Salary

<aside> 💡 Employers are strongly encouraged to pay apprentices a salary that meets or exceeds the London Living Wage (or the Living Wage, outside London), ensuring a fair and equitable start to their careers.

For example, as of the time of writing (April 2024) we recommend an apprentice working a standard 37.5 hour week in London be paid an annual salary of £25,642.

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We encourage employers to provide opportunities for pay progression over the length of the apprenticeship. A good benchmark is for an apprentice be earning at least 75% of their post-apprenticeship salary before the end of their apprenticeship. This guidance follows the findings of “How Employers Set Pay For Apprentices”, a report commissioned by the Low Pay Commission in 2020.

Timeframe

• The apprenticeship usually begins on the first day of the apprentice's 12-week full-time training with Founders and Coders. The apprenticeship ends when the apprentice completes their end-point assessment, typically 15 months, and not more than 21 months, after starting the apprenticeship.
• Apprentices are considered to be employees from the day their apprenticeship starts. Once the apprenticeship comes to an end, the apprenticeship contract will usually also end. If the apprentice is to continue with the employer after they complete their apprenticeship, they would normally expect to sign a new contract at a new salary.
• It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that 18 months into the programme, a meeting is scheduled with the apprentice to inform them whether they intend to keep them on full-time or let them go. This is to ensure that apprentices are given sufficient notices if they need to be searching for alternative employment once the apprenticeship ends.

The Level 4 Software Developer standard

Software developer

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3. The apprenticeship contract