United Kingdom · Property and facilities · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Workplace Designer Manager

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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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.

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  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports10-25 reports
  • Reports toDirector of Workplace Experience
  • UK framework levelUsually someone running a function, or a director

Also advertised as Principal Workplace Strategist · Head of Workplace Design · Senior Manager, Real Estate & Workplace

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

IWFM Extended Level 6 Diploma in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 6 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 6 Certificate in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 6 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 7 Extended Diploma in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 7 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 6 Diploma in Workplace Leadership, Insight and Change Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 6 · covers 1 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 5 Certificate in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 5 · covers 3 of 10 standards
IWFM Level 5 Award in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · Level 5 · covers 3 of 10 standards

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

The units you would start with

Strategic facilities management support services operations IWFM Extended Level 6 Diploma in Facilities Management
Managing Staff and Customers in Facilities Management IWFM Level 7 Extended Diploma in Facilities Management
Creating better workspaces IWFM Level 6 Diploma in Workplace Leadership, Insight and Change
Space management for facilities managers IWFM Level 5 Certificate in Facilities Management

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
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Workplace Designer Manager

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

  1. Strategic facilities management support services operations Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 6
  2. Managing Staff and Customers in Facilities Management Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 7
  3. Creating better workspaces Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 6
  4. Space management for facilities managers Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management · covers 3 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 Workplace Designer Manager?

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

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • AI-Driven Strategic Foresight
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 Workplace Designer Manager 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 workplace designer manager plans how offices and other work spaces support people and business goals. The role covers strategy for a region or business unit, and makes sure spaces are productive, healthy and cost effective. It involves turning business objectives into working environments.

4What you'd actually use

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

IWMS (Integrated Workplace Management Systems) - Planon, Archibus, iOFFICE Architect

Leading the selection, implementation, and ongoing optimisation of our IWMS platform. You'll be integrating it with HRIS (like Workday) and financial systems to create a single source of truth for all space data, driving strategic decisions.

Data Analytics & Business Intelligence - Power BI, Tableau, advanced Excel Strategic

Using predictive analytics to forecast future space needs, integrating workplace data into broader business intelligence platforms, and building executive-level dashboards that clearly communicate portfolio performance and strategic recommendations.

CAD & BIM Software - Autodesk AutoCAD, Revit Strategic

Defining enterprise-wide BIM/CAD standards and protocols for your region, evaluating new design technologies for portfolio-wide adoption, and ensuring your team uses these tools efficiently and consistently.

3D Visualisation & Immersive Tech - SketchUp, Enscape, V-Ray, VR/AR platforms Strategic

Developing and overseeing the creation of high-impact VR/AR walkthrough experiences for executive decision-making and virtual site tours, showcasing future workplace concepts in a compelling way.

Financial Planning & Modelling - Anaplan, Oracle EPM, advanced Excel Advanced

Partnering closely with Finance to model Total Cost of Occupancy (TCO) scenarios, capital expenditure plans, and ROI analyses for major real estate projects. You'll be building board-level business cases that justify significant investments.

Collaboration & Project Management - Miro, Asana, MS Teams, SharePoint Strategic

Establishing the collaboration tech stack and best practices for your entire design and projects team, ensuring seamless communication, efficient project tracking, and effective knowledge sharing across all initiatives.

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
Project Budget Approval No authority. Escalate all budget requests to supervisor. Can propose budgets up to £5K for review. Needs manager approval for all spending. Approves project budgets up to £50K. Consults Director for anything above £50K, but often leads the proposal.
Vendor Selection & Contract Signing Researches potential vendors. Supervisor makes the final choice. Recommends preferred vendors based on criteria. Manager approves. Selects vendors for projects up to £25K. Negotiates terms. Director signs off.
Hiring & Team Structure Changes No involvement. Participates in interviews for junior roles. Provides feedback. Leads interviews for junior/mid roles. Recommends hires. Proposes minor team adjustments.
Workplace Design Standards & Policy Follows existing standards. Reports any issues. Applies standards to projects. Proposes minor improvements. Develops and implements new design guidelines for specific project types. Recommends updates to broader standards.

