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OndLingua

Interpret with OndLingua

Join the network.

We're building a UK network of qualified interpreters. On-call and scheduled work, by telephone and video and on-site. You contract directly with OndLingua. If you already work through an agency, nothing here changes that.

Apply nowHow we pay

01What we ask

Standards that protect everyone.

Six baseline requirements. Specialty work may add language- or sector-specific qualifications on top.

  • Qualification: DPSI · DPI · ITI · CIOL or equivalent — plus NRPSI / NRCPD registration where applicable
  • The highest DBS level the role is eligible for — Enhanced with barred list checks for regulated activity. You can apply now. DBS checks through us start once our umbrella body arrangement is in place.
  • Native or near-native proficiency in source and target languages
  • Experience in at least one sector you want to work in
  • Reliable internet · headset · quiet workspace
  • Right to work in the UK for on-site assignments

02Rates and payment

Paid monthly, and sooner when you're busy.

Late payment is the complaint interpreters make most often about agencies. These are the terms we hold ourselves to.

  • Every month

    Paid monthly

    Everything you earn in a month is settled at month end and reaches your account by the 7th of the following month — the next working day if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday.

  • £500

    Paid sooner when you're busy

    If your balance reaches £500 at any point during the month, we pay it out the following Monday rather than making you wait for month end.

  • Up front

    Your rate, agreed in writing

    Agreed with you before your first assignment and set out in your interpreter agreement.

Rates depend on language, mode and sector, and are agreed with you individually rather than published as a tier table. Minimum durations are set out in the interpreter agreement.

03Interpreter FAQ

What the bench asks first.

  • 01

    How are jobs allocated?

    Instant requests go out at the same time to every cleared interpreter who matches the language, the mode and any gender preference on the booking — the first to accept takes it. Scheduled work is posted to a board: you express interest, and our team decides who is assigned. A person makes that call, not an algorithm.

  • 02

    How and when am I paid?

    Monthly. Everything you have earned in a month is settled at month end and reaches your account by the 7th of the following month, or the next working day if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday. If your balance reaches £500 at any point during the month, we pay it out the following Monday rather than making you wait. Payments are in GBP by bank transfer.

  • 03

    Am I employed or self-employed?

    Self-employed, contracting directly with OndLingua. There is no PAYE. If you are not VAT-registered we raise a self-billed invoice on your behalf, so you never have to invoice us; if you are VAT-registered you invoice us in the normal way, with VAT. We confirm which applies to you during onboarding.

  • 04

    Is onboarding paid?

    Yes — two paid orientation sessions, plus a graded assessment. Vetting comes first: qualifications, registration, a DBS check at the highest level the role is eligible for (Enhanced with barred list checks for regulated activity) and references are all verified before you are cleared to take assignments.

  • 05

    Where can I work?

    We are UK-based. Telephone and video work is remote and needs only a quiet space, a headset and a reliable connection; on-site assignments are offered where a booking needs one near you. Working remotely from outside the UK is confirmed case by case.

04Apply

Apply to interpret.

Take three minutes. We'll reply with next steps — the onboarding window and your first scheduled assessment.

Prefer email? Write to [email protected].

We can only take on interpreters living in the UK for clinical work — a DBS check at the highest level the role is eligible for (Enhanced with barred list checks for regulated activity) is required, and it cannot be obtained from outside the UK.

The postcode you'd set off from, not your address — so we can tell you how far an on-site job is before you accept it. Leave it blank if you'd rather, or if you only want remote work.

How we use what you send. ONDLINGUA LTD (company no. 17283866, 167–169 Great Portland Street, London) is the controller for your application. We keep what you enter on this form — your name, contact details, where you live, your languages, qualification and registration, and what you tell us about yourself — to assess your application and, if it proceeds, to verify your declarations with you; our lawful basis is taking the steps you ask for before a contract. Your application is stored as a record, our recruitment mailbox is told, and you receive an acknowledgement. An application that does not proceed is deleted after six months. You can ask for a copy of what we hold, or for it to be corrected or deleted, and you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. Contact [email protected]. Full details: our Privacy Notice.

Declarations only, no documents · we reply by email