SOC 2020 code 2313 · Professional occupations

Secondary school teacher: Skilled Worker visa salary and sponsorship (SOC 2313)

Official occupation name: Secondary education teaching professionals

Yes

Can a new applicant be sponsored in this job today?

Yes. Secondary education teaching professionals (SOC 2313) is on the list of eligible occupations in the Immigration Rules, so an employer with a sponsor licence can sponsor a new applicant in it. Its going rate is a national pay scale, so the job must pay at least £25,000 and the pay-scale rate for the role, whichever is higher.

Minimum: £25,000; or the pay-scale rate, if higher
Qualified teacher: £31,650; England (excluding London / Fringe)

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Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026. Sources: Appendix Skilled Occupations, Appendix Skilled Worker.

What the rules say about code 2313

Appendix Skilled Occupations lists this code in Table 3, and the gov.uk eligible occupations table labels it “Higher Skilled”.

Table 3 is for health and education occupations skilled to RQF level 6 or above whose going rates come from national pay scales. They use points option K: the job must pay at least £25,000 and the pay-scale rate for the role.

Pay scale

The going rate for code 2313 is a national pay scale, set out in Appendix Skilled Occupations (source: Teachers’ national pay scales: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales). The job must pay at least £25,000 and the rate for the role, whichever is higher, and the rate is pro-rated to the contracted hours.

Teacher pay going rates by role and area
Role	England (excluding London / Fringe)	London Fringe	Outer London	Inner London	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland
Unqualified teachers / Probationers	£21,731	£23,140	£25,758	£27,252	£33,594	£21,812	-
Qualified teachers	£31,650	£33,075	£36,413	£38,766	£40,305	£32,433	£30,000
Chartered teachers	-	-	-	-	£52,158	-	-
Principal teachers	-	-	-	-	£55,155	-	-
Leadership group	£49,781	£51,151	£53,731	£59,186	-	£50,653	£47,241
Leading practitioner	£50,025	£51,403	£53,994	£59,478	-	£50,902	-
Head teacher	£56,316	£57,693	£60,266	£65,731	£62,556	£57,304	£53,309

Figures as published in Appendix Skilled Occupations, checked on 23 October 2026.

Job titles in code 2313

Examples from the Immigration Rules and the gov.uk eligible occupations table. They are examples, not the full list: a job belongs in this code because of its duties, whatever it is called.

Curriculum leader (secondary school)
Deputy head teacher (secondary school)
Head of year (secondary school)
Secondary school teacher
Sixth form teacher
Teacher (secondary school)
Teachers of art
Teachers of biology
Teachers of chemistry
Teachers of design technology
Teachers of drama
Teachers of economics
Teachers of English
Teachers of geography
Teachers of history
Teachers of ICT and computer science
Teachers of mathematics
Teachers of modern foreign languages
Teachers of music
Teachers of physical education
Teachers of physics
Teachers of psychology
Teachers of religious education
Teachers of science
Teachers of sociology
Teachers of Welsh
Secondary education teaching professionals not elsewhere classified

Who chooses the occupation code

The employer does, not you and not GoRizzume. The sponsor picks the code when it assigns the Certificate of Sponsorship, and Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 6.2) lets the Home Office refuse the application if it has reasonable grounds to believe a less appropriate code was chosen because the right one is not eligible, has a higher going rate, or is not on the Immigration Salary List. The duties decide the code, not the job title.

So treat this page as the rules for code 2313, not a verdict on any particular offer. Ask the employer which code they will use, then check that code. If you are unsure, the CASCOT coding tool suggests codes for a job title, and gov.uk says to make sure the description matches what you will actually do.

Other occupations in minor group 231

Find an employer that can sponsor

Only an employer on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors can sponsor a Skilled Worker visa, and a licence means they can sponsor eligible roles, not that every job comes with sponsorship.

Common questions

Can secondary school teachers be sponsored for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

Is SOC 2313 (secondary education teaching professionals) on a UK shortage list?

No. It is on neither the Temporary Shortage List nor the Immigration Salary List. Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026.

Who decides which occupation code goes on a Certificate of Sponsorship?

The employer. The sponsor chooses the code when it assigns the certificate, and the Home Office can refuse the application if it has reason to think a less appropriate code was chosen to get round the eligibility or salary rules. A job title alone does not decide the code: the duties do. Ask the employer which code the offer will use.

This is information, not immigration advice. It sets out what the published Home Office rules say about occupation code 2313. It cannot see your history or your offer, and real cases turn on details it does not model. Confirm on gov.uk, ask the employer which code they will use, and take advice from an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority before making a decision that matters.

Rules checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026. Occupation codes are SOC 2020. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.