Apprenticeships

UAL is a London Living Wage employer. The salary for the apprenticeship role will be advertised in the job advertisement. The salary will usually be written as a pay range. Since an Apprenticeship is a training role, it is usual for us to appoint at the lower end of the range. When you have successfully completed your probation, you will receive a first annual incremental pay increase in line with our pay policies.

UAL has a great range of staff benefits, which you will be eligible for. Depending on the role and grade you join us on, you will automatically be entitled to 31-34 days of paid time off (plus bank holidays), 2 more days off to volunteer, a generous pension contribution, and sick leave. This is worth roughly an additional 39% of your base salary.

We also have a wide range of staff discounts on medical insurance, gym memberships, childcare, IT software, travel, food, drink, and big lifestyle brands. As an apprentice, you will be eligible for discounted Oyster Card fares – have a look at our benefits page for more information.

You will also have all your apprenticeship training fees covered, which range between £3,000 – £27,000 worth of training.

Typically, as a full-time employed UAL Apprentice, you will have a 35-hour working week. Of those 35 hours, 6 per week will be spent on learning and development activities and working towards your apprenticeship qualification. This is called ‘Off-the-job Training’, because while you’re being paid and you’re within your working hours, you will be focused on the learning and development necessary for the completion of your qualification. In this ‘Off-the-Job’ time, with plenty of support, you will complete a programme of training, delivered by one of our selected training partners.

If you are employed part time and undertaking an apprenticeship, your training time will be pro rata-ed to 20%. All other details remain the same.

You will be fully supported throughout your apprenticeship to ensure you are able to do your best work.

Your Line Manager will act as your first point of contact for day-to-day work queries and will work with you and the training provider to ensure that you are supported with a development plan. Your Workplace Mentor will be there to support the job role side of the apprenticeship, and you will also have an Apprenticeship Coach to ensure you get any learning support you need, and to help with assessments and submissions.

You will also join a network of UAL Apprentices, who will be able to share their knowledge and experience of working and studying, and the Apprenticeship team is also here to support you.

UAL is an apprenticeship levy payer. This means that we can fund apprentice training fees at no cost to you. However, for us to access this funding, you will need to meet the eligibility criteria. The funding is supplied by the Government, so it is their eligibility criteria that we need to abide by.

The Government funding rules for apprenticeships specify who is eligible. You will need to provide evidence to demonstrate your eligibility to both UAL and the training provider should you be successful in your application.

• You must already have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the apprenticeship contract (the length of the contract will be listed on the Job Description).
• Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor visa applications for Apprenticeship positions as they do not meet the minimum qualifying criteria for sponsorship requirements.
• You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

UK Nationals:

If you do not meet this 3-year residency criterion but you are a UK National, and you:

• Have resided temporarily outside the UK for the purposes of Education, employment, or gap year.
• Are a member of the British Armed Forces, MoD Personnel, or civil crown servants and had a posting outside the UK.
• Have been ordinarily resident in the UK or the British Overseas Territories, or the Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of the apprenticeship.

You will still be able to apply.

Non-UK nationals:

If you are not a UK National there are some exclusions and exemptions to the Government funding criteria that may apply to you. We encourage you to check Annex A of the ESFA employer Apprenticeship funding rules to make sure you are eligible before you start your application.

If you require specific advice about your eligibility, please contact us on apprenticeships@arts.ac.uk.

There is no upper age limit, but you must be over 16 years of age to start an apprenticeship. We will accept applications from you if you are 15 years old, as long as you turn 16 before the apprenticeship employment start date.