UK

United Kingdom · Marketing · Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Digital Marketing Specialist

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.

Start my Digital Marketing Specialist plan, free

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 Senior Digital Marketing Specialist job description.

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  • Experience bandMid-Level (2-5 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toSenior Digital Marketing Specialist
  • UK framework levelUsually a coordinator, or early in a professional job

Also advertised as Marketing Campaign Executive · Paid Media Specialist · SEO & Content Executive · Performance Marketing Executive

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

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

OCNLR Level 4 Diploma in Digital Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 4 of 10 standards
ATHE Level 4 Extended Diploma in Digital Marketing ATHE Ltd · Level 4 · covers 3 of 10 standards
OCNLR Level 4 Certificate in Digital Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 2 of 10 standards
City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Digital Marketing City & Guilds Limited · Level 3 · covers 2 of 10 standards
OCNLR Level 4 Award in Digital Marketing Planning OCN London · Level 4 · covers 1 of 10 standards
Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Marketing Management for England Pearson Education Ltd · Level 4 · 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

Social Media Marketing OCNLR Level 4 Diploma in Digital Marketing
Content Marketing ATHE Level 4 Extended Diploma in Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing Planning OCNLR Level 4 Certificate in Digital Marketing
Managing Marketing and Digital Communications Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Marketing Management for England

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture
Start my Digital Marketing Specialist plan, free
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Digital Marketing Specialist

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

  1. Social Media Marketing OCN London · covers 4 of 10 standards Level 4
  2. Content Marketing ATHE Ltd · covers 3 of 10 standards Level 4
  3. Digital Marketing Planning OCN London · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 4
  4. Managing Marketing and Digital Communications Pearson Education Ltd · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 4
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 Digital Marketing Specialist?

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

  • Prompt Engineering for Marketing Content
  • Basic Data Visualisation & Storytelling
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 Digital Marketing Specialist 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.

Start my Digital Marketing Specialist plan, free Ready to pay? Subscribe for £70 a month

3What this role really is

A digital marketing specialist runs digital campaigns and checks daily that they are working. You set them up, track them, and adjust them to get a decent return on spend.

4What you'd actually use

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

HubSpot (Marketing Hub) Intermediate

Managing contact lists, building and deploying email campaigns, setting up basic lead nurturing workflows, creating landing pages and forms, and pulling standard marketing reports.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Intermediate

Pulling standard reports (traffic sources, user engagement, conversions), setting up basic event tracking with guidance, creating simple dashboards in Looker Studio, and analysing campaign performance.

SEMrush Intermediate

Conducting keyword research, performing site audits to identify SEO issues, tracking keyword rankings, and doing basic competitor analysis to spot opportunities.

Google Ads Intermediate

Launching and managing Search & Performance Max campaigns, performing daily bid adjustments, monitoring keyword performance, and optimising ad copy and creatives.

Meta Ads Manager (Facebook/Instagram) Intermediate

Setting up and managing campaigns, defining audience targeting, optimising ad sets, and analysing performance metrics for social media advertising.

Sprout Social Intermediate

Scheduling posts across multiple social platforms, monitoring mentions, responding to comments and messages, and pulling basic engagement reports.

Asana (or similar PM tool) Intermediate

Managing your personal tasks within larger marketing projects, updating task statuses, attaching completed work, and collaborating with team members on campaign timelines.

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
Campaign Budget Allocation (within existing budget) Escalate all budget decisions to supervisor. Adjust daily spend within ±10% of campaign budget. Any larger shifts (up to £500) require manager approval. Propose budget reallocations for manager review. Approve budget shifts up to £5K within a programme. Recommend larger reallocations to Director.
Campaign Optimisation (bids, targeting, ad copy) Propose optimisations to supervisor for review and approval. Independently execute routine optimisations. Consult manager on significant changes (e.g., removing a major audience segment). Lead and approve all optimisations within assigned workstreams. Mentor junior staff on best practices.
New Tool/Vendor Selection Research and present options to supervisor. Research and propose specific tools/vendors, outlining pros/cons and costs, for manager approval. Recommend and justify new tools/vendors up to £5K annual spend for Director approval. Lead implementation.
Campaign Launch & Go-Live Supervisor reviews and approves all campaign launches. Independently launch standard campaigns after manager review of key settings (e.g., budget, targeting, tracking). Approve and oversee launches of complex, multi-channel campaigns. Ensure all tracking and compliance are in place.

