Pay scales

[Lilacteacherlife]

Hello, I'm paid as an UQT. I manage a nurture/sen provision attached to a mainstream primary school with a team of 6 TA's, I teach KS1 and KS2 children. I plan and deliver the lessons and complete all necessary sen paperwork, assessments and reports. I am completing my teacher training whilst working full time.
I'm paid on the starting rate UQT which does not seem a lot in comparison to a teacher's starting rate, especially with the level of responsibility I have.
I have read somewhere that hlta paid at the top scale would be earning more than me.
Does anyone know if this is true?
Thanks

I don't know about HLTA pay scales, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the top of the HLTA scale was higher than the bottom of the unqualified teacher pay scale.

Bear in mind that someone paid at the top of the HLTA scale probably had years of experience in the job. They will also stay on the HLTA scale and never be paid as much as a qualified teacher (unless they train to do so of course).

In contrast, once you have qualified as a teacher (presumably after one year in the job) you will go onto the main pay scale. That means you will earn around an extra £10,000 in your first year, and more as you progress up the scale.

You are also in a better financial position than the many trainee teachers who are not employed (many of whom who will be paying fees of £9,250 while they train). It sounds like you have more responsibility than most, but that is to be expected of someone who is employed.

I did two years on the Unqualified Teacher rate (despite actually being a qualified teacher - the school were cutting corners). It actually ended up being less than my TA3 wage at the same school, so they ended up having to shuffle it and I came away with £50 a month more. Hardly worth it so I finally told them that I had been taken advantage of long enough.

As a TA3, I'm cutting hitting approximately 20k (before deductions), which is level with the UQT I was on, so taking a teaching job would be a significant pre-tax pay increase.

Teaching salaries start at 30k, currently, which runs for two years (I believe, for ECT time) and then you join the main salary with progressions etc.

That final paragraph from @A1ia is not quite right.

A qualified teacher would expect to start on M1, the bottom of the main scale for qualified teachers (currently £30,000 outside London and the fringe). But they wouldn't expect to stay on that rate for two years. They would expect to move up the scale every year until they reach M6, which is the top of the main scale (currently £41,333). After that they may be able to access the upper pay scale.

Academies have much more freedom, but most seem to follow the same rules on pay.

Thanks, so you know if UQTs automatically move up the pay scale each year? If so when does this happen?

Assuming your school follows the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (which it may not if it is an Academy) your pay should be reviewed once you have completed a year of service since your pay was set at its current level.

Just because it is reviewed doesn't necessarily mean that your pay will go up, though I think it would happen in most schools. Your school's pay policy should make it clear so it's worth checking.

If you don't have QTS at that point you will (probably) move up a point on the unqualified teacher scale.

If you obtain QTS you should move onto the main scale straight away, even if it is not a year since your pay was last set.

When did you start your current job and when do you expect to obtain QTS?

What training programme are you on and when do you expect to achieve QTS?

I started being paid as an UQT in January, I work for an academy. I have over 20 years experience - previously a HLTA and tutor in a PRU, I have just completed the first year of my BA so it will be a couple of years til I gain QTS. My predecessor in the role was paid as SLT with TLR due to the demands of the role and was unsuccessful.
I don't think it is fair that a HLTA would be paid more than me due to the nature of the post.

In that case I think your best bet is to argue that you should paid an allowance to reflect the additional responsibility that you have.

Check out para 22 of the STPCD for details.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65eae75b5b652445f6f21aa4/Schoolteacherspayyandconditionssdocument_2023.pdf#page23

You work for an Academy so the STPCD doesn't apply unless your school has agreed to follow it, but I believe most Academies have.

A further consideration for me in deciding whether or not my pay was unfair would be whether or not the degree is being paid for by the school as part of the training.

I had assumed you already had a degree and that you were saving £9,250 in university fees for one year only. If they are paying your fees for three years, they are saving you almost £30,000 (plus interest) and making a long term investment in you and considerably increasing your earning potential which obviously they will not be doing for HLTAs. Your current pay needs to be seen in that context.

If they are not paying for your degree, that's not a consideration of course (though legally the position on pay is the same).

I am funding my own degree. Thanks for the advice.

Surely you should be paid the TLR even if you are an UQT?

Unqualified teachers are not eligible for TLRs but they can be paid allowances for taking on additional responsibilities in certain circumstances.

Unlike TLRs there is no minimum or maximum level for these allowances.

Thanks for your help and advice. I feel I need to perhaps ask for a meeting to discuss pay, I would like to know the salary for a HLTA at the top of the scale so I could have a benchmark to justify a pay increase for a UQT with additional responsibilities.

If uk.talent.com/salary?job=hlta# is to be believed

The average hlta salary in the United Kingdom is £24,700 per year or £12.67 per hour. Entry level positions start at £22,600 per year while most experienced workers make up to £29,500 per year

So the top end of the scale is significantly more than I am being paid at the start of UQT.

It's impossible for any of us to tell you that as relevant to your school, OP. The figures posted will be an estimate. You need to find out if your school follows the NJC pay scale for support staff, and if so what the range is for a HLTA.

Can the school support you in getting QTS via the assessment only route? Then you can qualify while earning and stay in the job without having to take time out to do a PGCE. You would need to have experience of teaching in more than one school and be covering two Key Stages (which it sounds like you are) and be already meeting all of the teacher standards. Fundamentally, you need to have QTS to get a decent pay packet.

@ValancyRedfern Assessment-only QTS can be great for experienced UQTs but OP needs to get her degree first.

@Fifthtimelucky the average pay for HLTA is 21k, support staff are in only get paid for the weeks they work. For example salary 25k, it will divide by 52 weeks and multiply by 39 weeks (as school open for 39 weeks), so 25000/52x39=18k to take home. The18k spread over the 12 months. On otherhand Teacher get paid 30k or whatever they are on, they will get the full amount, even teachers only work 39 weeks, they still get paid the full amount.

It is incorrect, most HLTA get paid less than that, although it might 25k but we get paid much less due to support staff only get paid the 49 weeks they work, so it work out as 25000/52 weeksx39 school weeks =18k , the 18k spread over 52 weeks, the 18k spread over the 12 months. However the teachers will get paid the FULL salary, if they are on 30k or whatever they are on, they receive the full amount, even they only work 39 weeks.

I would love to get 25k, even better 29k, I have been TA for 10 years, HLTA for 3 years, HLTA just £100 more every month than TA, I cover 3 days a week there’s 9 lessons, so 27 lessons a month to get £100 more