Teachers of English as a foreign language salary in the UK
The median full-time salary for teachers of English as a foreign language in the UK is £37,514 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,544 a month.
Pay range for teachers of English as a foreign language
This is the ONS occupation group "Teachers of English as a foreign language" (SOC 2020 code 2317). ONS figures for 2025 show that ONS published only the median, so half earn less than £37,514 and half earn more.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 25th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,514 | £3,126 | £30,530 | £2,544 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for teachers of English as a foreign language as acceptable, so use it with caution: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 19%.
Where teachers of English as a foreign language rank
The median for teachers of English as a foreign language ranks 160th of 362 occupations on this site, in the upper half, and 84th of 91 in professional occupations. It is £1,525 (3.9%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs. ONS change on the previous year: the median for teachers of English as a foreign language rose 3.1%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs.
Jobs with the nearest medians: Nursery education teaching professionals (£37,593), Public relations professionals (£37,563), Customer service managers (£37,535), Managers in storage and warehousing (£37,470), Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians (£37,458) and Buyers and procurement officers (£37,306).
How spread out pay is
ONS did not publish the 25th or 75th percentiles for teachers of English as a foreign language, so we cannot show how spread out their pay is.
The mean for teachers of English as a foreign language (total pay divided by the number of employees) is £39,399, which is £1,885 (5.0%) higher than the median. When the mean is above the median, a smaller number of higher salaries are pulling the average up. For all UK full-time jobs the mean is 24.3% above the median, so the gap for teachers of English as a foreign language is smaller.
Teachers of English as a foreign language and related jobs
Among these 7 jobs in the same ONS minor group, this one has the lowest median. The highest median among them is £52,835 (higher education teaching professionals) and the lowest £37,514 (teachers of English as a foreign language).
| Job | SOC code | Median salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher education teaching professionals | 2311 | £52,835 | £3,433 |
| Secondary education teaching professionals | 2313 | £47,632 | £3,151 |
| Special needs education teaching professionals | 2316 | £47,432 | £3,139 |
| Primary education teaching professionals | 2314 | £45,939 | £3,050 |
| Further education teaching professionals | 2312 | £42,218 | £2,826 |
| Nursery education teaching professionals | 2315 | £37,593 | £2,549 |
| Teachers of English as a foreign language | 2317 | £37,514 | £2,544 |
Take-home pay against all jobs
At the median, teachers of English as a foreign language take home about £2,544 a month, against £2,636 on the UK median for all jobs. Scotland has its own income tax bands, so take-home pay on the same salary is different there.
| Group | Median a year | Take-home a month | Take-home a month in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachers of English as a foreign language | £37,514 | £2,544 | £2,541 |
| All full-time employee jobs, UK | £39,039 | £2,636 | £2,631 |
Related pages
All jobs in the Professional occupations table, average salary by area, the take home pay calculator, salary to hourly calculator and pay rise calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional, SOC 2020 unit group 2317. Take-home: 2026/27 rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 14: earnings by occupation (4-digit SOC), 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (ONS)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
On the median full-time salary of £37,514, take-home pay is about £2,544 a month (£30,530 a year) after 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance, with tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan. In Scotland, where income tax is different, it is about £2,541 a month.
Only the median for 2025: half of full-time employees in this group earn less than £37,514 and half earn more. ONS did not publish the other points in the range because those estimates are not reliable enough.
No. The median for teachers of English as a foreign language is £37,514, which is £1,525 (3.9%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs (ONS, 2025). It ranks 160th of 362 occupations on this site.