Unqualified teacher pay in Wales

Unqualified teachers in Wales are paid on a six-point scale that, from 1 September 2026, runs from £23,820 at point 1 to £37,669 at point 6. Their scale rose by 5%, while the main teachers’ scale rose by 3.5%. The Welsh Government proposed the higher figure in July after concerns raised by partners outside the pay review process, and confirmed it on 14 October 2026.

The scale from September 2026

Point	2025	From 1 September 2026
1	£22,685	£23,820
2	£25,322	£26,589
3	£27,960	£29,358
4	£30,596	£32,126
5	£33,238	£34,900
6	£35,875	£37,669

The school decides which point to place a new unqualified teacher on, following its pay policy. For comparison, England’s range for unqualified teachers is £23,732 to £36,494 outside London, covered in the unqualified teacher pay guide. Welsh pay is a little higher at both ends.

Moving up the scale

Schools must award an unqualified teacher on points 1 to 6 one point after each year of employment, unless the teacher has been told that capability procedures are under way for that year. The move happens on 1 September and any rise is permanent for as long as the teacher stays at the same school.

What happens when you gain QTS

When an unqualified teacher obtains qualified teacher status, they must be moved to a salary on the core scale for qualified teachers, shown in teacher pay in Wales. If they stay at the same school, the new salary must be at least equal to what they were paid as an unqualified teacher plus any allowance and safeguarded sum, as the school considers appropriate.

If QTS is awarded retrospectively, the school must pay a lump sum covering the difference between what the teacher was paid and the salary, excluding allowances, that they would have received as a qualified teacher, from the date QTS was effectively obtained until the lump sum is paid.

Graduate teachers and those on an employment-based training scheme are treated as a separate case. The school decides whether to pay them as a qualified or unqualified teacher.

What the 5% means in pounds

At point 3 the new figure is £29,358, up from £27,960, a rise of £1,398 a year. A qualified teacher on C3, whose scale rose by 3.5%, gains £1,374 over the same period. Point 1 at £23,820 works out at £1,985 a month before tax, National Insurance and pension. Take-home pay depends on your tax code and pension, and the take-home pay calculator shows the result for a given salary.

Say an unqualified teacher on point 4 (£32,126) gains QTS at the same school. The new salary has to be at least £32,126 plus any allowance, and it must sit on the core scale, whose lowest point is C1 at £34,912. Which point the teacher lands on is the school’s decision.

Allowances

Unqualified teachers cannot receive TLRs. A school may instead award an allowance it considers appropriate where the teacher has taken on a sustained additional responsibility focused on teaching and learning that needs a teacher’s professional skills and judgement, or has qualifications or experience that add value to the role. The document sets no minimum or maximum, so the amount depends on the school. The ranges for qualified teachers are in teacher allowances in Wales.

Other terms

Unqualified teachers in maintained schools fall under the same pay document as other teachers, including pay on a short-notice basis and the right to pro rata pay for part-time work. A teacher who is employed on a day-to-day basis gets one 195th of the annual salary for each day. Anyone working towards QTS can check where they will be placed by asking the school for its pay policy, which must say how pay progression is decided.