Are you applying for your first apprenticeship? If so you may have heard talk about apprentices being paid poorly. However, you may be surprised to hear that the average weekly wage for an apprentice is £257.
As of April 2018 if an apprentice is under 19 or in their first year of an apprenticeship they must be paid a minimum of £3.70 an hour. However, this wage changes dependant how the age and how the apprentice look has been training for.
| Age | Training | Minimum hourly wage |
| 16 – 18 | N/A | £3.70 |
| 19+ | In year 1 of an apprenticeship | £3.70 |
| 19+ | In year 2+ of an apprenticeship | £5.90 |
| 21+ | In year 2+ of an apprenticeship | £7.38 |
| 25+ | In year 2+ of an apprenticeship | £7.83 |
These wages are set out by the government based on the National Minimum Wage, however, employers get to choose what their apprentices are paid. Some may choose to pay the Apprentice Minimum Wage however others may choose to pay the National Minimum Wage for your age category.
