UK

United Kingdom · Technology and data · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Associate Network Security Administrator

As an Associate Security Operations Analyst, you become the vigilant guardian of our network's first line of defence.

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, a real day, 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.

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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 bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toNetwork Security Administrator (L2) or Senior Network Security Engineer (L3)
  • UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as Junior Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst · Entry-Level Network Defender · Security Monitoring Specialist

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

Qualifi Level 3 Diploma in Cyber Security Management and Operations Qualifi Ltd · Level 3 · covers 4 of 12 standards
Qualifi Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT and Cyber Security Qualifi Ltd · Level 3 · covers 2 of 12 standards
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma in IT Cambridge OCR · Level 3 · covers 1 of 12 standards
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Subsidiary Diploma in IT Cambridge OCR · Level 3 · covers 1 of 12 standards
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma in IT Cambridge OCR · Level 3 · covers 1 of 12 standards
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Certificate in IT Cambridge OCR · Level 3 · covers 1 of 12 standards

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

The units you would start with

Investigations and Incident Response Qualifi Level 3 Diploma in Cyber Security Management and Operations
Networked systems security Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma in IT

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
Trust Fluency keeping the digital world safe
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Associate Network Security Administrator

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

  1. Investigations and Incident Response Qualifi Ltd · covers 4 of 12 standards Level 3
  2. Networked systems security Cambridge OCR · covers 1 of 12 standards Level 3
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 an Associate Network Security Administrator?

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

How the AI economy is changing work like this

A broad read on this kind of work, not an analysis of this job on its own. Roles that share a pattern get the same answer here.

Fading: AI does more of this

AI is taking over the repetitive task of drafting initial incident summaries, freeing up your time for more critical analysis.

→
Rising: worth more because of AI

Your ability to interpret AI-generated data and make informed decisions becomes more valuable than ever.

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • Prompt Engineering for Security Operations
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 Associate Network Security Administrator 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.

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3What this role really is

We see you

You sometimes wonder if AI will overshadow your role, reducing your tasks to mere button-pressing. Yet, you realise there's a unique human touch in spotting subtleties that machines might miss.

An associate network security administrator watches a network for suspicious activity and helps catch threats early. The work involves following set procedures, monitoring systems closely, and learning to spot problems before they cause damage. It calls for a keen eye and a willingness to dig into detail.

4A day in the life

Not a job advert. A real day, built from what this role actually holds.

08:45
You log into the SIEM dashboard, scanning through the morning's security alerts, with your eyes peeled for anything unusual.
11:00
A security incident pops up. You dive into the logs, verifying IPs and cross-referencing known indicators of compromise, before deciding to escalate it.
14:30
You implement a firewall rule change on the Palo Alto device, double-checking that it's functioning as expected.
16:00
During the daily team stand-up, you share insights from your day, discussing a tricky alert and seeking advice from your senior colleagues.

5What you'd actually use

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

Next-Gen Firewalls (e.g., Palo Alto PAN-OS, Fortinet) Intermediate

You'll be monitoring firewall logs for policy violations, checking connectivity issues, and implementing pre-approved, low-risk rule changes under supervision. It's about understanding what the firewall is doing.

SIEM & Log Management (e.g., Splunk, Elastic Stack) Intermediate

This will be your bread and butter. You'll run pre-built queries and dashboards to investigate alerts, perform basic log searches to find specific events, and escalate anything complex. You'll live in these tools.

IDS/IPS & Network Analysis (e.g., Snort/Suricata, Wireshark) Basic

You'll identify alerts from our intrusion detection/prevention systems. You'll also use Wireshark with guidance to capture and filter network traffic when troubleshooting a specific issue.

Vulnerability Management (e.g., Tenable Nessus, Qualys) Intermediate

You'll configure and run credentialed/uncredentialed scans on our systems. After the scan, you'll interpret the reports and assign remediation tickets based on our pre-defined severity levels.

Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) (e.g., CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender) Basic

You'll monitor the EDR console for alerts related to suspicious activity on endpoints. You might perform basic host containment actions, like isolating a machine from the network, following a clear runbook.

Cloud Security Posture (CSPM) (e.g., AWS Security Hub, Prisma Cloud) Basic

You'll monitor cloud security dashboards for high-severity alerts, like publicly exposed S3 buckets. You'll follow runbooks to remediate common misconfigurations in our cloud environments.

6What 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
Security Alert Triage & Classification Classify alerts based on predefined runbooks and severity levels. Escalate anything not explicitly covered or high-severity. Independently classify and respond to routine/medium-severity alerts. Decide when to escalate complex or critical incidents. Determine incident severity and response strategy. Authorise containment actions. Decide when to engage external resources.
Firewall Rule Changes Implement pre-approved, low-risk rule changes under direct supervision. No independent changes. Independently implement routine, pre-approved rule changes. Propose minor rule optimisations for review. Design and implement complex firewall policies. Approve and review rule changes proposed by junior team members. Make recommendations for architecture changes.
Vulnerability Remediation Prioritisation Log tickets for identified vulnerabilities based on scanner severity. No prioritisation decisions. Prioritise vulnerabilities based on CVSS score and basic business context. Work with system owners on remediation plans. Define enterprise-wide vulnerability prioritisation criteria. Architect remediation strategies for critical vulnerabilities, considering business impact and risk.
Incident Response Actions (Containment) Perform basic host containment (e.g., network isolation) using pre-built scripts, only under direct guidance and explicit instruction. Independently perform host containment actions for known threats. Propose broader containment strategies for review. Lead incident containment efforts, including network segmentation, system isolation, and service disruption decisions. Authorise actions.

7How 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.

Alert Triage Accuracy
How accurately you classify and escalate security alerts based on our runbooks.
Target · 95%+ correct classification

You correctly identify 19 out of 20 alerts as either 'false positive', 'informational', or 'critical incident' according to our guidelines.

Mean Time to Acknowledge (MTTA)
The average time it takes for you to acknowledge and begin initial investigation of a new security alert.
Target · < 15 minutes for critical alerts, < 30 minutes for high alerts

A critical alert comes in at 10:00 AM, and you've picked it up and started your initial checks by 10:12 AM.

Vulnerability Scan Completion Rate
The percentage of scheduled vulnerability scans you successfully initiate and complete.
Target · 98% of planned scans completed on schedule

Out of 50 scheduled scans for the month, you successfully kick off and finish 49 of them without issues.

Documentation Adherence
How well you follow and update our existing security documentation and runbooks.
Target · Zero critical errors or omissions in documentation for assigned tasks

After a firewall rule change, you've updated the relevant document with the new rule, its purpose, and the date, exactly as the template requires.

Proactive Learning & Skill Development
Your initiative in learning new tools, concepts, and procedures beyond formal training.
  • You'll be asking thoughtful questions, experimenting in a lab environment (if available), and bringing up new vulnerabilities or attack techniques you've read about. We'll see you taking notes, re-reading documentation, and generally being curious about how things work and how they break. You're not just waiting to be told what to do next.
Quality of Escalations
How clearly and comprehensively you present information when escalating an alert or issue to a senior engineer.
  • When you escalate, you'll have already gathered the key logs, identified the affected systems, and summarised what you've tried so far. Your senior will be able to pick up the issue quickly because you've given them all the necessary context, not just a vague 'something's wrong'.
Team Collaboration & Support
Your willingness to help out team members and contribute positively to the team's overall workload.
  • You'll offer to help with routine tasks, share interesting findings, and generally be a good colleague. This isn't about being a 'yes' person, but about being a reliable and engaged part of the team. You're quick to ask for help when you're stuck, and quick to offer it when you can.

