Getting paid with Engage Education: PAYE vs Umbrella explained

*the information below is up to date as of January 2026 and is subject to change*

Understanding your pay options

When you register to work with Engage Education, you have the option to work directly for us under PAYE (Pay As You Earn) or work for one of our Umbrella Companies. Below is a breakdown of how both of these options work! 

When you work for Engage Education (PAYE):

• You are employed directly by Engage Education during your placement
• Engage gives you your work details and pays your wages
• You are paid weekly
• Your payslip will show deductions for tax, National Insurance, and pension

When you work for an Umbrella Company: 

• You are employed by an Umbrella Company, not directly by Engage, during your placement
• The Umbrella Company gives you your contract; Engage gives you your work details
• Engage sends the money to the Umbrella Company so they can pay you
• You are paid weekly
• Your payslip will show deductions for tax, National Insurance, and pension

How pay works with Engage Education

When you sign up with any agency, it’s important to make sure you’re fully registered with your preferred pay choice before you start work. Don’t worry, all of your options are transparently presented to you after you complete your initial interview with us. We’ll send you an email with a “Key Information Document [KID]” for each of the payroll methods available to you. KID documents are a legal requirement of recruitment agencies in the UK and are sent to you in advance of your registration. 

They help you understand the payment methods available to you and help you make an informed choice about the best option for you. It’s really important that you make this decision and sign up with the relevant method before you begin any work with Engage, to avoid any delays in your pay being processed!

You’ll be paid weekly, one week in arrears, once your timesheet has been approved. For example, if you work during the week starting 6 January, your timesheet will be sent to the school on 10 January, and you’ll be paid the following Friday 17 January. 

To make sure you get paid on time, your timesheet needs to be approved by Tuesday’s close of business after the week you’ve worked, and you can easily keep an eye on this using our mobile app. If anything is still waiting for approval, just let your consultant or timesheet approver know, and they’ll be happy to help get it sorted.

If you are working for us under PAYE, you can view your payslips and P60s anytime through Sage HR, our payroll team will set you up on the platform and let you know when your account is ready to log into! If you have any problems accessing this platform please contact your consultant who will be happy to help you with any queries! If you are working under one of our Umbrella Companies, we’ll send you a detailed email explaining how you can onboard with your chosen company – including their contact details so you can get setup quickly.

Payslips, payroll & deductions explained

Your payslip shows your earnings and deductions for a pay period and acts as proof of salary.

What’s on your payslip:

• Gross salary: total earnings before any deductions
• Net salary: take-home pay after deductions
• Deductions: tax, National Insurance, pension, student loans, overpayments or advances
• Tax code: how your income tax is calculated, for more information on your tax code you can visit the .gov website! 
• Employer contributions: e.g., pensions or benefits
• Pay period: dates for the pay

Your deductions can vary due to many factors, such as tax code changes, pension contributions, National Insurance adjustments, or corrections for past under/overpayments.

Holiday pay & pensions

Holiday pay is calculated the same for PAYE and Umbrella Companies. It is included in your daily/hourly rate (12.07%) and is paid each week alongside your normal pay. Your payslip shows how much of your rate is holiday pay so you can see the total clearly.

If you are PAYE, your pension provider with Engage is The People’s Pension, and you’ll be automatically enrolled and receive joining details via email once you have completed 3 months’ work with us. You can opt out of this service within a month of enrollment, for more information on this you can read this helpful guide. 

If you are working under an Umbrella Company, their dedicated payroll team will be able to support you on who your pension provider is and how to sign up with them! 

Support & help with your pay

Spotted an error on your payslip? Our payroll team is always on hand to help you with any queries! Follow the steps below so we can assist you in the best way possible: 

• Check your timesheet on the EngageNow, make sure it has no errors and has been approved 
• Keep hold of your payslip so we can help you as quickly as possible 
• If you are PAYE, contact our payroll team
• If you are working for an Umbrella Company, get in touch with them and their team will be able to assist you with any payslip errors or advice. 

If you are thinking of leaving Engage, you can get in touch with your consultant who will be able to arrange your P45 for you. If you’ve not worked with Engage for over 84 days, we’ll have to issue you a P45 too. This process is in line with KCSIE safer recruitment guidelines – it helps us to ensure everyone remains fully vetted for work with our partner schools.

Have an issue with your tax code? Unfortunately we can’t help you as we get the information directly from HMRC, but you can contact them here with your query. 

Moved house? Changed your name? Life happens, but it is always super important to keep us up to date with any changes so we can make sure your details are up to date! 

• If you are working with us PAYE, contact your consultant, or email payroll@engage-education.com for more help!
• If you are working with us under an Umbrella Company, contact them directly and they will be able to assist you with changing your details. 

If you have any questions at all, our consultants are always on hand to help!

Register with Engage Education here!