Find out about the costs associated with hosting a language assistant at your school.

The time a language assistant spends at your school can be negotiated by mutual agreement.

How many hours do language assistants work?

Minimum/standard - 12 hours per week

Maximum - 18 hours per week

Any hours worked beyond 12 hours per week will be charged at a different fixed hourly rate, dependent on where your school is located (see below). Additional hours should be negotiated directly with your language assistant. 

You cannot offer a language assistant a lower allowance in return for fewer hours.

Salaries

The cost of employing a language assistant is dependent on your school's location within the UK.

Salaries below are an indication of hosting costs from the 2018/2019 academic year.

England

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £914.05 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £13.77 for any hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 35 weeks (1 October to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

Inner London salaries

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £1,150.39 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £17.34 for additional hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 35 weeks (1 October to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

Outer London salaries

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £1,085.75 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £16.38 for additional hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 35 weeks (1 October to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

London Fringe salaries

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £974.65 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £14.72 for additional hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 35 weeks (1 October to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

Northern Ireland

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £914.05 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £13.77 for hours beyond the 12 hours

Period of appointment: 39 weeks (1 September to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

Scotland

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £914.50 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £13.77 for additional hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 39 weeks (1 September to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

Wales

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Gross monthly salary - £914.05 for a standard 12 hours per week

Standard fixed hourly rate - £13.77 for additional hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 35 weeks (1 October to 31 May). An extra month either side can be arranged by mutual agreement and at an additional cost.

Chinese language assistants

2018/2019 Academic Year Rates

Minimum annual cost - £4,090 (including *IHS surcharge)

Standard fixed hourly rate - £13.63 for additional hours beyond the standard 12 hour period

Period of appointment: 41 weeks (Mid-September to 30 June).

*IHS surcharge

Chinese language assistants coming to the UK on a visa are subject to a one-off £400 Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). This charge should be reimbursed directly to the assistant by the UK host school or schools involved in the sharing arrangements.

Sharing a language assistant

Schools that cannot host a language assistant on their own can share the costs with other schools.

Language assistants can usually be shared between a maximum of three schools, provided travel arrangements between schools are reasonable.

Where language assistants are required to work at different schools on the same day, the employer should cover the costs of travel.

Find out more about how to share a language assistant with other schools.