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.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
The average cost to acquire a new customer or lead through your campaigns.
Target · Maintain CPA below £75 for leads, £300 for customers (varies by product)

If you spend £750 on a campaign and get 10 new leads, your CPA is £75. We'd expect you to identify why it's above target and propose optimisations.

Return On Ad Spend (ROAS)
The revenue generated for every pound spent on advertising.
Target · Achieve a minimum ROAS of 3:1 for all paid campaigns

If a campaign costs £1,000 and directly generates £3,500 in sales, that's a 3.5:1 ROAS. We're looking for you to consistently hit or exceed this.

Organic Search Traffic Growth
The increase in non-paid visitors coming to our website from search engines.
Target · Increase organic traffic by 10-15% quarter-over-quarter for assigned content clusters

If a specific blog category saw 5,000 organic visits last quarter, we'd expect to see 5,500-5,750 this quarter, driven by your SEO efforts.

Conversion Rate (CVR)
The percentage of website visitors or ad clicks that complete a desired action (e.g., sign-up, download, purchase).
Target · Improve landing page CVR by 5-10% through A/B testing and optimisation

If a landing page converts 2% of its visitors, we'd expect your changes to push that to 2.1-2.2% within a month or two.

Campaign Optimisation & Adaptability
Your ability to react to real-time campaign performance, market changes, or new insights and adjust your approach quickly.
  • You'll proactively identify underperforming ads or keywords and make changes without being prompted. You'll suggest new targeting options based on emerging trends. When a campaign isn't working, you're the first to dig into the data and come up with a fix, not just report the bad news.
Cross-Team Collaboration
How effectively you work with other teams, especially Content and Sales, to ensure campaigns are well-supported and leads are followed up on.
  • You'll regularly check in with Content on upcoming assets and provide feedback on what's resonating. You'll share insights with Sales about lead quality and ask for their feedback. Other teams will tell us you're easy to work with and contribute positively to discussions.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Your approach to using data from analytics platforms to inform your campaign decisions, rather than just gut feelings.
  • When asked 'why did you do that?', you'll have specific data points and insights to back up your choices. You'll present clear findings from A/B tests and explain what they mean for future campaigns. You're not afraid to admit when data proves your initial hypothesis wrong.

7Would you like it

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

What people enjoy
Direct Impact & Tangible Results

You love seeing the numbers move because of your work—a higher conversion rate, lower CPA, more organic traffic. You're driven by the direct feedback loop of your efforts.

You'll be checking campaign dashboards first thing in the morning, eager to see if yesterday's optimisations had an effect. You get a real buzz from hitting a ROAS target.

Continuous Learning & Skill Development

The ever-changing digital landscape excites you, not scares you. You're keen to learn new ad formats, SEO techniques, or analytics approaches.

You're always signing up for webinars, reading industry blogs, or playing around with new features in Google Ads or SEMrush, even if it's outside of work hours.

Problem Solving & Optimisation

You enjoy the challenge of figuring out why a campaign isn't performing and then systematically testing solutions to improve it.

When a campaign's CPA starts creeping up, you see it as a puzzle to solve. You'll dive into the data, hypothesise, and run A/B tests to find the sweet spot again.