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.

Portfolio Optimisation & Cost Savings
The amount of money saved or avoided through smart real estate decisions, like consolidating space, densification, or disposing of underperforming assets.
Target · Achieve £500K - £2M in annualised real estate cost savings for your assigned region/business unit.

Identifying three underutilised floors in our London office and implementing a strategy to consolidate teams, saving £750K in rent and service charges over 18 months.

Space Utilisation Rate
How effectively our desks, meeting rooms, and common areas are actually being used, based on sensor data and booking systems.
Target · Maintain or improve average desk utilisation to 65-75% and meeting room utilisation to 50-60% across your portfolio.

After a new design, our Manchester office's desk utilisation went from 55% to 70%, meaning we're getting more out of our existing space and delaying the need for expansion.

Employee Workplace Satisfaction (EWS) Scores
Feedback from employee surveys (e.g., Leesman Index, internal pulse surveys) specifically related to the physical workplace, comfort, and functionality.
Target · Increase EWS scores by 10-15 percentage points post-project implementation, or maintain scores above 75% for established sites.

Our post-occupancy survey for the new Birmingham hub showed a 12% jump in employee satisfaction with collaboration zones and quiet areas, directly attributable to your team's design.

Project Delivery: On-Time & On-Budget
The percentage of major workplace projects (renovations, new fit-outs) delivered within the agreed timeline and budget parameters.
Target · Deliver 90%+ of projects on time and within +/- 5% of the approved budget.

Successfully completed the new Edinburgh office fit-out two weeks ahead of schedule and £25K under its £1.2M budget.

Strategic Influence & Buy-in
How well you get senior leaders and business unit heads to understand, support, and adopt your workplace strategies and design principles.
  • You're regularly invited to executive planning meetings, your team's proposals are adopted without significant resistance, and other departments actively seek your input on their space-related challenges. People genuinely trust your recommendations, not just tolerate them.
Team Development & Leadership
Your ability to build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of workplace professionals, fostering their growth and ensuring they feel supported.
  • Your direct reports consistently meet their objectives, internal feedback from your team is overwhelmingly positive (e.g., engagement surveys), and you've successfully promoted or developed at least two team members into more senior roles within the last two years. People want to work for you.
Innovation & Best Practice Adoption
The extent to which your team researches, pilots, and successfully integrates new workplace trends, technologies, and sustainable design practices.
  • You've successfully launched at least one pilot programme for a new workplace concept (e.g., AI-driven booking system, biophilic design elements), and your team regularly shares insights and learnings with the wider Real Estate & Facilities Management department, positioning us as thought leaders.

7Would you like it

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

What people enjoy
Making a Tangible Impact on People's Work Lives

You'll get a real buzz from walking into a newly designed office and seeing people genuinely thriving, collaborating easily, or finding quiet focus. You're driven by the idea that your work directly improves productivity and well-being.

Receiving feedback from an employee survey that the new 'focus pods' your team designed have significantly reduced distractions and improved concentration for deep work.

Leading and Developing a High-Performing Team

You love the challenge of guiding your team, helping them grow their skills, and seeing them deliver excellent work. Mentoring junior managers and strategists is a key part of your satisfaction.

One of your direct reports successfully leads a complex regional project from concept to completion, and you know your guidance was key to their success.

Solving Complex Organisational & Strategic Puzzles

The idea of taking a messy, multi-faceted problem—like 'how do we reduce our real estate footprint while supporting hybrid work?'—and breaking it down into a clear, actionable strategy really excites you. You enjoy the intellectual challenge of balancing competing demands.