8Would you like it

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

What people enjoy
Solving Puzzles & Investigating

You'll spend a good chunk of your day digging through logs, trying to connect the dots between different alerts. It's like being a detective, piecing together clues to understand what's really happening on the network. Every alert is a mini-mystery to solve.

An alert flags unusual outbound traffic from a server. You'll dive into firewall logs, EDR data, and network flows to figure out if it's legitimate or a potential compromise.

Continuous Learning & Skill Growth

The security landscape changes constantly, so you'll always be learning something new. Whether it's a new attack technique, a software vulnerability, or a different security tool, there's always more to discover. You'll be encouraged to get certifications and experiment.

You'll be given time to study for a new certification like CompTIA CySA+ or experiment with a new open-source security tool in a lab environment.

Protecting the Organisation

Every alert you triage, every scan you run, every piece of documentation you update directly contributes to keeping our systems and data safe. You'll feel a real sense of purpose knowing you're on the front lines, defending against cyber threats.

By correctly identifying and escalating a phishing attempt, you directly prevent an employee from clicking a malicious link and potentially compromising their account.

What frustrates people
  • Alert Fatigue: Drowning in thousands of low-priority alerts, making it hard to spot the real threats.
  • The Firewall Blame Game: Spending ages proving an outage isn't the firewall's fault, only for it to be a server misconfiguration.
  • Repetitive Tasks: A good chunk of the job involves routine monitoring and following established procedures, which can feel a bit dull sometimes.
  • Lack of Immediate Impact: When you do your job perfectly, nothing happens, and no one really notices. You only get attention when something goes wrong.
  • Strict Processes: You'll be following runbooks and established procedures very closely, which can feel restrictive if you prefer to just 'figure it out' on your own.
What this role does not give you
  • High-level strategic decision-making (that comes later).
  • Constant, high-adrenaline incident response (it's more about prevention and early detection).
  • Complete autonomy over your work (you'll have guidance and oversight).
  • A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 job (security doesn't sleep, and neither do attackers).

9Who you work with

Your work directly contributes to the security posture of our entire organisation. By catching and escalating threats quickly, you help prevent data breaches, service disruptions, and reputational damage. Essentially, you're helping us avoid really bad days, which means everyone else can get on with their jobs without worrying about being hacked.

Inside the business
  • Senior Network Security Engineers (for escalation and guidance)
  • IT Helpdesk (for system access and basic troubleshooting)
  • Server Operations Team (when investigating host-level alerts)
  • Development Teams (occasionally, for understanding application behaviour)
Outside the business
  • None directly, though you might interact with vendor support under supervision.

10What you need before you start

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

  • A genuine, demonstrable interest in cyber security and how networks operate. We want to see that you've been tinkering, learning, or studying on your own.
  • Basic IT networking knowledge, perhaps from a college course or a CompTIA Network+ certification (or similar). You need to know your way around IP addresses and basic protocols.
  • Familiarity with Windows and Linux operating systems – enough to navigate, understand file systems, and run basic commands.
  • A structured approach to problem-solving. We'll teach you the specific processes, but you need to be able to think logically.
  • The ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both in writing and verbally. No waffle, please.

11What to practise next

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

Scripting for Automation (Python/PowerShell)

Many routine security tasks, like gathering information from different systems or performing basic remediation steps, can be automated. Knowing how to write simple scripts will drastically increase your efficiency and accuracy.

Basic Syntax & Data Types · API Interactions · Error Handling · Security Best Practices in Scripting

  • This month: Take a free online 'Python for Beginners' course, focusing on basic scripting.
  • Month 2: Try to write a simple script to automate a repetitive task you do daily, like pulling a specific report from a system.
  • Month 3: Look into how to use Python libraries to interact with APIs of our security tools.
  • Month 4: Get feedback on your scripts from a senior engineer and learn about best practices.

Quick win: Start by writing a very simple script to parse a log file for specific keywords. It's a great way to get hands-on with scripting without major risk.

