How much does a marketing apprentice cost?
Shift routine marketing off your team and onto a dedicated, marketing apprentice. Move the sliders to see the impact for your business.
The Marketing Trainer is the trading name of Game-On Coaching Limited (company number 09946328), listed on the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register under UKPRN 10092406 and approved by the Chartered Institute of Marketing to deliver its qualifications.
We are an approved CIM apprenticeship provider and embed the CIM Level 3 Foundation Certificate in Marketing into the Multi-channel marketer (level 3) apprenticeship, so apprentices finish with both the apprenticeship and a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification.
Ofsted inspected us on 19 May 2026 and judged us to reach the Strong standard for Achievement and Curriculum and teaching. Read the full report card.
In 2025/26, 92% of our apprentices achieved their apprenticeship — 34 of 37 — against a national average of 65%. All 34 who achieved gained a merit or distinction, and 62% achieved a distinction. See how we worked those figures out.
We help employers find the right apprentice, not just train them. See the candidates near your business.
Check us on Find apprenticeship training, Ofsted and Companies House.
What does a marketing apprentice cost an employer?
A marketing apprentice costs an employer their salary plus, for apprentices aged 25 and over, £550 towards training — 5% of the £11,000 funding band for the Multi-channel marketer (level 3) standard. For apprentices aged 16 to 24 the training is fully funded and the employer pays nothing towards it. The Marketing Trainer does not charge for recruitment.
Against that sit the incentive payments and the employer National Insurance exemption for apprentices under 25, which is why the first-year cost of an apprentice is usually well below the salary you advertise. The three examples below work it through end to end.
Three worked examples
Figures reviewed August 2026 against the 2026–27 funding rules for a non-levy employer, paying through the apprenticeship service. Salaries are illustrative — every other number is calculated from them.
| Scenario | Apprentice salary | Age at start | You pay for training | Support & savings | First-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing assistant | £16,000 | 18 | £0 — 100% funded | £5,200 | £10,800 |
| Marketing executive | £26,000 | 26 | £550 — 95% funded | £2,200 | £24,350 |
| Apprentice instead of a graduate | £20,000 | 22 | £0 — 100% funded | £6,450 | £13,550 |
Marketing assistant
A first marketing hire, straight out of school or college, working alongside whoever is currently squeezing marketing in around another job.
- Training — 100% fundedYou pay £0
- Apprentice hiring payment£2,000
- Young / care-experienced payment£1,000
- Free recruitment — we source & screen£1,000
- CIM Level 3 Award in Content and Channels — included£1,200
Around 28 productive hours a week, and 416 hours a year handed back to whoever is doing your marketing now.
Marketing executive
Upskilling someone already on the team, or hiring at executive level. Over 25, so the training is 95% funded rather than free and the hiring incentives do not apply.
- Training — 95% fundedYou pay £550
- Free recruitment — we source & screen£1,000
- CIM Level 3 Award in Content and Channels — included£1,200
Around 30 productive hours a week, and 520 hours a year handed back to whoever is doing your marketing now.
Apprentice instead of a graduate
The same junior marketing role, filled by an apprentice rather than a graduate hire. Compared against GRADUATE_ASSUMPTIONS below.
- Training — 100% fundedYou pay £0
- Apprentice hiring payment£2,000
- Employer NI saved (apprentice 21–24)£2,250
- Free recruitment — we source & screen£1,000
- CIM Level 3 Award in Content and Channels — included£1,200
Around 30 productive hours a week, and 416 hours a year handed back to whoever is doing your marketing now.
Is an apprentice cheaper than a graduate?
Same junior marketing role, two ways of filling it, first year only.
| Year one | Apprentice, age 22 | Graduate hire |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | £20,000 | £28,000 |
| Employer National Insurance | £0 — exempt under 25 | £3,450 |
| Training | £0 — 100% funded | Not included |
| Qualification gained | Apprenticeship + CIM Level 3 Foundation Certificate | None included |
| Incentives and support | £6,450 | None |
| First-year cost | £13,550 | £31,450 |
A difference of £17,900 in the first year, and that excludes recruitment: a marketing graduate hired through an agency typically costs 15–20% of first-year salary on top, where we source and screen apprentice candidates at no charge. The graduate arrives with a degree; the apprentice finishes with a CIM qualification and a year of experience in your business.
What these figures assume
- Reviewed August 2026, against the 2026–27 apprenticeship funding rules for a non-levy employer, paying through the apprenticeship service. Funding rules change at Budgets — check gov.uk, or ask us, before committing to a figure.
- The Multi-channel marketer (level 3) standard, funding band £11,000. Employers of apprentices aged 25 and over co-invest 5% of it.
- Salaries are illustrative. They are typical of what employers we work with pay, not a recommendation and not a quote.
- 20% of the apprentice's time is off-the-job training, so the productive hours above are 80% of their contracted week.
- Incentive payments carry eligibility conditions — age bands, care-experienced status and Universal Credit among them. The calculator below lets you set those; the table takes the straightforward case.
