8215 — Driving instructors

SOC 2020 code 8215 (Driving instructors) is an eligible occupation for the UK Skilled Worker visa. The 2026 minimum salary threshold for this code is £39,500 per year.

Key facts

SOC 2020 code

8215

Job title

Driving instructors

2026 going rate (annual)

£39,500

Route eligibility

Skilled Worker (and Health & Care Worker where applicable)

SOC 2020 classification

Every four-digit SOC 2020 code sits inside a three-level parent hierarchy maintained by the Office for National Statistics. Driving instructors belongs to:

1. 8

   Major group

   PROCESS, PLANT AND MACHINE OPERATIVES

2. 82

   Sub-major group

   TRANSPORT AND MOBILE MACHINE DRIVERS AND OPERATIVES

3. 821

   Minor group

   Road Transport Drivers

4. 8215

   Unit group

   Driving instructors

Source: ONS Standard Occupational Classification 2020, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Finding sponsors hiring for this code

Sponsors do not publish their per-SOC hiring plans in the public register — they only publish the visa routes they hold a licence for. To find sponsors who realistically recruit for driving instructors:

1. Use the search box to look for employers in your sector that hold a Skilled Worker licence.
2. Filter by Skilled Worker or, where applicable, Health & Care Worker.
3. Apply through each sponsor’s standard recruitment channel and ask early whether the role is open to sponsorship.

Related reading

• How SOC 2020 codes work
• 2026 salary thresholds — full breakdown

SOC 2020 reference data is refreshed annually from ONS each April. Salary thresholds are reviewed annually by the Migration Advisory Committee and re-ingested at the same time. Always verify against the original GOV.UK / ONS publications before relying on this information for a visa application.