What frustrates people
  • The Attribution Black Hole: Google Ads, Facebook, and your affiliate platform all claiming 100% credit for the same sale. It's a constant headache trying to get a single source of truth.
  • Death by a Thousand Last-Minute Changes: Someone from another team asking for a 'quick, urgent' tweak five minutes before a major campaign is meant to launch, which inevitably breaks three other things.
  • Worship of the HiPPO: Having your data-driven campaign strategy overruled by the 'Highest Paid Person's Opinion' (HiPPO), which is often based on a gut feeling, not actual evidence.
  • UTM Anarchy: Trying to build a coherent performance report when half the links used by other teams have missing, misspelled, or completely nonsensical UTM parameters. It's like trying to herd cats.
What this role does not give you
  • A static, predictable daily routine – expect curveballs.
  • Complete autonomy over strategic direction – you'll execute and optimise within a broader strategy.
  • A guarantee that every single campaign you launch will be a runaway success – failure is part of learning.
  • A role where you only focus on one tiny aspect of marketing – you'll be juggling a few different channels and tasks.

8Who you work with

This role directly impacts our customer acquisition efforts and overall brand visibility. Your work ensures we're spending our marketing budget effectively, bringing in qualified leads, and keeping our online presence strong. Get it right, and you're helping us grow the business. Get it wrong, and we're just burning cash with little to show for it.

Inside the business
  • Senior Digital Marketing Specialist (your direct manager)
  • Content Marketing Team (for campaign assets)
  • Sales Team (for lead quality feedback)
  • Product Marketing (for new product launches)
Outside the business
  • Google Ads Account Managers
  • Social Media Platform Representatives (e.g., Meta)
  • SEO Tool Vendors
  • Creative Agencies (for ad visuals)

9What you need before you start

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

  • At least 2-3 years of hands-on experience managing digital marketing campaigns (paid search, social, SEO, email) in a commercial setting, not just academic projects.
  • Demonstrable experience with Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager, including setting up, optimising, and reporting on campaigns.
  • Proven ability to use Google Analytics (GA4) to extract insights and track performance.
  • A solid understanding of SEO fundamentals, including keyword research and on-page optimisation techniques.
  • Experience with a marketing automation platform like HubSpot, including building emails and managing lists.
  • A portfolio or examples of previous campaign work and the results you achieved (even if it's just screenshots and a brief explanation).
  • Strong analytical skills—you should be comfortable working with numbers and spreadsheets.

10What to practise next

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

Advanced A/B Testing & Experimentation

Simply running basic A/B tests isn't enough anymore. You'll need to understand how to design more robust experiments, interpret results with statistical significance, and build a culture of continuous optimisation. It's about moving beyond 'what works?' to 'why does it work?'

Statistical Significance · Hypothesis Formulation · Multivariate Testing · Experimentation Roadmaps

  • This month: Read up on the basics of statistical significance and how it applies to A/B testing. Don't just trust the tool's 'winner' declaration.
  • Next month: Propose a more complex A/B test for an ad creative or landing page, clearly outlining your hypothesis and how you'll measure success.
  • Month 3: Start documenting the results of all your A/B tests, not just the winners, to build a knowledge base of what works (and doesn't) for our audience.
  • Month 4: Explore tools like Optimizely or Google Optimize to understand their advanced features for experimentation.

Quick win: For your next A/B test, explicitly write down your hypothesis before you start. It sounds simple, but it forces clearer thinking and better test design.

Integrated Campaign Planning (Cross-Channel)

Customers don't experience marketing in silos. They see an ad on social, then search on Google, then get an email. You'll need to think beyond individual channels and understand how they work together to create a cohesive customer journey. It's about orchestrating, not just executing.

Customer Journey Mapping · Channel Interdependencies · Consistent Messaging · Attribution Modelling Basics

  • This month: Pick one of our recent campaigns and try to map out the customer journey across all the digital channels we used. Where did they start? Where did they go next?
  • Next month: Propose how we could improve the hand-off between two specific channels (e.g., how a social ad leads into a landing page and then an email sequence).
  • Month 3: Sit in on meetings with the Content and Product Marketing teams to understand their plans and how your channel work can support them.
  • Month 4: Research different attribution models (e.g., linear, time decay) and understand their pros and cons for our business.

