The salary paid to the language assistant you are hosting depends on your institution's location within the UK and the number of hours the assistant works.
Modern language assistants work a minimum (standard) of 12 hours per week, for which assistants receive a gross monthly salary.
Any hours worked beyond the standard 12-hour period (up to 18 hours per week in total) are charged at a fixed hourly rate. Additional hours should be negotiated directly with your language assistant. You can also negotiate additional hours with your language assistant in exchange for benefits such as accommodation.
You cannot offer a language assistant a lower allowance in return for fewer hours.
Irish language assistants do not have to work the minimum of 12 hours a week. Please contact us with questions about our Irish language assistants programme.
The table below indicates the salary rates (gross monthly salary and fixed hourly rate) for hosting a modern language assistant in the 2025-26 academic year. Please see the additional note at the bottom of this page for more information on the costs of hosting a Mandarin Chinese language assistant.
|
England (excluding London areas) Northern Ireland Scotland Wales |
Gross monthly salary - £1,013.05 for a standard 12 hours per week Standard fixed hourly rate - £15.26 for additional hours beyond the standard 12-hour period. |
|
Inner London |
Gross monthly salary - £1,270.45 for a standard 12 hours per week Standard fixed hourly rate - £19.21 for additional hours beyond the standard 12-hour period. |
|
Outer London |
Gross monthly salary - £1,200.76 for a standard 12 hours per week Standard fixed hourly rate - £18.15 for additional hours beyond the standard 12-hour period. |
|
London Fringe |
Gross monthly salary - £1,078.72 for a standard 12 hours per week Standard fixed hourly rate - £16.31 for additional hours beyond the standard 12-hour period. |
We have also provided a guide below for the total monthly cost of hosting a language assistant for more than 12 hours per week. This is calculated by using the following equation:
Gross monthly salary for 12 hours per week + (total number of additional hours per week * standard fixed hourly rate) * 4
| Monthly total | ||||
| Hours per week | England (excl London areas) Northern Ireland Scotland Wales |
London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
| 12 | £1,013.05 | £1,078.72 | £1,200.76 | £1,270.45 |
| 13 | £1,074.09 | £1,143.96 | £1,273.36 | £1,347.29 |
| 14 | £1,135.13 | £1,209.20 | £1,345.96 | £1,424.13 |
| 15 | £1,196.17 | £1,274.44 | £1,418.56 | £1,500.97 |
| 16 | £1,257.21 | £1,339.68 | £1,491.16 | £1,577.81 |
| 17 | £1,318.25 | £1,404.92 | £1,563.76 | £1,654.65 |
| 18 | £1,379.29 | £1,470.15 | £1,636.36 | £1,731.49 |
Please note for host institutions hosting a modern language assistant for more than 6 months, the host institution is also responsible for reimbursing the assistant the one-off cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,035).