National pay scales for eligible teaching and education leadership occupation codes
Updated 9 April 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-jobs/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-leadership-occupation-codes
Minimum annual salary (‘going rate’) for education jobs on the list of eligible health and education public sector jobs.
School teachers
Source: Teachers’ national pay scales:
Based on a full-time working week - they must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by your employer.
These scales apply to the following occupation codes:
- 2313: secondary education teaching professionals
- 2314: primary education teaching professionals
- 2315: nursery education teaching professionals
- 2316: special and additional needs education teaching professionals
- 2321: head teachers and principals
| Role | England (excluding London / Fringe) | London Fringe | Outer London | Inner London | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unqualified teachers / Probationers | £21,731 | £23,140 | £25,758 | £27,252 | £33,594 | £21,812 | n/a |
| Qualified teachers | £31,650 | £33,075 | £36,413 | £38,766 | £40,305 | £32,433 | £30,000 |
| Chartered teachers | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | £52,158 | n/a | n/a |
| Principal teachers | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | £55,155 | n/a | n/a |
| Leadership group | £49,781 | £51,151 | £53,731 | £59,186 | n/a | £50,653 | £47,241 |
| Leading practitioner | £50,025 | £51,403 | £53,994 | £59,478 | n/a | £50,902 | n/a |
| Head teacher | £56,316 | £57,693 | £60,266 | £65,731 | £62,556 | £57,304 | £53,309 |
Further education teaching professionals
This applies to occupation code 2312.
These going rates are per year and based on the definition of a full-time teaching professional used when determining these pay scales. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor.
England
Source:
- General Further Education Colleges 2023 national pay scales
- Sixth Form Colleges 2023 national pay scales
| Job | Going rate |
|---|---|
| Unqualified lecturer | £22,387 |
| Qualified lecturer | £27,786 |
| Advanced teaching and training | £41,905 |
| Leadership and management | £41,905 |
Scotland
Source: No national pay scales published – minimum rates taken as the lowest of the other 3 nations.
| Job | Going rate |
|---|---|
| Lecturer and equivalent | £27,786 |
| Senior lecturer and equivalent | £41,905 |
Wales
Source: Wales FE pay scales.
| Job | Going rate |
|---|---|
| Instructor/demonstrator and associate lecturer | £24,048.75 |
| Main grade lecturer | £30,619.64 |
| Upper pay spine | £44,010.49 |
| Management | £47,696.57 |
Northern Ireland
Source: Northern Ireland FE pay scales – pay offer from College Employers’ Forum.
| Job | Going rate |
|---|---|
| Lecturer | £30,000 |
| Principal lecturer | £52,361 |
| Heads of Departments | £55,339 |
Teaching assistants
This applies to occupation codes 3231, 6112 and 6113.
These occupations are not eligible for the Global Business Mobility or Scale-up routes.
Source: National Joint Council for Local Government Services 2024
No available data for Scotland so matching the lower value of all nations.
| SOC 2020 occupation code | Examples of related job titles (non-exhaustive) | Going rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3231 Higher level teaching assistants | Advanced teaching assistant HLTA Learning support practitioner Teaching assistant (qualified) |
General Assistants / Classroom Assistants: £23,656 (FTE £12.26 per hour) Classroom Assistant SEN: £25,147 p.a. (FTE £13.03 per hour) |
| 6112 Teaching assistants | Classroom assistant School assistant Teaching assistant |
£23,656 (FTE £12.26 per hour) |
| 6113 Educational support assistants | Education support assistant Learning support assistant Non-teaching assistant (schools) Special needs assistant Support assistant (educational establishments) |
£23,656 (FTE £12.26 per hour) |