Cloud Security Fundamentals

More and more of our infrastructure is moving to the cloud. You need to understand the unique security challenges and solutions that come with platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, beyond just monitoring dashboards.

Shared Responsibility Model · Cloud Identity & Access Management (IAM) · Cloud Network Security (VPCs, Security Groups) · Cloud Storage Security (S3 buckets, Blob storage)

  • This month: Complete a free introductory course on AWS or Azure security fundamentals.
  • Month 2: Start looking at our existing cloud security configurations and try to understand why they are set up that way.
  • Month 3: Experiment with setting up a basic, secure cloud environment in a personal sandbox account.
  • Month 4: Read up on common cloud misconfigurations and how to detect them.

Quick win: Familiarise yourself with the basic terminology of our primary cloud provider (e.g., AWS EC2, S3, VPC) and how they relate to security.

12Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Participate in online security challenges or 'Capture The Flag' (CTF) events to hone your problem-solving skills in a fun, competitive environment.
  • Set up a home lab to experiment with different security tools, operating systems, and network configurations without fear of breaking anything important.
  • Attend security webinars and virtual conferences to stay up-to-date on the latest threats and technologies. Many are free!
  • Read industry blogs and follow security researchers on platforms like Twitter/X to keep your finger on the pulse of the threat landscape.
  • Contribute to open-source security projects (even small contributions) to learn from others and build your profile.

13The 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 Security Operations

AI assistants are becoming incredibly powerful for summarising logs, drafting incident reports, and even generating basic scripts. Analysts who can effectively 'talk' to these AIs will be significantly more productive.

  • Clear & Concise Prompting
  • Context & Constraints
  • Output Validation
  • Security-Specific LLMs

14What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Incident Response Fundamentals (NIST/SANS)
  • Defence in Depth Concepts
  • TCP/IP & Basic Packet Analysis
  • Network Segmentation Basics

15The 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

    IT Helpdesk / Service Desk Analyst

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Customer service, basic troubleshooting (network, OS, applications), ticketing system management, understanding user behaviour (and misbehaviour).

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're the person who always asks 'could this be a security issue?' when a user reports something odd.
    • You've taken the initiative to get your CompTIA Security+ or Network+.
    • You've spent your own time learning about firewalls, malware, or basic ethical hacking.
  2. 2

    Junior Network Administrator

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Network device configuration (routers, switches), TCP/IP troubleshooting, VPN setup, understanding network architecture, basic server administration.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're already comfortable with command-line interfaces for network devices.
    • You've helped implement basic access control lists (ACLs) or managed firewall rules (even if simple).
    • You've got a CCNA or equivalent networking certification.
  3. 3

    Self-Taught / Enthusiast with Certifications

    Varies (often 0-2 years of focused study)

    Skills to master

    • Independent learning, practical application of security concepts (home lab), strong analytical and research skills, specific security tool proficiency (e.g., Wireshark, Kali Linux basics).

    You're ready to move on when

    • You can demonstrate practical projects or labs you've built related to security.
    • You've achieved multiple relevant certifications (Security+, CySA+, eJPT, etc.) on your own.
    • You actively participate in security communities, forums, or CTF events.

16How people get here · where they go next

Came from
IT Support / Helpdesk Specialist
1-2 years
You mastered the art of troubleshooting and ticketing system management, which laid the groundwork for your security-focused role.
You are here
Associate Network Security Administrator
Entry Level (0-2 years)
An associate network security administrator watches a network for suspicious activity and helps catch threats early. The work involves following set procedures, monitoring systems closely, and learning to spot problems before they cause damage. It calls for a keen eye and a willingness to dig into detail.
Goes to
Network Security Specialist (Level 2)
2-3 years
This role allows you to take on more responsibility, performing investigations independently and adapting standard approaches.

The long view: This role can lead to work as a senior network security engineer, handling complex incidents and mentoring others.

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 Associate Network Security Administrator is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

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 Investigations and Incident Response, worked against Associate Network Security Administrator.

