The legal minimum
From April 2026 the rates are:
- £8.00 an hour — the apprentice rate. You get this if you are under 19, or you are 19 or over and in the first year of your apprenticeship.
- £8.00 an hour — under 18 (the same figure as the apprentice rate this year).
- £10.85 an hour — aged 18 to 20.
- £12.71 an hour — aged 21 and over (the National Living Wage).
The important part is what happens after year one. If you are 19 or over and have completed the first year, you must be paid the full minimum wage for your age. A 21-year-old second-year apprentice is legally entitled to £12.71 an hour, not £8.00. Employers get this wrong, sometimes deliberately. Check your payslip.
What employers actually pay
The legal minimum is a floor, and in the skilled trades most employers are well above it. Engineering, rail, utilities, aerospace and the big construction contractors routinely start apprentices on £18,000 to £24,000, rising each year. Small firms in competitive trades pay more than the minimum simply to keep people.
Your pay normally rises at each stage of the apprenticeship, and there is usually a substantial jump the moment you qualify — often 30% to 50%, because you are now productive without supervision.
What the training costs you
Nothing. For apprenticeships in England, the training is funded through the apprenticeship levy and government co-investment; the employer pays a share, the government pays the rest, and the apprentice pays neither. The same principle applies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through their own funding systems.
That includes your qualification fees and your assessment. You do not take out a student loan. You do not accumulate debt. A degree apprenticeship gets you the same degree as the university route with the tuition paid and a salary on top.
You may still have to pay for some things yourself:
- Tools. Most trades expect you to build up your own set. Good employers give you a starter kit or a tool allowance. Budget for this.
- Boots and workwear, though PPE must legally be provided free by your employer.
- Travel to work and to college, unless your employer covers it. Ask.
Your other rights
You are an employee with a contract. That means:
- At least 20 days' paid holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata).
- Statutory sick pay if you qualify.
- Paid time for your off-the-job training — at least 20% of your normal working hours. That time is not a favour, it is a funding requirement.
- The same health and safety protections as everyone else on site.
Help with costs
- Care leavers in England receive a £3,000 bursary.
- Apprentices with an education, health and care plan may have adjusted English and maths requirements.
- Some employers and local authorities run travel schemes — apprentice bus and rail discounts exist in most city regions.
- You may be eligible for Universal Credit alongside an apprenticeship depending on your circumstances.
A word on the trade-off
An apprentice wage in year one is not much money. That is the deal: you are being paid to be taught, and for the first year you cost your employer more than you produce. The maths turns around quickly. By year three you are earning real money with no debt, while people who went to university are two years from graduating with £50,000 of it.
Last reviewed 25 September 2026.