jobfacts

Higher level teaching assistants

SOC 2020 3231

Higher level teaching assistants (HLTA’s) assist teachers with their day-to-day classroom work, the provision and planning of and the creation of lesson materials. HLTA’s teach classes on their own and may be trained in relevant learning strategies such as literacy. They may support students with special/additional needs and work in special and additional needs schools.

Also calledHLTAHigh level teaching assistantSen hltaTeaching assistantLearning support practitionerHigher level teaching assistantand 2 more titles
Typical full-time pay£25,4002025 Provisional
People in the job62,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,800↓ 13%on last year · 107th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time higher level teaching assistants earn between £22,400 and £29,300 a year.

What full-time higher level teaching assistants earn, 2025
£25,400 typical£21,400lowest 20%£29,30075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£22,400–£29,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£21,400
25%£22,400
Median£25,400
75%£29,300
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £25,400
London!£31,100
North West£27,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£26,200
South East£25,000
Wales!£24,700
North East!£24,100
West Midlands!£24,100
South West!£21,100
East of England!£20,000
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £25,400
London£31,100 (small sample)
North West£27,400
Yorkshire and The Humber£26,200 (small sample)
South East£25,000
Wales£24,700 (small sample)
North East£24,100 (small sample)
West Midlands£24,100 (small sample)
South West£21,100 (small sample)
East of England£20,000 (small sample)
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £22,700
  • 2024 £24,100
  • 2025 Provisional£25,400
↑ 12% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,800 jobs for higher level teaching assistants are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,328
Jul 20261,883
Jun 2026Not published
May 20262,028
Apr 20261,569
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,536
Jan 20261,997
Dec 2025967
Nov 20252,058
Oct 20251,994
Sept 20252,359
Aug 20251,509
Jul 20252,077
Jun 20252,575
May 20252,394
Apr 20251,649
Mar 20252,118
Feb 20252,016
Jan 20252,226
Dec 20241,691
Nov 20242,162
Oct 20242,256
Sept 20242,381
Aug 20241,641
Jul 20242,427
Jun 20242,513
May 20242,192
Apr 20242,074
Mar 20241,772
Feb 20241,739
Jan 20242,055
Dec 20231,609
Nov 20231,881
Oct 20231,603
Sept 20231,660
Aug 20231,388
Jul 20231,633
Jun 20232,433
May 20232,053
Apr 20231,447
Mar 20231,934
Feb 20231,876
Jan 20232,167
Dec 20221,738
Nov 20222,179
Oct 20221,967
Sept 20221,941
Aug 20221,409
Jul 20221,913
Jun 20222,201
May 20221,950
Apr 20221,362
Mar 20221,837
Feb 20221,477
Jan 20221,671
Dec 20211,422
Nov 20211,570
Oct 20211,479
Sept 20211,436
Aug 2021984
Jul 20211,423
Jun 20211,687
May 20211,574
Apr 20211,148
Mar 20211,347
Feb 2021842
Jan 2021947
Dec 20201,037
Nov 20201,232
Oct 20201,491
Sept 20201,189
Aug 2020824
Jul 20201,077
Jun 20201,166
May 2020917
Apr 2020968
Mar 20201,350
Feb 20201,255
Jan 20201,412
Dec 20191,178
Nov 20191,462
Oct 20191,383
Sept 20191,325
Aug 20191,137
Jul 20191,667
Jun 20191,756
May 20191,534
Apr 2019785
Mar 20191,051
Feb 2019965
Jan 20191,127
Dec 2018825
Nov 20181,105
Oct 20181,128
Sept 2018957
Aug 2018656
Jul 2018936
Jun 20181,287
May 2018999
Apr 2018860
Mar 20181,009
Feb 2018994
Jan 20181,325
Dec 2017837
Nov 20171,168
Oct 2017967
Sept 20171,090
Aug 2017817
Jul 2017920
Jun 20171,310
May 20171,088
Apr 2017932
Mar 20171,097
Feb 2017953
Jan 20171,000
Is there a shortage of higher level teaching assistants?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
61%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for teaching and childcare associate professionals, which includes higher level teaching assistants. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London872
Manchester115
Birmingham94
Leeds80
Sheffield70
West Northamptonshire67
Wakefield65
Bristol, City of52
North Yorkshire51
Bradford50
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where higher level teaching assistants are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of higher level teaching assistants
n/p
20%!
21%!
30%!
21%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3420% (small sample)
35–4421% (small sample)
45–5430% (small sample)
55–6421% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent42%
Higher education below degree16%
A levels or equivalent32%
GCSEs or equivalent!9.1%
Other qualifications!2.6%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent42%
Higher education below degree16%
A levels or equivalent32%
GCSEs or equivalent9.1% (small sample)
Other qualifications2.6% (small sample)

Main employers: primary education (68%), general secondary education (16%), pre-primary education (6.2%), tertiary education (4.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
42%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 5
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • assists with development of lesson plans and materials
  • assists teacher with preparation or clearing up of classroom
  • gives lessons to classes and individual students independently of the teacher
  • assess, record and report on pupils' progress
  • manages and supports other teaching assistants
  • listens to children read, reads to them or tells stories
  • assists children with washing or dressing for outdoor and similar activities
  • makes simple teaching aids and constructs thematic displays of educational material or children’s work
  • helps with outings and other out-of-classroom activities

Skills

  • assess the development of youth
  • assist students in their learning
  • assist students with equipment
  • encourage students to acknowledge their achievements
  • give constructive feedback
  • guarantee students' safety
  • manage children's problems
  • observe student's progress
  • perform playground surveillance
  • provide lesson materials
  • provide teacher support
  • support children's wellbeing
  • support the positiveness of youths
  • escort students on a field trip

Knowledge

  • learning difficulties
  • curriculum objectives
  • workplace sanitation
  • common children's diseases
  • first aid
  • teamwork principles
  • children's physical development
  • kindergarten school procedures

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for health and social care associate professionals, a group of 13 jobs that includes higher level teaching assistants.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 12%about 82,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035492,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.