- The graduate comparison excludes agency fees and assumes a £28,000 starting salary. Both choices understate the difference rather than overstating it.
Work it out for your business
Same arithmetic as the table above, with your numbers instead of ours.
Your numbers
Adjust these to match your business.
The person currently squeezing marketing in
Hours that could transfer to an apprentice
~20% is protected off-the-job training time
Drives funding and incentives (non-levy employer)
Senior time reclaimed
£8,107
416 hrs/year handed back
Cheaper per hour
49%
£9.89/hr vs £19.49/hr
Extra marketing time
+20 hrs/wk
3.5× your current marketing hours
Extra marketing you didn't have before
Apprentice works 35 hrs/wk, less ~20% protected off-the-job training.
- SEO6.0 hrs
- Content & copywriting5.0 hrs
- Social media4.0 hrs
- Email marketing3.0 hrs
- Paid ads & more2.0 hrs
Over a year that's 920 hours of extra marketing (20 hrs × 46working weeks) — work your team simply didn't have time for before.
Support & savings in year one
- Training — 100% fundedYou pay £0
- Apprentice hiring payment£2,000
- Employer NI saved (apprentice 21–24)£1,950
- Free recruitment — we source & screen£1,000
- CIM Level 3 Award in Content and Channels — included£1,200
- Total support & savings£6,150
The CIM award also works for retention: outside the apprenticeship, the CIM Level 3 Foundation Certificate takes two modules — completing the apprenticeship counts as an exemption for the second, so finishing earns your apprentice the full certificate. That's a strong incentive to see the programme through with you.
Effective first-year cost
£11,850
A dedicated marketer spending ~28 hours a week on your SEO, social, email and content — after £6,150 of funding, incentives, NI relief, free recruitment and an embedded CIM qualification, and handing 416 hours a year back to your senior team.
Talk to us about hiring an apprenticeEmail me this breakdown
Get these exact numbers — £11,850 effective first-year cost with your settings — in your inbox to share with your team.
Illustrative estimate based on the figures you enter and the 2026–27 apprenticeship funding rules for non-levy employers. Hourly costs are salary ÷ 1,950 working hours; apprentice productive time assumes ~20% off-the-job training. Funding, the £2,000 hiring payment and the £1,000 payment carry eligibility conditions and effective dates; the £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant (hiring an 18–24-year-old on Universal Credit 6+ months) runs from 30 June 2026. Employers pay no National Insurance on apprentices under 25 (versus under 21 for other staff), so the NI saving shown applies to ages 21–24 and is indicative — rates change yearly. The recruitment figure is a conservative floor for what you'd otherwise pay an agency to source and screen a junior hire. The £1,200 CIM figure is indicative of buying the Level 3 Award in Content and Channels outside the apprenticeship. Check gov.uk for your circumstances.
Where the funding comes from
The route differs depending on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy. Both are set out in full.
Questions employers ask about the cost
- How much does a marketing apprentice cost?
- The salary, and very little else. Training is 100% government-funded for apprentices aged 16 to 24 and 95% funded for those 25 and over, where the employer contributes 5% — currently £550 on the Multi-channel marketer standard. We do not charge for recruitment. On the worked examples on this page, first-year cost after funding and incentives ranges from about £10,800 to about £24,350 depending on the salary and the apprentice's age.
- What salary do I have to pay a marketing apprentice?
- Legally, at least the apprentice National Minimum Wage, which applies in the first year of the apprenticeship and to apprentices under 19. In practice almost nobody pays it for a marketing role — apprentices at that rate leave, and the ones worth hiring do not apply. The employers we work with typically pay between £16,000 and £22,000 for a marketing apprentice, more in London and for over-25s enrolled from an existing role.
- Is an apprentice cheaper than a graduate?
- On these assumptions, yes — by about £17,900 in year one, before any recruitment fee. The apprentice route also carries the training and a CIM qualification, which the graduate hire does not. The comparison is set out in full in the third worked example on this page.
- What do I get for the 20% off-the-job training time?
- It is not 20% of the apprentice's time away from your business — it is 20% spent on learning that relates to the job, which includes work they do for you under supervision, shadowing, and writing up projects. Our teaching is delivered remotely and scheduled around your working week. See the full twelve-month journey.
- Do I pay anything if the apprentice leaves?
- You do not owe us anything for training already delivered — funding follows the apprentice, not a contract with you. If a placement does not work out we will help you find a replacement at no cost. See the candidates near your business.
- What if we pay the apprenticeship levy?
- Then the training cost comes out of your levy account rather than being co-invested, and none of the 5% applies. The incentive payments and the employer NI treatment work the same way. See apprenticeship levy for large businesses.
Want these numbers checked against your business?
Pick a time that suits you and we'll confirm exactly what funding you qualify for.
Ready to build marketing capacity for less?
Our apprenticeships help organisations save thousands, ease workloads, and build skilled, CIM-qualified marketing teams ready to deliver results. Complete the form and our team will show you exactly how an apprentice could fit into your business — and what funding support you could access.