Developing a new global workplace standard that successfully balances local cultural needs with corporate brand identity and cost efficiency.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Swoop and Poop' executive who parachutes in late in the game with subjective, disruptive feedback.
  • Having to justify the strategic value of design to stakeholders who still think your job is just picking pretty colours and chairs.
  • Dealing with legacy systems or IT constraints that limit innovative design solutions.
  • The constant battle between cost-saving mandates from Finance and employee experience demands from HR.
  • Seeing your well-researched change management plans ignored, leading to employee backlash against new spaces.
What this role does not give you
  • A purely hands-on design role; you're leading, not always drawing.
  • Complete autonomy without any need for stakeholder buy-in or compromise.
  • A static environment where strategies, budgets, or headcount projections never change.
  • The ability to avoid all political manoeuvring or difficult conversations with senior leaders.

8Who you work with

Your decisions here directly influence how hundreds, if not thousands, of our employees experience their workday. You'll shape our real estate footprint, impacting everything from operational costs (we're talking millions here) to employee retention and overall business productivity. Essentially, you're a key player in making sure our physical environment is a competitive advantage, not a liability.

Inside the business
  • SVP of People & Culture (for employee experience and policy alignment)
  • Regional Business Unit Leads (your primary internal 'clients')
  • Finance Leadership (for budget approvals and cost optimisation)
  • IT Infrastructure Team (for technology integration and network planning)
  • Legal & Compliance (for health, safety, and regulatory adherence)
  • Procurement (for vendor selection and contract negotiation)
Outside the business
  • Architectural & Design Firms (our external partners)
  • Construction & Project Management Companies (who build the spaces)
  • Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E) Suppliers
  • Real Estate Brokers & Landlords (for new leases or renewals)
  • Industry Bodies & Associations (for best practices and networking)

9What you need before you start

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

  • Proven experience (12+ years) in strategic workplace design, real estate management, or a related field, with a significant portion of that time in a leadership or managerial capacity.
  • Demonstrable experience leading and developing a team of design or strategy professionals, including performance management and career growth.
  • A strong portfolio of successfully delivered large-scale workplace projects, demonstrating strategic impact and positive business outcomes.
  • Experience managing significant budgets (ideally £500K+) and a clear understanding of financial modelling and ROI for real estate investments.
  • Exceptional ability to influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders, including C-suite executives, to drive strategic initiatives.
  • Deep expertise in at least two major IWMS platforms and advanced proficiency in data analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) for strategic decision-making.

10What to practise next

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

Digital Twin & Metaverse Integration Strategy

Digital twins (virtual replicas of physical buildings) are moving beyond concept to reality, offering real-time data for operations, predictive maintenance, and immersive design reviews. The 'metaverse' offers new ways to collaborate and visualise spaces.

Real-time Data Visualisation · Immersive Design Review · Predictive Maintenance & Operations

  • This quarter: Research leading digital twin platforms and their application in commercial real estate. Understand their core functionalities.
  • Next 6 months: Identify a pilot project within your portfolio where a digital twin could offer significant value (e.g., a new build or major renovation).
  • Next 12 months: Develop a business case for integrating digital twin technology into our long-term real estate strategy, outlining benefits and costs.
  • Ongoing: Encourage your team to experiment with VR/AR tools for design visualisation and stakeholder engagement.

Quick win: Explore platforms like Matterport or OpenSpace to create 3D scans of existing spaces. It's a simple step towards understanding digital representation.

Advanced Sustainability & Circular Economy Design

Net-zero commitments and increasing environmental regulations mean that sustainability isn't just a 'nice to have' but a core strategic imperative for real estate. Circular economy principles reduce waste and improve resource efficiency.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Materials · Carbon Footprint Calculation for Buildings · Design for Disassembly & Reusability

  • This quarter: Review our company's current sustainability goals and how they relate to real estate. Identify any gaps.
  • Next 6 months: Partner with Procurement to explore new sustainable material suppliers and circular economy furniture options.
  • Next 12 months: Develop a clear roadmap for integrating advanced sustainability metrics and circular economy principles into all major projects within your region.
  • Ongoing: Champion sustainable practices within your team and with external partners, making it a core part of our design philosophy.