Quick win: Before launching your next campaign, actively think about what the user's next step will be after they interact with your ad or content. How can you make that next step seamless?

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly follow key industry blogs and news sources (e.g., Search Engine Land, Marketing Week, Moz, PPC Hero) to stay on top of algorithm changes and new features.
  • Attend relevant webinars or virtual conferences (many are free!) to pick up new tactics and insights.
  • Participate in online communities or forums for digital marketers to share knowledge and troubleshoot problems.
  • Dedicate time each month to experimenting with new features in Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, or HubSpot – hands-on learning is often the best.

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.

Prompt Engineering for Marketing Content

AI content generation tools are getting incredibly powerful. Marketers who can write effective prompts will be able to produce high-quality ad copy, social posts, and even blog outlines much faster than those who can't. It's about getting the AI to do what you actually want.

  • Context & Constraints
  • Iterative Prompting
  • Tone & Style Guidance
  • Output Validation

Basic Data Visualisation & Storytelling

As data becomes more complex, simply presenting raw numbers isn't enough. You'll need to be able to turn those numbers into clear, compelling visual stories that help non-marketing people understand what's happening and why it matters. It's about making data accessible.

  • Audience-Centric Visuals
  • Narrative Structure
  • Tool Proficiency (Looker Studio/Power BI)
  • Avoiding 'Chart Junk'

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Performance Marketing Analytics
  • Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) Principles
  • SEO/SEM Fundamentals
  • Content Marketing Funnels (TOFU/MOFU/BOFU)
  • Customer Segmentation & Personalisation Basics

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

    Junior Digital Marketing Specialist / Executive

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Basic campaign setup, reporting, content scheduling, understanding of core metrics (CTR, CPC), and following checklists diligently. Essentially, learning the ropes and executing tasks with supervision.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Can independently launch a simple campaign with minimal errors.
    • Consistently hits basic performance targets (e.g., budget pacing, response times).
    • Proactively asks clarifying questions and takes notes during training.
    • Demonstrates a keen interest in learning new digital marketing techniques.
  2. 2

    Marketing Assistant (with digital focus)

    2-3 years

    Skills to master

    • Content creation support, social media management, email list management, basic website updates, and an understanding of how digital activities contribute to broader marketing goals. More generalist, but with a digital leaning.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Has managed social media channels or email campaigns with measurable results.
    • Can articulate how their digital tasks support overall marketing objectives.
    • Shows initiative in suggesting digital improvements or new content ideas.
    • Proficient in at least 2-3 core digital marketing tools.
  3. 3

    Agency Account Executive (digital campaigns)

    2-4 years

    Skills to master

    • Client communication, managing multiple client campaigns, understanding different industry nuances, and delivering against client KPIs. Often involves a broader range of digital channels and faster pace.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed multiple client campaigns simultaneously, hitting targets.
    • Strong communication skills, able to explain complex digital concepts simply.
    • Experience across various digital channels (e.g., SEO, PPC, Social).
    • Proven ability to adapt to new industries and client requirements quickly.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to a strategic role such as lead digital marketing strategist, or a technical path such as marketing automation architect.

16Pay and demand

Pay & demand

Typical pay £33,412 a year Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 (provisional), under the Open Government Licence v3.0

The figure is the median for full-time employees in the ONS occupation this job title codes to (Marketing associate professionals), from the April 2025 survey, about six months old when published, as ASHE always is. It is that occupation's middle, not this role's. Half earn more.

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 Digital Marketing Specialist is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

Also named as a next step, with no page in the catalogue yet:

  • Digital Marketing Manager (IC path equivalent)

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 Social Media Marketing, worked against Digital Marketing Specialist.

Social Media Marketing Level 4

Applied to your work in Digital Marketing Specialist

The objective of this unit is to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilise social media for marketing purposes. Learners will understand the role of social media in marketing, identify different platforms and their target audiences, develop social media marketing strategies, create engaging content, manage online communities, and analyse campaign performance.

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.