Investigations and Incident Response Level 3

Applied to your work in Associate Network Security Administrator

The objective of this unit is to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of incident response, including its core phases, tools, and processes. Learners will explore the creation of a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the role of Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity Management (BCM) in supporting cyber incident response.

The Explorer Last time, we explored how to use role-playing prompts to simulate a security analyst's perspective. How did that go with your last incident triage?

You It helped me see the incident from a different angle, but I struggled with formulating the right prompts.

The Explorer Let's focus on refining those prompts. Try drafting one for your next alert, and we'll review it together to enhance its effectiveness.

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 plan, free
A year from now

A year from now, you confidently handle complex security incidents, using AI as a tool to amplify your analytical skills, not replace them.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Associate Network Security Administrator
  • Incident Response Fundamentals (NIST/SANS)
  • Defence in Depth Concepts
  • TCP/IP & Basic Packet Analysis
  • Network Segmentation 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

Associate Network Security Administrator is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Network Security Administrator (Level 2)

    2-3 years in the Associate role

    You'll move from monitoring and initial triage to taking ownership of specific security devices and processes. You'll be making routine decisions independently and contributing more to projects.

    • Expert SIEM Querying Writing complex queries and building custom dashboards/alerts.
    • Advanced Firewall Management Designing and implementing more complex security policies (App-ID, User-ID).
    • Full Vulnerability Lifecycle Management Owning the process from scanning to validated remediation.
    • Basic Cloud Security Architecture Helping design secure cloud network configurations.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, security operations can be a bit of a grind. Sifting through endless logs, triaging alerts, drafting reports – it's a lot. But here's the thing: AI isn't just a buzzword; it's a genuine game-changer for Network Security Administrators. We're not talking about replacing you; we're talking about making your job smarter, faster, and frankly, a lot less tedious.

You'll be working with cutting-edge AI-powered tools that take the heavy lifting out of routine security tasks. This means less time on repetitive grunt work and more time on the interesting stuff: actual threat hunting, deeper investigations, and learning new skills. Think of AI as your super-powered assistant, helping you spot the needle in the haystack and giving you a head start on every incident.

Automated Alert Triage (SOAR)

Our AI-powered Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platform will automatically investigate common, low-level alerts. It'll enrich alerts with threat intelligence, check for related activity, and even close out obvious false positives. This means you'll only see the alerts that actually need your human brain, saving you from sifting through hundreds of benign notifications.

Anomaly Detection (UEBA)

We use User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to spot the really subtle stuff. AI can identify tiny deviations from normal activity – like an account logging in at an unusual time or accessing strange files – flagging threats that traditional, signature-based tools would completely miss. It's like having a sixth sense for suspicious behaviour.

CVE & Threat Intel Summarisation

The amount of new vulnerability information and threat intelligence released daily is overwhelming. Our AI assistant can read and summarise these feeds for you, highlighting which vulnerabilities are most relevant to our specific tech stack and helping you understand the real-world impact without hours of reading.

Incident Report Generation

After an incident, you'll need to write a report. Instead of starting from scratch, you can feed the technical logs and timeline into an AI model to generate a clear, concise first draft. It translates all that technical jargon into business-impact language, giving you a huge head start and saving you hours of writing.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become an Associate Network Security Administrator?

Common routes in include IT Helpdesk / Service Desk Analyst (1-2 years), Junior Network Administrator (1-2 years) and Self-Taught / Enthusiast with Certifications (Varies (often 0-2 years of focused study)). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can an Associate Network Security Administrator progress to?

This role can lead on to Network Security Administrator (2-3 years in the Associate role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for an Associate Network Security Administrator?

Increasingly, Prompt Engineering for Security Operations. 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 2

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

 More jobs in technology and data

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

The skills built in network security administration transfer across almost all industries. Every organisation, large or small, needs network security. This can lead to work in finance, healthcare, e-commerce or government, applying the same expertise in different settings.

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 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.