and External Senior H&S Role (from another industry) (5-8 years in a similar senior H&S role elsewhere). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Senior Health and Safety Officer progress to?

This role can lead on to Lead H&S Specialist / H&S Business Partner (3-5 years in a Senior H&S Officer role) and Health and Safety Manager (4-6 years in a Senior H&S Officer role (or Lead H&S Specialist)), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Senior Health and Safety Officer?

Increasingly, Advanced Behavioural Psychology for Safety and Ethical AI & Data Governance in H&S. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 4

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

This job at other levels
More jobs in compliance, quality and safety

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills built in this role transfer well across industries such as construction, oil and gas, and pharmaceuticals. Some move into regulatory bodies, applying their expertise in a different setting.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Senior Health and Safety Officer plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.