Looking for a CareerFoundry alternative in the UK? Continue your UX training live.
CareerFoundry is winding down. Continue your UX training live at UX Academy: small-group online classes with lead instructor Natalia Veretenyk, from £2,000.
UX Academy (myuxacademy.com) is a UK company — a trading name of Nomadic User Ltd, company number 09556531, registered in England and Wales. Our trading name is also a UK registered trade mark (UK00003542830, Class 41). We're a separate business from Designlab, a US company that also runs a product it calls “UX Academy” — we aren't affiliated with Designlab. If you want the UK option — live evening classes (never pre-recorded), a small cohort of max 10 students, a named UK lead instructor, and GBP pricing — that's us.
Transition offer: deposit waived + £200 off the course fee for CareerFoundry students. Maximum 5 transition places. See the details below →
287 career-changers hired — accountants, teachers, nurses, marketers.
UX Academy vs CareerFoundry.
| UX Academy | CareerFoundry | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Open and enrolling | Ceasing operations |
| Format | Live online classes, small groups, real-time tutors | Self-paced / fully asynchronous |
| Schedule | Part-time evenings (weekly, 6:00 to 8:30pm London) | Self-directed, 15 to 40 hrs/week |
| Length | 8-wk foundation, stackable to ~12-wk full career programme | Around 5 to 10 months |
| Price | £2,000 with price-match guarantee, £99 deposit, interest-free plans on request | Multi-thousand (advisor-gated) |
| Mentorship | Free weekly mentorship + live tutor interaction | Asynchronous mentor + tutor |
| Projects | Real company projects; Career Track adds a second live client brief | Portfolio projects |
| Based | London, UK (online) | Berlin (winding down) |
CareerFoundry details from careerfoundry.com, captured June 2026. Their pricing was advisor-gated at capture.
Came from CareerFoundry? Claim your transition place — deposit waived and £200 off.
Built for people who want to finish.
Live beats self-paced
Live classes in groups of max 10, with tutors you can ask in real time.
A stackable path to a real job
8-week foundation (£2,000) plus 4-week Career Track (£1,000): second live client brief, 1:1 job support.
A school here for the long run
We're growing, enrolling, and investing in our students. Stability matters when you're committing months to a career change.
Lower cost, lower risk
Foundation £2,000, full programme £3,000, £99 deposit, price-match guarantee, interest-free plans on request.
What happened to CareerFoundry?
CareerFoundry, the Berlin-based online UX/UI school, announced in early 2026 that it's ceasing operations. It ran self-paced, fully asynchronous programmes with an assigned mentor and tutor. Its winding-down left students mid-course and prospective students looking for somewhere to continue.
If you were enrolled, part-way through, or had just been about to sign up, the practical question is the same: where do you continue, and how do you avoid picking another provider that leaves you stranded? Programme stability matters. So does the format — a lot of CareerFoundry students stalled precisely because self-paced study left them alone with the material.
UX Academy (myuxacademy.com) is a UK school — a trading name of Nomadic User Ltd, company number 09556531 — running live, small-group classes from London, and we built this page to answer exactly that question. We're independent and not affiliated with CareerFoundry. We're also a separate business from Designlab, a US company that runs its own, unrelated product also called “UX Academy”.
How to continue where you left off.
You can't formally transfer credits between schools — UX has no shared credit system — but you don't lose the work you already did. Here is how to carry it forward:
- Save your projects. Export any research, wireframes, prototypes, and written case studies out of CareerFoundry while you still have access. This is your portfolio raw material, and it still counts.
- Book a free call. Show us where you got to. We'll assess your level honestly and place you at the right starting point rather than making you repeat what you already know.
- Turn work-in-progress into portfolio pieces. With live tutor feedback, unfinished CareerFoundry projects can become the documented case studies UK employers actually ask to see at interview.
On the certificate question: in UK UX hiring, your portfolio matters far more than any certificate. Employers ask how you researched a problem and made decisions, not which school issued a PDF. So the work you completed at CareerFoundry isn't wasted, even now the school is closing.
The UK UX job market in 2026.