Quick win: Update your team's material library to prioritise suppliers with strong environmental product declarations (EPDs) and certifications.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending industry conferences and workshops (e.g., CoreNet Global, Workplace Trends, IFMA World Workplace) to stay abreast of emerging trends and network with peers.
  • Subscribing to leading industry publications and research journals (e.g., Journal of Corporate Real Estate, Harvard Business Review on Work) to deepen strategic insights.
  • Actively participating in professional associations and special interest groups related to workplace design, real estate, or facilities management.
  • Seeking out opportunities to mentor junior professionals within the field, as teaching often solidifies your own understanding and broadens your perspective.
  • Undertaking executive education programmes in leadership, finance for non-financial managers, or change management to enhance your strategic toolkit.

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.

AI-Driven Strategic Foresight

The ability to use AI to predict future trends, model complex scenarios, and identify emerging risks or opportunities in real estate and workplace design is becoming critical. It's about proactive strategy, not reactive planning.

  • Generative AI for Scenario Planning
  • Predictive Analytics for Workforce Mobility
  • Ethical AI in Workplace Data

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Activity-Based Working (ABW) & Agile Workplace Strategy
  • Large-Scale Change Management Programmes
  • Portfolio-Level Space Programming & Adjacency Analysis
  • Predictive Space Utilisation Analysis
  • Ergonomics & Universal Design Principles (Strategic Application)
  • WELL & LEED Building Standards Integration

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

    From Senior Workplace Designer (L3)

    Roughly 5-7 years as a Senior Designer, demonstrating leadership on complex projects and informal mentorship.

    Skills to master

    • Moving from leading projects to leading people, strategic financial oversight, cross-functional influence beyond project teams, and developing a portfolio-level perspective.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led multiple high-impact projects from concept to completion, managing all stakeholders.
    • Actively mentored junior designers and contributed to team best practices.
    • Demonstrated ability to present to and influence senior leadership on design concepts and project outcomes.
    • Taken initiative on budget management and cost-saving opportunities within projects.
  2. 2

    From Lead Workplace Strategist (L4)

    Approximately 3-5 years as a Lead Strategist, focusing on program-level strategy and managing a small team or major client accounts.

    Skills to master

    • Expanding from program management to full functional P&L ownership, building and developing a larger team (including managers), and driving enterprise-level strategic initiatives.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Developed and implemented workplace standards or playbooks that were adopted across multiple sites.
    • Managed a small team effectively, fostering their growth and achieving team objectives.
    • Successfully influenced strategic decisions at a regional or business unit level.
    • Demonstrated strong analytical skills for portfolio optimisation and strategic planning.
  3. 3

    External Hire (Similar Managerial Role)

    Direct entry for candidates with 12-16 years of experience in a comparable managerial or principal-level role within a large corporate real estate or design consultancy.

    Skills to master

    • Adapting to our specific organisational culture, internal processes, and stakeholder landscape. Understanding our existing real estate portfolio and business unit needs.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Proven track record of managing a team of 10+ professionals in a relevant field.
    • Demonstrable experience with P&L responsibility and strategic decision-making at a functional level.
    • Strong references highlighting leadership, influence, and successful project/portfolio delivery.
    • A clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities within a large, complex corporate real estate environment.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead into senior real estate leadership, wider operations management, or specialist consultancy advising on workplace strategy.

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 Workplace Designer Manager 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 Strategic facilities management support services operations, worked against Workplace Designer Manager.

Strategic facilities management support services operations Level 6

Applied to your work in Workplace Designer Manager

The objective of this unit is to enable learners to develop strategies for the effective delivery of support services within facilities management. Learners will identify opportunities for implementing new services and evaluate existing processes for compliance and performance. This will equip them with the skills to optimise support service operations and ensure alignment with legislative requirements and industry standards.