Start my Digital Marketing Specialist plan, free
See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Digital Marketing Specialist
  • Performance Marketing Analytics
  • Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) Principles
  • SEO/SEM Fundamentals
  • Content Marketing Funnels (TOFU/MOFU/BOFU)
  • Customer Segmentation & Personalisation Basics
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.

17The 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

Digital Marketing Specialist is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Senior Digital Marketing Specialist

    2-3 years

    Level 3 (Senior)

    • Multi-channel Campaign Strategy Designing integrated campaigns across several channels.
    • Advanced Attribution Modelling Understanding and applying more complex models beyond last-click.
    • CRO Experiment Design Leading the design and analysis of sophisticated A/B tests.
    • Budget Management & Forecasting Taking more ownership of larger campaign budgets and predicting performance.

  2. Digital Marketing Manager (IC path equivalent)

    3-5 years

    Level 4 (Lead/Staff)

    • Digital Strategy Development Creating comprehensive digital strategies for specific products or business units.
    • Advanced Analytics & Reporting Building complex dashboards and presenting insights to leadership.
    • Technical SEO Auditing Performing in-depth technical SEO audits and providing actionable recommendations.
    • Marketing Automation Architecture Designing and optimising complex lead nurturing workflows and customer journeys.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be honest, digital marketing can be a bit of a grind sometimes. Repetitive tasks, endless data analysis, and constantly trying to come up with fresh ideas. But here's the thing: AI isn't here to replace you; it's here to make you incredibly efficient. Think of it as your personal marketing assistant, handling the tedious stuff so you can focus on the strategic, creative, and truly impactful work.

In this role, you'll be expected to get really good at using AI tools to supercharge your daily tasks. We're not talking about some far-off future tech; these are tools you can start using today to save hours, generate better ideas, and get deeper insights faster. It's about working smarter, not just harder, and frankly, it's becoming a non-negotiable skill in modern marketing.

Ad Copy Multiplier

Use AI tools like Jasper or Copy.ai to generate dozens of headline and description variations for your Google Ads and social media campaigns in minutes. You can feed the AI your top-performing copy and ask it to create new angles, tones, and calls-to-action for rapid A/B testing. This saves you hours of brainstorming and writing.

Insight Detective

Connect AI analysis tools (like ChatGPT's Code Interpreter or similar) to your raw GA4 export data. Ask it to 'identify the top 3 user segments with the highest conversion rates' or 'find anomalies in last week's traffic data'. It'll surface insights that would take you hours of manual filtering and pivot-table creation, letting you focus on action, not just data crunching.

SEO Content Architect

Accelerate your keyword research and content briefing using AI. Ask tools like SurferSEO or ChatGPT to 'generate 20 long-tail keywords related to B2B lead nurturing' or 'create a detailed content outline for a blog post targeting 'how to calculate ROAS', including FAQs'. This dramatically cuts down on the initial research phase for new content.

Executive Summary Bot

Paste your raw weekly performance data (clicks, spend, conversions, etc.) into an AI model and prompt it to 'write a 3-bullet executive summary for a non-marketing audience, focusing on key trends and the 'so what' for the business'. This instantly translates tactical data into strategic insights, saving you time on reporting and making your updates clearer.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Digital Marketing Specialist?

Common routes in include Junior Digital Marketing Specialist / Executive (1-2 years), Marketing Assistant (with digital focus) (2-3 years) and Agency Account Executive (digital campaigns) (2-4 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Digital Marketing Specialist progress to?

This role can lead on to Senior Digital Marketing Specialist (2-3 years) and Digital Marketing Manager (IC path equivalent) (3-5 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Digital Marketing Specialist?

Increasingly, Prompt Engineering for Marketing Content and Basic Data Visualisation & Storytelling. 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.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

Or try another one

18Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 3

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 marketing

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills involved apply across industries. Campaign optimisation, data analysis and channel management work the same whether the sector is tech, e-commerce or a non-profit.

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 Digital Marketing Specialist 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.