A provider closing doesn't mean the career has. The median UK UX designer salary is around £55,000 (ITJobsWatch, vacancy data to June 2026) — roughly 41% above the UK median full-time salary of £39,039 (ONS ASHE 2025). See the full breakdown in our UX designer salary UK guide.
The market has tightened since 2021-22 and there are fewer pure entry-level openings than there were. But demand remains strong for designers who can show real research skills, work with product and engineering teams, and use AI tools without letting AI replace their thinking. The bar for a first role has risen — which is exactly why live teaching, a real brief, and a checkable portfolio matter more than a self-paced certificate.
For the full roadmap, read our guide on how to become a UX designer in the UK.
Came from CareerFoundry?
We're offering displaced students a CareerFoundry Transition place: deposit waived and £200 off the UX/UI Design Course. Limited spots. Tell us where you got to and we'll help you pick up your momentum.
Available for the cohort starting 14 October 2026 while places remain -- maximum 5 transition places.
UX Academy is independent and not affiliated with CareerFoundry. Offer available while CareerFoundry winds down.
“Transitioning from marketing into UX felt natural once I started the course. It helped me reframe my existing skills and gave me practical experience to confidently move into a design role.”
Before you switch.
Is CareerFoundry really closing?
CareerFoundry has announced it's ceasing operations. If you're affected, you can continue learning UX with a live, supported course at UX Academy.
What's the best CareerFoundry alternative in the UK?
For UK-based learners who want live teaching rather than self-paced video, UX Academy is a direct alternative: live online classes via Zoom, small groups of max 10 students, a named lead instructor, and a stackable path to a job-ready portfolio. Beginner UX (AI) Design is £2,000 (£99 deposit, refundable within 14 days), a fraction of a £9,000 in-person London bootcamp.
Can I transfer what I have already learned?
Book a free call and we'll assess where you have got to and help you start in the right place.
How do I continue or transfer my CareerFoundry progress?
You can't formally transfer credits between schools, but you don't lose the work. Book a free call, show us your CareerFoundry projects and where you stopped, and we'll place you at the right point and help you turn work-in-progress into portfolio-ready case studies. Any completed research, wireframes, or prototypes still count towards your portfolio.
Will my CareerFoundry certificate still count?
In UK UX hiring, your portfolio matters far more than any certificate. Employers ask to see documented projects and how you made design decisions, not which school issued a certificate. So work you completed at CareerFoundry isn't wasted, even if the certificate itself carries little weight now the school is closing.
Is UX Academy self-paced like CareerFoundry?
No, and that's the point. Our classes are live and in small groups, with real tutors you can ask questions in real time.
What does it cost?
The 8-week UX/UI Design foundation is £2,000. Stack on the 4-week UX Career Track (£1,000) for the full ~12-week job-ready programme at £3,000. A £99 deposit holds your place on the foundation; interest-free payment plans are available on request. Displaced CareerFoundry students can claim our transition offer: deposit waived and £200 off, on a limited number of spots.
Is UX design still a good career in the UK?
Yes. The median UK UX designer salary is around £55,000 (ITJobsWatch, vacancy data to June 2026), roughly 41% above the UK median full-time salary of £39,039 (ONS ASHE 2025). The market has tightened since 2021-22 and there are fewer pure entry-level openings, but demand remains strong for designers who can show real research skills, work with product and engineering teams, and use AI tools without letting AI replace their thinking.
Is UX Academy the same company as Designlab, which also has a "UX Academy" product?
No. UX Academy (myuxacademy.com) is a trading name of Nomadic User Ltd, a UK company (Companies House number 09556531), and the name is also a UK registered trade mark (UK00003542830, Class 41). Designlab is a separate, US-based company that markets its own self-paced product under the same "UX Academy" name. We aren't affiliated with Designlab. If you're looking for a CareerFoundry alternative that's UK-based, teaches live in the evenings with a named UK instructor, and prices in GBP, that's myuxacademy.com. See the full comparison at /uxacademy-vs-designlab/.
London-based? See our UX bootcamp London guide, or compare providers in the best online UX design courses in the UK. Searched “UX Academy” and unsure which one you found? See UX Academy vs Designlab or is UX Academy legit?