Teacher Pay Zones in London & England | UK Teacher Salary Guide for Overseas Teachers

Teacher Pay Zones Around London and the Rest of England

Teacher salaries in England are set within the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions framework, which outlines the minimum pay teachers should receive based on their experience level.

Most qualified teachers begin on the Main Pay Scale, which typically ranges from M1 (entry level) to M6 (experienced classroom teacher).

Salary levels then increase annually with experience and performance. Find out more about the UK Teacher Pay Scale.

Schools located in London receive additional salary weighting, which creates three specific pay zones:

• Inner London
• Outer London
• London Fringe

These zones provide higher salaries to offset London’s higher living costs.

Supply Teaching vs Full-Time Teaching

Overseas teachers should also understand the difference between full-time teaching roles and supply teaching.

Supply teaching in the UK often pays less per day than the equivalent daily rate of a salaried teacher. Teachers working through agencies are typically paid a daily rate, which can vary depending on the school and agency.

In recent years, many schools have also started employing Cover Supervisors instead of teachers for short-term cover.

Cover Supervisors usually:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree
• Have a police check and references
• Supervise lessons rather than deliver full teaching

Because they are not fully responsible for lesson planning or assessment, they receive a lower daily rate than qualified teachers.

If you are planning to teach in the UK, it is worth discussing your options with a recruitment consultant to decide whether supply, contract or permanent teaching is the best fit.

Teacher Pay Zones Around London and the Rest of England

The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document divides England into different pay regions based on location.

Teachers working in London receive additional salary weighting because the cost of housing, transport and daily living is significantly higher.

Outside of London and its surrounding fringe areas, the Main Pay Scale is generally the same across the rest of England, making many regions more affordable places to live.

Inner London Teacher Pay Scale

Inner London schools offer the highest teacher salaries in England due to the extremely high cost of living in central London.

Local authority areas included in the Inner London pay zone include:

• Camden
• City of London (Corporation of London)
• Hackney
• Hammersmith & Fulham
• Islington
• Kensington & Chelsea
• Lambeth
• Lewisham
• Southwark
• Tower Hamlets
• Wandsworth
• Westminster

Teachers working in these boroughs receive the largest London salary weighting.

Outer London Teacher Pay Scale

Outer London boroughs are still part of Greater London but generally have slightly lower living costs than central London.

Schools in these areas follow the Outer London teacher pay scale.

Examples of Outer London boroughs include:

• Barking & Dagenham
• Barnet
• Bexley
• Brent
• Bromley
• Croydon
• Ealing
• Enfield
• Greenwich (Note: Sometimes listed as Inner by some, but mostly in Outer)
• Haringey
• Harrow
• Havering
• Hillingdon
• Hounslow
• Kingston upon Thames
• Merton
• Newham
• Redbridge
• Richmond upon Thames
• Sutton
• Waltham Forest

These areas still provide a London salary allowance but at a lower level than Inner London schools.

London Fringe Teacher Pay Scale

The London Fringe covers areas just outside Greater London where housing costs remain high compared with the rest of England.

Teachers working in these areas receive an additional salary allowance, but not as high as those working within London boroughs.

Fringe areas include locations such as:

• Essex: Basildon, Billericay, Brentwood, Epping Forest, Harlow, Thurrock, Wickford.
• Hertfordshire: Dacorum, Hertsmere, St Albans, Watford, Three Rivers, Welwyn & Hatfield, Royston, Buntingford & Bishop’s Stortford, South East Hertfordshire.
• Kent: Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley.
• Surrey: East Elmbridge, Mid Surrey, East Surrey, Guildford, Waverley, North Surrey, Surrey Heath, Woking.
• Berkshire & Buckinghamshire: Bracknell Forest, Slough, Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead, Wokingham.

These areas are popular with teachers who want to work near London but live in slightly more affordable communities.

Example Teacher Pay Differences (2025–2026)

Below is an example of how teacher salaries differ across London pay zones on the Main Pay Scale.

Other parts of England are M1 £32916 and M6 £45,352

Teacher salaries typically increase each year with experience and progression through the pay scale.

Teachers may also receive additional allowances for:

• Leadership roles
• Special educational needs coordination
• Teaching shortage subjects
• Additional responsibility

Teaching in England with Teach in

If you are planning to move to England to teach, understanding teacher pay zones is an important step when deciding where to live and work.

When you register with Teach in, our consultants can help you:

• Understand UK teacher salary expectations
• Choose the best teaching location
• Explore supply, contract and permanent teaching options
• Navigate the UK education system

We can also explain where our UK branches are located across England and the pay you can expect to earn in each region.

Register with Teach in today to start your journey teaching in the UK.