Apprenticeship glossary

Salary

What does Salary mean?

Your pay for a year, before tax. Apprentices are paid a salary or an hourly rate, and many employers publish starting salaries.

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Compare Highest-paying apprenticeships in the UK What the employers we've researched actually pay their apprentices, highest first. These are the starting salaries they publish on their own websites, so you can see the real numbers before you apply.
London weighting
Extra pay for working in or near London, where living costs are higher. Lidl adds 10% for stores inside the M25, and the BBC pays a living allowance for roles in London.
Apprentice
Someone doing an apprenticeship: an employee who is paid to work and train towards a recognised qualification at the same time.
Benefits
Extras you get on top of your pay, such as a pension, extra holiday, discounts or private healthcare. Look at the whole package, not just the salary.
Hourly rate
Your pay for each hour you work. The minimum wage is set as an hourly rate, so it's useful for comparing jobs with different hours.
School leaver programme
An employer's scheme for people finishing school or college, often an apprenticeship. Deloitte, for example, calls its school and college leaver programmes BrightStart.
School-leaving age
The earliest age you can legally leave school. It and the leaving dates differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Definitions are our own plain-English summaries. Where we give figures, they come from the official sources listed on the linked guide or profile. Rules can change, so check the official source before you make decisions.