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
Workplace Designer Manager
  • Activity-Based Working (ABW) & Agile Workplace Strategy
  • Large-Scale Change Management Programmes
  • Portfolio-Level Space Programming & Adjacency Analysis
  • Predictive Space Utilisation Analysis
  • Ergonomics & Universal Design Principles (Strategic Application)
  • WELL & LEED Building Standards Integration
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

Workplace Designer Manager is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Director of Workplace Experience (L6)

    Roughly 3-5 years in the Workplace Designer Manager role, consistently exceeding expectations and demonstrating broader strategic impact.

    This is a significant step up, moving from managing a function within a region/business unit to owning the entire workplace vision and strategy for a major business unit or even a global remit. You'll manage a much larger, multi-disciplinary team and a substantially bigger budget.

    • Global real estate portfolio optimisation strategies
    • Integration of design, facilities, and technology at an enterprise scale
    • Developing multi-year strategic roadmaps for workplace evolution
    • Advanced vendor and partner ecosystem management
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Workplace Designer Manager, your time is precious. You're juggling strategy, team leadership, and complex projects. What if you could free up significant hours from routine tasks to focus on truly strategic work? AI isn't just for junior roles; it's a powerful tool for leaders like you to amplify your impact and make smarter, faster decisions.

Imagine having an intelligent assistant that helps your team generate design options, predict space needs, summarise industry trends, and even draft complex communication plans. That's what AI can do for you and your team in Real Estate & Facilities Management. It's about working smarter, not harder, and ensuring your team is focused on high-value activities.

AI-Guided Portfolio Scenario Planning

Use AI tools to rapidly generate and evaluate hundreds of 'what-if' scenarios for your real estate portfolio. Input variables like headcount growth, hybrid work policies, and cost targets, and let AI model the optimal space configurations, lease actions, and financial implications. This helps you present data-backed strategic options to leadership in minutes, not weeks.

Predictive Space Demand & Optimisation

Go beyond historical utilisation reports. Deploy AI models that predict future space demand based on various inputs (e.g., hiring forecasts, economic indicators, seasonal trends). This allows you to proactively adjust your portfolio strategy, optimise layouts before problems arise, and make more accurate capital expenditure forecasts.

Automated Industry Trend Synthesis

Keep your finger on the pulse of the rapidly evolving workplace industry without drowning in research. Use AI assistants to continuously monitor and summarise the latest reports, academic papers, and competitor strategies on topics like sustainable design, neurodiversity in the workplace, or advanced smart building tech. Get curated insights delivered directly to you and your team.

Strategic Change Communication Drafting

Leading major workplace transformations means a lot of communication. Use AI to draft comprehensive change management communication plans, including executive summaries, FAQs for employees, manager talking points, and even social media snippets. Tailor messages for different audiences and ensure consistency, saving your team countless hours.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Workplace Designer Manager?

Common routes in include From Senior Workplace Designer (Roughly 5-7 years as a Senior Designer, demonstrating leadership on complex projects and informal mentorship.), From Lead Workplace Strategist (Approximately 3-5 years as a Lead Strategist, focusing on program-level strategy and managing a small team or major client accounts.) and External Hire (Similar Managerial Role) (Direct entry for candidates with 12-16 years of experience in a comparable managerial or principal-level role within a large corporate real estate or design consultancy.). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Workplace Designer Manager progress to?

This role can lead on to Director of Workplace Experience (Roughly 3-5 years in the Workplace Designer Manager role, consistently exceeding expectations and demonstrating broader strategic impact.), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Workplace Designer Manager?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Strategic Foresight. 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 6

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

More jobs in property and facilities

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

If you leave this industry

The skills involved, such as real estate management, people leadership, data driven decision making and large scale change management, transfer to other settings. They can lead into broader operations roles, general management, or real estate investment and development in other sectors.

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 Workplace Designer Manager 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.