SOC 2020 code 6112 · Caring, leisure and other service occupations

Can teaching assistants get a Skilled Worker visa? (SOC 6112)

Official occupation name: Teaching assistants

Can a new applicant be sponsored in this job today?

No, not for a new applicant. Teaching assistants (SOC 6112) is a medium-skilled occupation, and since 22 July 2025 the rules only allow it for people already sponsored in it: granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules before 22 July 2025, and holding it continuously since.

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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 6112

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

Tables 1a and 3a are for medium-skilled occupations (RQF levels 3 to 5). Since 22 July 2025, sponsors may only use them for someone granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025 who has held it continuously since, unless the job is on the Temporary Shortage List or the Immigration Salary List (Appendix Skilled Worker SW 6.1). This code is on neither list.

Pay scale

The going rate for code 6112 is a national pay scale, set out in Appendix Skilled Occupations (source: NJC pay scales 2024 No available data for Scotland so matching the value of other nations). 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.

All of the UK

£23,656 (FTE £12.26 per hour)

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

Job titles in code 6112

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.

Classroom assistant
School assistant
Teaching assistant
Cover supervisors
School teaching assistants
Teaching assistants 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 6112, 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 611

Nearby occupations that are open to new applicants

Codes in the same part of the classification that a new applicant can be sponsored in today. They are only relevant if the actual job fits one of them: re-labelling a job does not work (see above).

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.

These employers hold licences for the roles they can sponsor. A licence does not make this occupation eligible.

Common questions

Can teaching assistants be sponsored for a UK Skilled Worker visa?

Is SOC 6112 (teaching assistants) 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 6112. 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.