Teaching assistants (SOC 6112) does not currently qualify for UK Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. It is classified as medium skilled and would need to be added to the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage Occupation List before employers could sponsor for it. There are closely related roles that do qualify, listed further down.
Teaching assistants assist teachers with their day-to-day classroom work and with routine administrative tasks.
Academic qualifications may be required by some employers, although entry is possible with relevant experience (possibly on a voluntary basis) alone. NVQs at level 2 and 3 qualifications are available. DBS clearance is mandatory.
UK market salary · ASHE 2025
How visa salary requirements compare to what employers pay.
Most teaching assistants in the UK earn between £23,036 and £28,236 in basic pay, with experienced professionals in the top 10% earning above £31,460.
All figures are before tax. Calculate your take-home pay.
SOC 6112 is classified as medium skilled but does not currently appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, so it's not currently eligible for new sponsorship.
If you're interested in this field, you have a few options:
Not under SOC 6112. Teaching assistants is classified as Medium Skilled, which doesn't meet the requirements for Skilled Worker sponsorship right now. That said, some closely related occupation codes in the same field are eligible, so have a look at the related codes section on this page.
SOC 6112 covers a range of teaching assistants roles, including: Cover supervisors, School teaching assistants, Teaching assistants not elsewhere classified.. Keep in mind that the Home Office matches jobs by duties rather than title alone. Two roles with the same title can fall under different SOC codes depending on the actual work involved.
SOC 6112 itself doesn't qualify, but that doesn't mean you're out of options. The most common workaround is finding a closely related role that falls under an eligible SOC code. We've listed any eligible alternatives further up this page. It's also worth looking into visa routes that aren't tied to a specific occupation, like the Global Talent visa, Graduate visa, or High Potential Individual visa.
This information is provided as guidance only and should not be treated as legal advice. Eligibility criteria and salary thresholds are based on the latest published government data. Always verify with the official UK government guidance or seek professional immigration advice.