You are an employee
An apprentice is not a student on placement or a trainee on trial. You have an employment contract — usually an apprenticeship agreement — and the full set of employment rights that comes with it.
What you are entitled to
- A written apprenticeship agreement, setting out the skill, trade or occupation you are training in.
- At least the National Minimum Wage for your age and stage. Apprentice rate in year one or under 19; full rate for your age from year two if you are 19 or over.
- Paid holiday — at least 5.6 weeks a year including bank holidays, pro rata.
- Paid off-the-job training — at least 20% of your normal working hours in England, on your normal wage. Your day at college is paid time.
- Statutory sick pay, if you meet the qualifying conditions.
- Rest breaks — under 18s have stronger protections: a 30-minute break after 4.5 hours, and limits on working more than 8 hours a day or 40 a week.
- Free PPE. Your employer must provide it at no cost to you.
- Protection from discrimination under the Equality Act, including harassment.
- A safe workplace, with training and supervision appropriate to your inexperience.
- Auto-enrolment into a workplace pension if you meet the earnings and age thresholds.
Things employers get wrong
Some are honest mistakes. Some are not. The most common:
- Not raising your pay after year one. If you are 19+ and past 12 months, the full rate for your age applies. This is the most frequent underpayment in the entire system.
- Charging you for training or tools. Your apprenticeship training cannot be charged to you. Tools are a grey area and depend on your agreement; PPE is not.
- Cancelling your college day when work gets busy. Off-the-job training is a funding requirement, not a perk. Persistent cancellation puts your apprenticeship at risk, not just your education.
- Using you as cheap labour. If you are sweeping and fetching for two years and not being taught the trade, the apprenticeship is not being delivered. That is a real problem with a real remedy.
- Unpaid overtime. Paid work is paid work.
What to do about it
1. Talk to your training provider first. Your college or provider has a named person responsible for your apprenticeship, they visit your workplace, and they have leverage with the employer that you do not. This resolves most issues and it is what they are there for.
2. Raise it with your employer directly, in writing, politely and factually. Keep a copy.
3. Check your payslips and keep them. Underpayment cases live or die on records.
4. For underpayment, you can report it to HMRC, who enforce the minimum wage and can recover arrears on your behalf. You can do this confidentially.
5. Acas provides free, impartial employment advice to anyone, on any employment problem, without taking sides.
6. For safety concerns, the Health and Safety Executive takes reports, and you are legally protected from being penalised for raising a genuine safety issue.
If it goes wrong entirely
Apprenticeships do sometimes break down — the employer folds, the work is not there, or the relationship fails. This is not the end of the qualification. Your training provider can help you find a new employer to complete with, and the training you have already done is not lost.
Do not simply walk away without telling your provider. Tell them early, and they can usually keep the apprenticeship alive.
Last reviewed 25 September 2026.